R. Kelly to Share Closet Space with Ne-Yo in Oakland

This just in! R. Kelly just chose his new pisspal, er, I mean tour opener -- Ne-Yo! I just don't get it though. So you can pee in a toilet and it's okay, but if you pee on a person, it's like, not okay? PR drops knowledge:

In the afterglow of last Thursday's announcement of the nominees for this year's 35th annual American Music Awards -- with Def Jam recording artist and chart topping songwriter Ne-Yo named in the category of Favorite Male Artist, Soul/Rhythm & Blues -- comes the news that Ne-Yo will join R. Kelly's upcoming two-month 30-city fall-winter U.S. tour, along with support acts J. Holiday and Keyshia Cole. The tour opens November 14 at the Columbus (Georgia) Civic Center, and runs through January 12 at the Hampton (Virginia) Coliseum. (See tour schedule below.)

Ne-Yo continues to tour in support of his second album, BECAUSE OF
YOU, which was released on May 1st and earned his second consecutive #1
Soundscan debut. The album, which sold over 200,000 copies in its first week
out, is now in its 24th week on the Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
It shot to the top spot on the strength of its title tune hit single "Because Of
You" - Top 10 across-the-board on the Hot 100 (#2), Hot Digital Songs (#2), Pop
100 (#3), Hot Dance Club Play (#6), and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (#7) charts. The
second single pick from the album, "Do You," rose to #3 on the R&B chart and Top
30 pop.

BECAUSE OF YOU is the follow-up to Ne-Yo's RIAA platinum-selling
debut album In My Own Words (released February 2006), which debuted at #1 on the
Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, and was nominated for a Grammy as
Best Contemporary R&B Album. It spun off three solid hits, starting late-2005
with Ne-Yo's debut Def Jam single, the #1 Grammy-nominated "So Sick," followed
by "When You're Mad" and "Sexy Love."

Ne-Yo capped 2006 when he was named Male R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the
Year at the Billboard Music Awards. A month later in January, it was noted that
Beyoncé's hit single, "Irreplaceable" (co-written by Ne-Yo) had scored
second-highest total audience impressions in Nielsen-BDS history (i.e. since
1992). The song with the #3 all-time highest audience total was also co-written
by Ne-Yo - namely Mario's "Let Me Love You" in 2005.

Prior to the release of BECAUSE OF YOU, Ne-Yo spent the last 10 days
of 2006 on the annual "Ruff & Ready, Yung & Sexy: Scream Tour 5," presented by
BET and starring Ne-Yo, Omarion, Yung Joc, Pretty Ricky, Mario, Jibbs, Sammie,
and One Chance. After the album's release, Ne-Yo played an 18-city nationwide
tour from May through July, opened by Trey Songz.

The Las Vegas hometown favorite Ne-Yo (aka Shaffer C. Smith) has
founded The Compound Foundation which is committed to service at risk and
disadvantaged youth. In addition to building two new group homes in the Atlanta
area, The Compound Foundation will sponsor performances, motivational speakers
and mentorship opportunities with leaders and business people within the
community.

R. KELLY ON TOUR WITH NE-YO, J. HOLIDAY, KEYSHIA COLE

Date City Venue

Nov. 14 Columbus, GA Columbus Civic Center

15 Atlanta, GA Phillips Arena

21 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center

22 Newark, NJ Prudential Center

23 New York, NY Nassau Coliseum

24 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena

25 Washington DC Verizon Center

29 Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena

30 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena

Dec. 1 Dallas, TX American Airlines Arena

2 Houston, TX Toyota Center

13 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay

14 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center

15 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena

16 Sacramento, CA Arco Arena

20 Chicago, IL United Center

21 Chicago, IL United Center

22-23 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena

27 Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum

28 Orlando, FL TD Waterhouse Arena

29 Columbia, SC Colonial Center

30 Jacksonville, FL Veteran Memorial

31 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena

Jan. 3 Louisville, KY Kentucky Expo Center

4 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center

6 St. Louis, MO Scottrade

9 Savannah, GA Savannah Civic Center

10 Greensville, NC Bi-Lo Center

11 Richmond, VA Richmond Coliseum

12 Hampton, VA Hampton Coliseum