NobleMag

Ne-Yo has scored a nice additional payday for being dumped by R Kelly's promoters on the the road show last year. A Los Angeles judge has ordered Kelly's promoter to fork out the balance of what Ne-Yo would have earned for the tour which amounted to $700,320. The current industry's most prolific Grammy-winning writer went to court in December, alleging he was removed from the Double Up tour because his opening set was getting better reaction from fans and critics than Kelly's. (Doesn't this sound like the same kind of thing singer Joe was alleging against Kelly?) The bill also featured Keyshia Cole and J. Holiday. Superior Court Judge Malcolm Mackey made his default judgment after Georgia-based Rowe Entertainment refused to respond to the lawsuit filed by Ne-Yo under his real name, Shaffer Smith. Per his suit, Ne-Yo was supposed to earn $785,000 on the 25-date jaunt, but the 25-year-old performer was canned by Rowe after the second show on Nov. 15 and only received a fraction of the contracted amount. At the time, the promoter blamed the dismissal on Ne-Yo's camp for not completing the proper paperwork. There was no immediate comment from either Ne-Yo or Rowe on the judge's ruling. Kelly was not named as a defendant in the suit. It's shaping up to be a big month for the rising star, whose third studio album, Year of the Gentleman, drops Sept. 16. [source]

R Kelly, Ne-Yo