‘Pop Champagne’ Rapper Jim Jones Admits Beatdown of Ne-Yo Friend
Rapper Jim Jones (real name Joseph Jones) pleaded guilty to a minor assault charge Monday and was sentenced to time served.
Harlem rapper Jim Jones pleaded guilty to a minor assault charge Monday for beating up a pal of R&B star Ne-Yo in a luxury Louis Vuitton store on Fifth Ave.
The “Pop Champagne” artist, whose fourth solo album hit stores last spring, admitted to pummeling victim Jayvon Smith, and agreed to a sentence of time served.
“He did probably two hours” in jail, Jones’ lawyer, Scott Leemon, said outside court when asked how much time Jones served after surrendering in the Dec. 22 skirmish.
“He didn’t want to risk probation,” Leemon said of Jones’ decision to fess up rather than to go to trial. Probation could have hindered the rapper’s touring schedule, he said.
Surveillance video from the luxury boutique caught Jones “hitting and kicking” Smith in front of Ne-Yo, sources said - part of an ongoing dispute between Jones and Smith, the younger brother of superstar Jay-Z’s road manager.
“I’m just working with some music and trying to stay clear of trouble,” Jones said on his way out of court. A $7 million lawsuit filed by Smith is still pending.
