The purgatory of the almost famous is where Joey Bada$ found himself moments before he was scheduled to perform at the annual Falls Festival in New South Wales, Australia.

According to reports from the Down Under, the teenaged Brooklyn-bred rapper was on his way to the stage to celebrate the New Year with his Aussie fans when he was stopped by a 20-year-old security guard who did not recognize him as an authorized person. The security check ended, Byron Bay police say, with Joey punching the guard, and the guard sent to the hospital, sustaining a broken nose among other facial injuries.

Joey then performed his set and was arrested afterwards. He was held in custody overnight and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was granted bail and is expected back in the Lismore Local Court on March 19.

"The crucification of my image has already begun. Remember don't believe everything you see or hear. They build u up to tear you down..." Joey tweeted early Monday morning (Jan. 5).

The alleged incident followed another hiccup in his Australian tour. "To all my fans in Sydney, Australia I sincerely apologize but I could not finish the show my voice is too shot & I'm in pain.... Sorry," he wrote on New Years Eve.

Joey is scheduled to remain on tour for concert dates in Melbourne, Wellington, and Auckland, reports Billboard.

His debut album, B4.Da.$ is slated for release Jan. 20, his 20th birthday. It's been preceded so far by the singles, "Curry Chicken," "No. 99," "On & On," "Christ Conscious" and "Big Dusty," as well as his critically acclaimed mixtapes Summer Knights and 1999.

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(Photo: John Ricard / BET)