In a court ruling issued against the 19-year-old rapper in the city of Al Ain and seen by the media, Silento was ordered to pay a local promoter 300, 000 dirhams (US$ 81, 500) after he failed to perform at two scheduled shows.
The Feb. 20 judgment places a travel ban on the rapper. Silento, real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was also ordered to surrender his passport to the court until the dispute gets resolved.
However, Jenna Kadhum, the rapper’s Middle East representative, has rubbished the claims against the star and has accused the promoter of failing to honor the terms of his agreement.
“Silento did not cancel any shows at all,” Kadhum insisted, adding that the whip/Nae Nae artist only learned of the travel ban against him on Wednesday.
According to Makki Taj El Sir Abdel Halim, owner of events organizer Mackie Entertainment, the dispute centers on shows Silento was supposed to perform in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital, on Feb. 18.
The promoter said that he is seeking to recoup lost expenses, including performance fees, as well as travel and marketing costs.
“He didn’t show up,” Abdel Halim said in an interview, adding that he just wants to get his money back, and no to ruin the rapper’s reputation.
The promoter refused to reveal whether Silento had surrendered his passport to the authorities. He also declined to discuss his next legal steps, if any.
The rapper acknowledged that he is facing legal problems at the end of a show in a Dubai nightclub in the early hours of Thursday.
Silento posted a link on Twitter late Wednesday, in which he urged his fans to donate to a ‘free Silento’ fundraising page.
The stated aim of the fundraiser is to ‘Bring Me Back To America Again.’