Leroy Smart denies being booed during performance

CURTIS CAMPBELL, STAR Writer

Iconic reggae/dancehall artiste Leroy 'The Don' Smart has refuted claims that he was booed during his performance at the recent staging of Rebel Salute.

According to the icon, he performed a seamless set which was well received, and YouTube videos are online to prove his argument.

The artiste says sources have ignored his performance and chose to highlight a situation which occurred after his exit from the stage.

"My performance was excellent and I got that approval from a lot of people. When I went to my hotel, couple white folks shouted to me that the performance was dynamic.

"The band did not rehearse my set properly and that caused a problem. I was unable to perform my set as I had planned but I managed to boost them and even perform a cappella, so I could please the audience," he said.

The singer says the band was so unprepared for his performance he ended up cutting his set short, making way for other acts to perform. He says, even at that point, he was not booed by any patron.

"After I came off the stage, I decided to go back just to explain why my performance did not have more in it, and some people at the front were disrupting my apology with boos. But I was not booed during my performance," he said.

"Listen to me! I am making it clear that I wasn't booed. I was manipulated when I came back onstage just to say something, but I wasn't booed. Leroy 'Don' Smart has never been booed. That is a drastic disrespect and many people have disapproved and you have made a lot of people very angry. What should have been said was Leroy Smart gave a good performance but had a band problem," he said, seemingly upset.

The artiste says he hopes to get a second chance with a rehearsed band to give a full-length performance.

"I have got nothing bad to say to the band either. Because every now and again I was still giving the band props even though they spoiled my set," he said.

SEE VIDEO ONLINE: https://www.youtube.com/user/JamaicaStarOnline/videos