From E!:
We're in the wrong business. Gold-plated pacifiers should be our trade.
A day after the all-natural birth of her son, Kelis Rogers has successfully secured roughly $40,000 in monthly spousal and child support from her estranged hubby, Nas.
So much for the original $20,000 a month she was asking for—or for the one-time payment of $20,000 proposed by Nas' attorney (K-Fed legal eagle Mark Vincent Kaplan) until the divorcing duo had reached a permanent settlement.
Instead, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Louis Meisinger deemed $39,498 per month a more righteous sum, based on Kelis' income declarations, and also ordered Nas (full name Nasir Jones) to fork over another $45,000 for Kelis' attorney fees.
Kelis' camp argued that Nas had not contributed very much cash when it came to preparing for the arrival of their son, Knight Jones, since she filed for divorce in April. Kaplan countered that his client had already given $30,000 to the cause, as well as maintained mother and child's health insurance.
So with all this dirty money stuff out of the way, Kelis can get down to baby business.
"Kelis is grateful to have given birth to a healthy baby boy," her rep tells E! News. "Her focus is on getting acquainted with him and enjoying her role as a new mom."
Knight was born at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, more than two days after Kelis went into labor. The "Milkshake" singer's mom and sister were in the delivery room with her.
First things first: Nas, you have to take care of your kids and your ex-wife. There is no getting around that, and there shouldn't be. And trying to get out of that is a sucker move.
But 40,000 dollars a month? That's…a lot. Say that out loud. Forty thousand dollars per month. Yes; ex-wife and child have the right to live a lifestyle they are accustomed to, but aren't there exentuating circumstances? Sure; Nas came to the relationship with more wealth, but didn't Kelis have a few sheckles in her pocket? Couldn't it at least be argued that she has a skill that could reasonably be parlayed into income? We don't know about you, but The Buzz had heard of Kelis independent of Nas years ago. Because she's a singer/performer/ art installation. Kelis has her own profile. For 40,000 dollars a month, a person should have no skill that could ever bring them close to living the lifestyle to which they are accustomed.
Thank goodness Kelis could secure that 40 per. How else could she maintain the lifestyle to which she is accustomed? It's not like she's a marginally-talented musician/ingenue who's seen a degree of success in the music world. After she's ready and able to go back to work, what are her job prospects? It's not like she's a famous singer or something. After reaching the settlement, Kelis said she planned to record another album sometime in the near never.
In other news, Nas is reaaaaally regretting that tattoo.