By: J. Koni
Ne-Yo has been dropped from R.Kelly's Double Up tour, and the official reason is that there is a contractual dispute. However, a representative from Ne-Yo's camp believes R.Kelly is afraid of the competition! "R.Kelly fired the singer because he brought too much heat for him to compete against."
"He's written hit songs for Beyonce ("Irreplaceable") and Rihanna ("Unfaithful"); spending a combined 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100," Ne-Yo's business partner and manager, Tango, said in a statement. "He's written songs slated to be on Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, and Enrique Iglesias' new albums. The fans were really feeling his performances. He's good; maybe he's too good – that's the problem."
Giving his opinion, Ne-Yo added: "I don't understand their actions because I was rehearsing, doing media, promoting the tour, and performing. In my opinion, I was doing everything possible to make the tour a success. I love being on stage in front of fans because of the immediate feedback you get. You know right away if they are feeling you; and they were really feeling our show. To my fans and ticket holders – I apologize if you are disappointed," he said.
Allan Mayer, R. Kelly's representative declared that the singer had nothing to do with Ne-Yo's dismissal: "Ne-Yo's departure from the Double Up tour was the result of a contractual issue between him and the tour promoter. R. Kelly had nothing to do with it."
