R KELLY - JAY-Z ROAD MANAGER PLEADS GUILTY TO SPRAYING R KELLY

JAY-Z's road manager TYRAN 'TY-TY' SMITH pleaded guilty on Monday (24MAR06) to pepper-spraying R+B singer R KELLY at the stars' Best Of Both Worlds joint tour nearly two years ago. The IGNITION crooner stormed off stage at the 29 October 2004 concert in Madison Square Garden, New York City, after claiming he could see two audience members carrying guns. After being given the all-clear by security guards, Kelly returned to the stage, only to be attacked with mace by Smith. Following the incident, the rapper and the concert producers removed Kelly from the 40-date tour, which was scheduled to run until November 2004. In Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday, Smith pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to four days of community service and two days of anger-management counselling. Meanwhile, the singer's publicist tells the New York Daily News, he is close to settling a $75 million (GBP42 million) breach of contract suit against Jay-Z. Kelly claims the hip-hop star conspired to sabotage his participation in their tour.