S. Samuel
Rap mogul Nas is not laying down in a pricey legal suit and instead is continuing the fight to avoid having to shell out $10 million over a 2012 New Year's Eve party no-show.
According to reports, Nas’ attorney is urging a judge to not even consider taking the matter seriously and having it thrown out of court.
A judge should throw out the $10 million lawsuit a Morris Township concert promoter filed against rapper Nas, according to a motion the star rapper’s attorney filed Monday. Monday’s motion to dismiss the suit says its wasn’t Nas’ fault he didn’t show up for the concerts, and says concert promoter Patrick Allocco didn’t pay the rapper on time and didn’t handle his travel arrangements correctly. It also alleges Allocco agreed not to sue Nas when the rapper eventually repaid the $300,000 he was given before the shows. (NJ)
Last month, reports claimed Allocco still wanted millions from God’s Son after being detained in Angola for nearly two months as a result of the rapper’s no-show.
The attorney for the borough concert promoter suing a star rapper for $10 million said scheduling conflicts have kept the matter out of court. Allocco’s New York-based attorney, Bill Meeker said he and Nas’ lawyer, Jonathan Davis, were set to have an initial conference April 2, but the sides agreed to ask for an adjournment, which was granted. The hearing requires Davis and Meeker to participate in a conference call with a judge, but the sides haven’t been able nail down a new date, according to Meeker. Davis has indicated he plans to ask the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, Meeker said. Davis couldn’t be reached for comment. (Star-Ledger)
The hefty lawsuit turned into a widespread topic back in mid-December.
A New Jersey father-and-son team of promoters held in Angola for 49 days after Nas failed to appear for a concert there last New Year’s Eve are suing the rapper for $10 million in Manhattan federal court. Nas later returned his $300,000 fee, but the blame fell on Patrick Allocco, 52, and Patrick Jr., 22, of Morris Plains, whose company eventually went bankrupt. (New York Post)
Although Nas repaid the money back, the plaintiff said he wanted to get compensated for time he spent as a kidnap victim.
At the time, Allocco told reporters that he was stuck in Angola and being held at gunpoint by a local “concert impresario” who put up the money for the concerts. Nas got a $300,000 advance and budding rapper Jamiah Jai, who was supposed to be the opening act, got $15,000. The court papers say Nas was in Miami to attend a New Year’s Eve engagement party at the home of hoops star LeBron James. The lawsuit says after the shows were canceled, Allocco and his son were taken into custody by Angolan authorities who refused to let them leave the country until the money was returned. Nas and Jai did eventually repay the money. (New York Daily News)
Last year, the New York hip-hop vet spoke on his no-show and the kidnapping.
“I didn’t want to touch on it because it seemed like he was in grave danger out there,” Nas said in an interview. “Basically he was a promoter that I never worked with, and he wanted me to come to Africa for New Year’s, which, for me, I thought, would be the best way to spend New Year’s. … The business wasn’t handled. There was nothing sent to me, and there were no flights. … By the time he did send money — he did eventually send money to me — but it was too late to go. I didn’t even have a visa to get in the country. So that’s canceled, the show’s canceled.” (RapFix)
