Anita Baker has come under fire after leaving concertgoers waiting nearly two hours due to an ongoing feud between her and fellow singer Babyface.
On May 10, attendees swarmed Prudential Center in Newark to see Baker and Babyface perform. Babyface was scheduled to perform before Baker took the stage but according to the When Can I See You star, he was told Baker’s team told him not to go on stage before her.
“I am truly sorry to my fans who have been waiting for us to hit the stage this evening at the Prudential Center,” Edmonds wrote on an Instagram Story. “I was asked not to perform in order to give Ms. Baker her space and time to perform her show in its entirety. My band and I are extremely saddened we didn’t get to perform for y’all tonight.”
He posted the message after the crowd was told that the reason for the delay was due to a technical glitch. But Babyface refuted those claims shortly thereafter.
This is not the first time the Angel songstress has come under fire for diva-like behavior. On social media, fans began to post alleged receipts of prior conduct from the 65-year-old Ohio native.
In a recent Breakfast Club interview, fellow singer Stephanie Mills paused to answer when host Charlamagne da God asked if she would take notes from Baker.
It then surfaced that Baker and Babyface, born Kenneth Edmonds, had issues in the past. In 2006, a report stated that “Edmonds filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Baker, saying that the vocalist broke two oral agreements. Edmonds also said that the two were scheduled to perform four concerts together, but Baker canceled two, refusing to pay $150,000 for the dates,” according to Okayplayer.
Some fans who attended the New Jersey concert have since demanded that their money be returned, stating that the audio during the concert was not up to par. It is unclear whether Babyface will continue to open for Baker in future shows, which is expected to continue in Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and Oakland between now and the end of the year.
