A member of rapper Jay-Z’s entourage released pepper spray at R. Kelly during a joint concert at Madison Square Garden, Kelly’s publicist said.

The spraying happened about an hour into Friday night’s show, when Kelly walked on stage and said he saw two people in the audience waving guns, publicist Allan Mayer said. Kelly abruptly stopped his set around 9:30 p.m. while arena security employees searched for weapons.

Finding none, guards told Kelly it was safe to continue performing, Mayer said. But as the singer was making his way back to the stage, a man in Jay-Z’s entourage — apparently miffed that Kelly interrupted the show — sprayed him and two of his bodyguards in the face, Mayer said.

“I’m pretty sure Jay didn’t realize what was going on,” Mayer said.

All three men were treated at St. Vincent’s Hospital and released, he said. Jay-Z performed for another 45 minutes after Kelly was sprayed.

Jana Fleishman, publicist for Jay-Z, said Saturday that the rapper’s entourage knew nothing about the incident because it occurred while Jay-Z was performing. Jay-Z “did not attack R. Kelly in any way, shape or form,” Fleishman said.

In a radio interview on Power 105 FM radio Friday, Jay-Z said he couldn’t understand why Kelly left the stage.

“You can’t get a gun inside Madison Square Garden,” the rapper said. “If people give me love he can’t take it.”

The two are in the midst of a 40-city “Best of Both Worlds” tour, scheduled to run through Nov. 28. There was no immediate word on whether a second show at Madison Square Garden Saturday night would be canceled.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported discord between the two performers after Kelly showed up more than two hours late for a show in Chicago this month. Three shows on the tour have been canceled because of “technical difficulties” suffered by Kelly, Fleishman said.

Credit: AP