Following a recent Shine My Crown report about Anita Baker, who came under fire after leaving concertgoers waiting nearly two hours due to an ongoing feud between her and fellow singer Babyface, the Caught Up in the Rapture songstress has come out to set the record straight.
On Tuesday, the 65-year-old took to Twitter to address the allegations stating that it wasn’t her fault she was delayed in appearing on stage and pointed the blame at entertainment company Live Nation and repudiated claims that she was ever on tour with fellow artist Maxwell.
“Dear Sir, Live Nation, took Full responsibility,” Baker wrote in a tweet directed at a user who pointed the blame on her. “I Went on My Stage, at the appropriate time. Did my job without benefit of full production. I have Never, been in Concert, with my Friend Maxwell I *Did, my Job/Lifelong Profession. Your public statements are false.”
She further added that a lawsuit filed against her by reps of Babyface has been settled and everything was put “behind us.”
“Another, Truth?… My company defended & Prevailed against the lawsuit filed, (Not by Babyface, but by his reps. at the time). Kenny, came to me YEARS ago, in the Spirit of Community & WE put It ALL, behind us. & came Together, in Love, Peace, Music & Community & 4giveness.”
But wait, there’s more. The Ohio native then addressed accusations that the late Luther Vandross was an arch nemesis of hers – an allegation she denies.
“Dear Ma’am. Mr. Vandross & I were one of the Most Successful R&B/Pop, Sold Out, Arena Concert Tours, of its Time,” Baker wrote. “We Created Joy, Jobs & Commerce for Our Community. As, Successful Business Partners often do? We had disagreements. We also, had Joy *Balance abxo.”
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 Baker.
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.
