Sydney rapper The Kid Laroi claims ex-manager Daniel Annor withheld money and stalked him

Sydney rapper The Kid Laroi has launched a stinging retaliation to the lawsuit launched against him by ex-manager Daniel Annor, making a statement of claim in court that Annor ripped him off and stalked him.

Teen rap phenomenon The Kid Laroi claims his former manager withheld money, cut deals with record labels behind his back, and engaged in behaviour that amounted to stalking.

The allegations are made in the 18-year-old’s defence of, and counterclaims against, his former manager’s lawsuit against the rapper.

The Kid Laroi, real name Charlton Howard, leapt from humble beginnings in Redfern to global stardom on the back of hits like Stay, songs that have been celebrated by pop royalty, ­including Elton John.

Howard’s former manager Daniel “Zig” Annor, managing director of ART Management Group, filed a NSW Sup­reme Court lawsuit against the teenager in May, claiming breach of contract and loss of income.

According to his statement of claim, Annor claims his management of the chart topper was wrongfully terminated just days before Howard signed a deal with global music giant Sony.

The Kid Laroi, real name Charlton Howard, performs in Italy earlier this month. Picture: Getty Images

But Howard is now suing Annor for lost income in the Supreme Court, claiming the agent withheld money that should have been paid to the pop star.

And court documents show that Howard felt “intimidated and stalked” by Annor when he allegedly turned up at his family’s home, “including at night”, in an attempt to speak to the young artist. This also allegedly occurred at “studio sessions” when Howard was recording as a 15-year-old, the document said.

Howard’s former agent Daniel ‘Zig’ Annor. Picture: Instagram

Howard’s mother, Sloane Howard, allegedly sent multiple emails to Annor requesting he stop, and threatened to take out an AVO, the document said.

In his defence statement filed in court on July 15, Howard claims Annor committed multiple breaches of their management agreement by allegedly serving his own “financial” and “professional” benefit rather than the musician’s.

This gave Howard the right to terminate the management agreement, which he was not planning to extend anyway, he claims in the document.

Their business relationship was terminated on July 8, 2019, the document said.

The Kid Laroi with his mum, Sloane Howard. Picture: Twitter

The alleged breaches were detailed in a March 23, 2019, letter to Annor from Howard’s New York-based lawyers The Baldonado Group PC, the document said.

They included a claim that Annor failed to inform Howard that he was conducting negotiations, from which he would benefit “professionally” and “financially”, with record label Def Jam and American musician, DJ Khaled, between January 2018 and March 2019.

He also claimed in the document that Annor failed to deposit “all income” that was due to the musician, and almost torpedoed his deal with Sony Australia by using the record label’s money “with a view to obtaining agreements with other labels” in 2018 and 2019.

The rapper also accused his former manager of failing to consult him about “promotion and publicity”, including over the registration of the website thekidlaroi.com.

The Kid Laroi with girlfriend Katarina Deme at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Picture: Getty Images

Howard also accused Annor of not acting in his best interest by “seeking to induce” the artist to “assign the intellectual property in his masters” to the manager over the same period.

The musician claims he did not have to pay certain commissions to Annor either after the March letter or the July termination, and that the manager did not seek to “develop or manage” Howard after April 30, 2019.

In the document, Howard said he was suing Annor for lost income.

The exact amount is yet to be determined, and Howard claims Annor did not inform him about the “collection and receipt” of the money.

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