Why was Joey Bada$$ arrested in Australia?
At the start of the new year in 2015, a young Joey Bada$$ should have been preparing for some good times ahead. His debut album was set for release on his 20th birthday, on January 20, and his career looked full of promise. But, instead, things went badly wrong during a trip to Australia.
Joey had been booked to play a set at a festival in New South Wales on January 2, but, as he was preparing to take to the stage, a security guard stopped him. The guard demanded to see some ID from Joey—which didn’t go down too well with the young rapper.
According to reports from the time, Joey lashed out at the guard and punched him in the face. He struck him hard, too, as the guard ended up with some nasty injuries.
“A 20-year-old man was allegedly punched in the face by a man while working as a security guard at the festival,” a police spokesperson declared in the wake of the incident. “The man was treated for a broken nose and other facial injuries.”
The police arrived at the scene following the alleged assault, but they didn’t make an arrest right away. They allowed Joey to finish up his set first, before then making their move.
Joey appeared at court the following day, where he was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was allowed to go on bail, although a further court appearance was set for March.
After news of the incident broke, Joey took to Twitter to paint what had happened in a very particular sort of light. “The [crucifixion] of my image has already begun,” he posted. “Remember, don’t believe everything you see or hear. They build you up to tear you down…”
A statement later released by one of his representatives was more conciliatory. “There was a misunderstanding with security at the Byron Falls Festival show, which resulted in charges being laid by NSW Police,” it read. “After fully cooperating with police, Joey was granted bail and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.”
The incident didn’t affect Joey’s burgeoning career too badly. His debut album, B4.Da.$$, was released on his birthday to widespread acclaim. It appeared at number five on the Billboard 200 during its first week.