Troy Ave "Barely Getting By," Judge Won't Allow Him to Do Shows

RadioOnFire.com - Troy Ave, whose real name is Roland Collins, faces attempted murder charges from a deadly May 25 shooting at Irving Plaza.  His close friend and bodyguard Ronald McPhatter, 33, was killed in the chaotic shootout that night, while Troy and two other people were wounded.  Police reportedly believe Troy shot McPhatter and released footage of him opening fire in the concert hall.

Troy was released on bail but will have to wait until at least next month to see if his bail conditions will be loosened.  Troy wanted to ask Judge Ronald Zweibel to lift the order preventing him from leaving New York City and banning him from performing in nightclubs or other venues, according to his lawyer John Stella.  Unfortunately for Troy, the request was put off because the judge still has to go over some of the evidence presented to the grand jury before he can decide on motions filed by the rapper's lawyer.

The bail restrictions have reportedly put a strain on Troy's finances as he's missed dozens of tour dates and lost out on tens of thousands of dollars.  He typically makes between $6,000 and $10,000 for a performance.  He had to cancel at least 50 tour dates since he was arrested, some of those he had already been paid an advance for.  So far no one has sued Troy Ave for breach of contract, according to Stella and court records, but he still owes thousands to those that paid him in advance.

“I think they’re waiting to see what happens in the short term to see if he regains the ability to perform,” Stella said. Troy paid his $500,000 bail by using his mother's Crown Heights home as collateral, according to Stella.  He has since been unable to schedule any new tour dates.

“He’s barely able to get by,” Stella said. “Touring is what drives everything else, and it’s hard to release music if he can’t promote it with live performances.”

Troy has been free on bail since July 11, but the conditions of the bail require him to obey an 11 p.m. curfew, stay out of bars, nightclubs, and other venues, and remain within the five boroughs.  To make up for lost income from his inability to perform, Troy Ave has been putting out music videos at a furious pace, with two videos released on World Star Hip Hop in the past week alone.

The decision on motions, which are standard procedure in a criminal case and include requests by Stella for the judge to either dismiss the case or reduce the charges based on his assessment of the evidence, has been rescheduled to Nov. 4.

Source: dnainfo.com