A spokesperson for Drake said in a statement that "he did not engage in any activity which resulted in injury to person or damage to property."
Witnesses told police that two men approached Brown's table and asked him whether he had a problem with Drake, and he replied that he did not. Later, as Brown was leaving, five men blocked his way on the dance floor and started taking off their shirts and yelling, police said.
No explanation of what taking off shirts had to do with anything.
At some point, bottles started flying. Chief NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said it's not clear who tossed the bottles. It's possible that unaffiliated bar patrons were merely eager to egg on a fight and a YouTube video.
Five bystanders — four women and a man — also suffered cuts during the fight at the club W.i.P, police said. Brown's bodyguard suffered a more serious cut to the head, but all the victims were released from the hospital later Thursday.
According to TMZ.com, Drake started the fracas by mouthing off to Brown and then getting fellow rappers Meek Mills (Philly's in the house!), Juelz Santana and Trav B for backup.
Police were looking for surveillance footage and talking to patrons who witnessed the melee. No arrests have been made and no complaints filed, and no one has identified any one person as an assailant, police said.
No snitchin' — even at the club.
It's not clear what prompted Drake to verbally go off on Brown, but Drake dated Rihanna soon after Brown did, so maybe it is clear.
A word of caution to Brown and Drake: The Associated Press reported yesterday that R. Kelly owes the IRS $4.8 million for taxes going back as much as seven years.
TATTBITS
Both Ben Affleck and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton think that every child across the world deserves a fifth birthday.
The actor and diplomat embraced as they crossed paths onstage Thursday morning at Child Survival Call to Action, a conference hosted by the government in collaboration with Ethiopia, India and UNICEF to recognize and promote efforts to curtail child mortality.
During her speech Clinton announced that more than 60 faith-based organizations from 40 countries were joining the fight to end preventable childhood deaths through promotion of breast-feeding, vaccines and health care for children. Saving children's lives "cannot be just a job for governments," she said.
A distasteful slight to a former president or clever marketing? HBO and producers of "Game of Thrones" are apologizing for a scene that depicted a severed prosthetic head on a spike that some folks believe resembled former President George W. Bush.
Producers Dan Weiss and David Benioff say that they didn't intentionally use a head that looked like Bush and that they meant no disrespect to him.
What makes this sudden "controversy" so questionable is that the head in question was in a scene last year and in the March DVD release and not a peep was heard from anyone. Now that HBO is premiering a documentary on Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush, it's an issue.
Rovio, the Finnish gaming company behind Angry Birds, has opened its Shanghai office and outlined plans for activity parks and stores across China, one of its biggest markets.
In the Chinese version the birds are angry at the air quality. n
— Daily News wire services contributed to this report. Email gensleh@phillynews.com
