Nesbeth says he was nearly stranded overseas

Reggae singer Nesbeth, who recently returned from Africa, is blasting popular publicist and booking agent Raymond 'Shadow' Small for what he says was "a disastrous series of events that almost left him stranded in Kenya last weekend".

Small, however, says he was the hero in the situation. Nesbeth told THE STAR that he "has severed all ties with Small", his contractual booking agent and tour manager, following the completion of his My Dream Part I tour of Europe and Africa. It got under way on January 12 in Italy and ended with the Roots Vibes Festival in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 11.

According to Nesbeth, all negotiations were handled by Small, with the deal being a split door arrangement, with the artiste getting a percentage of the gate receipt, rather than a quoted fee to be paid by the promoter.

"The person for the shows would have reached out to me and I would have passed it on to Mr Small. I have never done that [split door] before, but Mr Small said that he was familiar with it. But Mr Small made many decisions that worked against me financially," Nesbeth said.

Not all the shows were successful, and a press release from Nesbeth stated that there were "a series of blunders in the negotiations and unreasonable demands by Small, which led to an impasse between the promoter and Small surrounding the travel arrangements back to Jamaica from Africa". Nesbeth told THE STAR that up to the four days after the show in Kenya, Small and the promoter had not been able to sign off on travel arrangements for his return home.

"At a meeting I told them to work out whatever it is dem have to work out and left them to it," Nesbeth shared. A February 16 return date was scheduled.

"Small's level of arrogance and incompetence doesn't mix well with music business and his amateurish and unprofessional conduct during this tour have conspired to damage the artiste's reputation and standing in the international reggae community," the press release stated.

In his response, Small told THE STAR that "Nesbeth was the one who begged me to assist him with this catastrophic flow of a tour."

He added that he was not going to respond to any of the "outlandish fables" and suggested that "Nesbeth find a hit song to prop up his non-existent career". Nesbeth shared that he is chalking everything up to experience.

"I just have to pick up the pieces and move forward. I have seen darker days and I am still here," he said. The artiste, who arrived back in the island last Friday, is being booked by Treble Fitz Productions.