UPDATE: The travel been on Silento has been lifted after the rapper appeared in court and paid receipts of 25,749 dirhams ($7,010) to settle the claim against him.
American rapper Silento has been blocked from leaving the United Arab Emirates after failing to appear at concerts in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi last month.
The 19-year-old, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, has been ordered to pay 300,000 dirhams ($81,686) to the owner of Mackie Entertainment, the organizer of the concerts to which Silento was a no-show.
Silento has been ordered to surrender his passport to authorities in Al Ain until the payment is made. Although the rapper failed to appear in court, he has launched a crowdfunding page titled "Free Silento", with the goal of raising $100,000. It's unclear why he is aiming to raise funds in excess of the required amount.
Best known for his single Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) – which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 100 in 2015 – the American artist has previously won a Soul Train Music Award.
Makki Taj El Sir Abdel Halim, the owner of Mackie Entertainment, said he had reached an agreement with Silento's Middle East representative to perform twice on Feb. 18. The rapper was set to receive $4,000 for a show in Al Ain and $5,000 for another in Abu Dhabi, but Silento didn't show up.
"After we reached an agreement and the contracts were signed, Silento did not show up at Bounce Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Rotana for the events," he said, according to The National. "Furthermore, I was asked to cover costs of travel and accommodation."
According to Halim, he filed the request to the court because he lost money. He presented the court with signed contracts and receipts to prove his case.
But, Silento's Middle East representative has a different story.
"There was no contract between myself and Mackie Entertainment," Jenna Kadhum, who represents the rapper in the Middle East, said. "The contract was with another company, which put my name and logo in the documents, and I did not sign any document."
Kadhum said Silento missed the performances because he never received his fee. She has contacted the U.S. embassy in Abu Dhabi on the rappers behalf.
The rapper has been performing throughout the region in the last few weeks. He made it to scheduled shows in Amman on Feb. 17 and in Muscat on Feb. 19. The UAE travel ban was issued for Silento on Feb. 20 but the news has just been revealed publicly.
Despite the ban, it appears the rapper has been able to continue enjoying his time out and about in the UAE. He even moved forward with his performance at Dubai’s XL Beach Club on Monday evening.
Silento had a scheduled show in Doha for Tuesday evening, but it appears unlikely that he'll be able to make it due to the travel ban.