Mayhem broke out at a stage show in Antigua on Sunday night when popular Antiguan disc jockey Kenny Nibbs and singer Tarrus Riley got into a verbal dispute onstage at the 'Peace and Unity Concert 2007'.
The was the concert's first annual staging and according to Riley's manager, Dean Fraser hell broke loose when Nibbs disrespected the artiste and his band onstage. According to Frasier it all began when the band arrived at the venue for a 7 p.m. start to a packed house waiting for the concert to begin, which it did two hours later.
"It was 3 a.m. at the time, and we had a 6 a.m. flight to catch, so I told him we need to get this ting on. Him start act all weird. So di band start play and Tarrus start come onstage. He (Kenny) start cuss bad words to di road manager while Tarrus is singing. He (Kenny) came back onstage wid bout six or eight man a seh Tarrus disrespect him, a nuh Jamaica we deh is Antigua" Fraser said.
Fraser added that a bottle was thrown onstage and he asked the promoter to call security to diffuse the situation. After singing only three songs, Tarrus left the stage and the show came to an end as disappointed fans left.
However, disc jockey Kenny Nibbs tells a different story. According to Nibbs in his 25 years in the business he has never felt more disrespected.
"I wasn't in confrontation wid Tarrus Riley. I swear di band was suppose to be 'Live Wire' when a tall Rasta came and told me is Black Soil. I said cool but he went on di most way. I call on Kenyatta Hill he was impressive and the crowd like dat. I hear dem backstage a talk bout its late so I cut dat and call on Tarrus. Before I could do dat him come onstage and he told me to get off the stage and the crowd didn't like dat and throw a bottle on stage," Nibbs said.
According to Nibbs, other radio jocks have proclaimed that they will not be playing any more Tarrus Riley songs on Antigun radio. "Even Jamaicans seh he is disrespectful and he start di whole Ting. It is the first time in 20 years someone tell me if come off di stage," Nibs said. Nibs also claimed that Rile came to him after the show and apologised.
For the promoter of the show Roger Perry both parties were wrong. "I think its irresponsible on both parties to let the situation escalate. Mr Riley thought the emcee was dead and not giving him a hype to go on and his road manager pulled the mic from the emcee. The emcee thought that was disrespectful," Perry said.
When asked if the emcee was disrespectful in any way Perry commented "that is his style. Two wrongs don't make a right. Other artistes on the show and everybody felt the same way but they went aside and spoke to him. He was also to blame."
Is a good promoter this him nuh tek nuh body side and him blame both parties for their wrong doing , but me a wonder how comes all of a sudden all dem other caribbean country yah jus start tek up badness on them head so and a disrespect the artist dem who nah get bottle a get box up and kidnap no sah a wonda a weh dem a deal wid