Jay-Z’s road manager Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for pepper-spraying singer R. Kelly backstage at New York’s Madison Square Garden during the artists’ doomed Best of Both Worlds tour.
Smith, a childhood friend of Jay-Z and a vice president at Def Jam Records, entered the guilty plea as part of a deal that allows the executive to avoid jail time, reports the New York Post. Also under the deal, the charge would be cleared from his criminal record if he completes four days of community service and two days of anger-management counseling.
But the pepper spray matter isn’t over for Ty-Ty. He and Jay-Z still face a civil lawsuit from Kelly for $91 million, which also includes a claim of breach of contract for canceling their 2004 tour.
While Kelly claims the pepper-spraying was part of a campaign to derail the ill-fated tour, Jay-Z says R. Kelly's lawsuit is a frivolous move to deflect attention from the crooner’s upcoming child pornography trial.
Smith, a childhood friend of Jay-Z and a vice president at Def Jam Records, entered the guilty plea as part of a deal that allows the executive to avoid jail time, reports the New York Post. Also under the deal, the charge would be cleared from his criminal record if he completes four days of community service and two days of anger-management counseling.
But the pepper spray matter isn’t over for Ty-Ty. He and Jay-Z still face a civil lawsuit from Kelly for $91 million, which also includes a claim of breach of contract for canceling their 2004 tour.
While Kelly claims the pepper-spraying was part of a campaign to derail the ill-fated tour, Jay-Z says R. Kelly's lawsuit is a frivolous move to deflect attention from the crooner’s upcoming child pornography trial.
