Curtis Campbell, STAR Writer

Dancehall artiste Eklypse is distancing himself from allegations made by websites based in Russia which accuses him of collecting money from promoters and not performing at their event.

According to the artiste, who is a protégé of dancehall artiste/deejay Ding Dong, the promoters did not send any deposit for his performance; therefore, he opted not to travel to Russia.

"I want to apologise to my fans. I don't want you to believe that I got money for the show and I didn't turn up. I am not that type of person and I really wanted to perform," he said.

Eklypse says the allegations are damaging to his credibility, he is therefore seeking to inform other promoters to ignore the information posted on the websites.

"I want all promoters to know that I am not a no-show artiste. But an agreement is an agreement and should not be breached. The promoters booked me for the show and they said they were going to send tickets for travelling, as well as a deposit, and in the end they only sent tickets. I didn't want to chance it because it was my first time travelling so far and it's me alone. What if I had gone to Russia and perform, then when I am looking for promoters to get my money I can't find any? And a Russia dat. A nuh like a New York wey yu can help out yourself. Russians don't even speak English," he said.

The artiste is currently basking in the popularity of his single called Time Fi Mek Money which has peaked on several reggae charts in Russia. Also featured on the song is up-and-coming dancehall artiste Darker Shades. Signed to a France-based record label, the artiste is looking to promote a new single Let Me Know which currently has over 200,000 views on Youtube.com.