Babyface will no longer appear on Anita Baker’s latest tour.
Baker said Tuesday that she’s removed him as the supporting act because his fans were bullying her online.
“After Silently, Enduring Cyber Bulling/Verbal Abuse & Threats of Violence from the Fan Base, of Our Special Guest/Support Act,” she wrote. “In the Interest of Personal Safety. I will continue, The Songstress Tour, alone. Appropriate refunds will be made. Blessings.”
Babyface responded: “I am saddened by the news that Anita Baker has decided to remove me from ‘The Songstress Tour.’ It’s unfortunate and disheartening to see how things have played out via social media. While I was looking forward to the rest of the dates, I have nothing but love & respect for Anita and I wish her the best for the remainder of her tour.”
The trouble appeared to have begun May 10, when Babyface (born Kenneth Edmonds) was scheduled to be a guest but did not perform. He tweeted that he had been asked not to, so that Baker could do all she had planned. Babyface noted, “My band and I are extremely saddened we didn’t get to perform for y’all tonight.”
Fans were upset, too.
Baker began replying to and retweeting some of the hate that she was receiving.
On Monday, she noted that Babyface was contracted to be her special guest and support act, rather than a co-headliner. She also called the people harassing her “Kenny’s Crazies,” and she amplified a tweet that called out Babyface for not asking his fans to stop.
Baker’s tweets made reference to her explanation of why he didn’t play his set that night, which, as he explained to People, was a video wall that he was going to use but wasn’t working correctly.
“As advanced as technology is today we are sometimes at its mercy,” he told the magazine. “The video wall was unfortunately not working that day and time wasn’t on our side. I am incredibly sorry to the fans and have nothing but love and respect for Anita. I am very much looking forward to continuing our tour together and will see everyone tomorrow.”
As the Indy Star, which covers Babyface’s hometown of Indianapolis, noted, the two have had issues before. In April 2006, he filed a lawsuit against Baker, claiming that she owed him more than $250,000 for his work co-writing, co-producing and performing her song “Like You Used to Do” and that she failed to perform concerts with him as she had agreed. She tweeted June 6 that they had “put it all behind us.”
Baker is scheduled to perform next at Chicago’s United Center on June 30, and she moves on to Detroit’s Pine Knob Music Theatre on July 2.
