Festival Agent Allegedly Lied About Booking Doechii and SiR — Then Ran Off With $200K

A new lawsuit claims a booking agent lied about securing Doechii and SiR as headliners for a Baltimore music festival this summer, then snagged a nearly $200,000 deposit from the show’s organizer and pocketed the cash even after his scheme unraveled.

Talent booker Christopher Young is accused of fraud in the lawsuit filed Wednesday (Aug. 13) by Blackout Management, an event organizer that puts on Baltimore’s AFRAM festival each June. Blackout partnered with Young and his firm, Sacrifice Management, to secure talent for this year’s festival.

According to the lawsuit, Young suggested booking Doechii (Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon) and SiR (Sir Darryl Andrew Farris) as headliners and claimed to have an in with the artists’ shared label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).

Young allegedly told Blackout’s owner, Nicola Blandon, in December 2024 that he could secure both Doechii and SiR as headliners with a deposit of $187,500. Blandon subsequently wired the money, and Young confirmed the booking — only to claim the following March that Doechii and SiR had “pulled out” due to scheduling conflicts.  

Suspicious about this sudden about-face, Blackout says it reached out to TDE and learned that Young’s entire plan had been a “sham” from the start.

“TDE’s representative confirmed that defendant Young had been lying for months,” reads the complaint. “Young never spoke to anyone at TDE about securing Doechii’s performance and had, at most, preliminary conversations about SiR.”

The lawsuit claims that after Young was caught in this lie, he refused to return the $187,500 deposit. Young is still holding onto the money to this day, Blackout alleges, despite numerous attempts to get it back via a settlement.

Now, Blackout is bringing civil fraud claims against Young and Sacrifice Management in federal court. The company wants a judgment returning the $187,500 deposit, plus additional damages for the harm caused by the alleged scheme.

“This put Blackout in a precarious situation,” the lawsuit says of Young’s conduct. “With the festival fast approaching, Blackout no longer had headliners. And one of the main supporting acts — who had agreed to perform at a discount to be billed under Doechii — now had to be paid a higher fee. Making matters worse, Young had damaged Blackout’s relationship and credibility with TDE.”

Young could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday (Aug. 14).

Reps for Doechii and SiR did not return requests for comment. The artists are not accused of any wrongdoing in the lawsuit.