These days the names R. Kelly and Jay-Z are seldom mentioned in the same sentence, but in 2003 they were a music power duo. R. Kelly and Jay-Z came together for two successful Best of Both Worlds music albums that produced hit records like “Fiesta.”
Unfortunately, the music pair would have a falling out following a 2004 performance in Madison Square Garden. A former cellmate reveals that R. Kelly thought Jay-Z wanted him dead at the time.
R. Kelly and Jay-Z’s Best of Both Worlds music era came at a time when R. Kelly was arguably a bigger star. As a result, Robert says that tensions between him and Jigga began to rise in the build-up to a show in Jay-Z’s hometown, New York, during their joint tour.
The cellmate says that the music artist confessed to insecurity driving the friendship apart and that, at one point, he began getting death threats from members of Jay-Z’s team. Eventually, R. Kelly left the arena claiming people were trying to take the music artist’s life, only to return later and get pepper sprayed by Tyran Smith.
R. Kelly would eventually drop out of the tour and file a 75 million dollar lawsuit.
It’s important to note that Robert was famously married to late music artist Aaliyah, who was eventually dating Jay-Z associate Dame Dash at the time of her passing. It’s possible that Dame Dash was the one who had issues with R. Kelly.
Dame Dash has come forward over the years to say he never co-signed the R. Kelly /Jay-Z music collaborations, even though rapper Memphis Bleek claims this is untrue and that Dame Dash was very much on board at the time.
Dame Dash says that the Best of Both Worlds music project was not supported by Roc-A-Fella Records. Jay-Z is also rumored to have tried to bag Aaliyah before she ended up with his homie Dame Dash. Jay -Zwould instead court Beyonce, and the rest is history.
