Fifteen percent is the standard manager's cut. This lawsuit is about what happens when the fifteen percent stops showing up and the manager keeps paying the bills anyway.
## The complaint Mark Buol filed against Lucki in New York on September 8. XXL obtained the 19-page complaint and published the details Thursday, September 17. Buol says he started managing the Chicago rapper in 2021 under a contract that gave him 15 percent of income from entertainment-related work. Over five years, he claims he "bankrolled [Lucki's] tours," fronted money to settle a third-party claim, and played a central role in growing the career.
The alleged breach: Lucki repeatedly diverted commissions Buol was owed and never reimbursed him for significant tour expenses. Buol also says he got stuck with thousands of dollars in damage bills for hotel rooms around the country. The filing claims the pattern drained his savings and maxed out his personal credit cards. He's asking for $5.9 million plus interest and wants a jury.

XXL reached out to Lucki's team for comment. Nothing public yet. These are allegations in a civil complaint, not findings.
## Why it's bigger than Lucki Lucki is the rare underground artist who built a real touring business without a major push: Flawless Like Me and the Freewave records turned a cult following into sold-out rooms. That's exactly the model where a manager fronting tour costs and eating hotel damage is normal, because there's no label tour support and no business manager until the money gets big enough to need one. When it works, everyone gets paid. When the artist decides the manager didn't earn it, you get a 19-page complaint.
Every independent rapper reading this has a Buol somewhere in the org chart. The number on the filing is the number this relationship was worth to the person who thought he was a partner.
## The take If the diverted-commission claim is true, that's a straightforward contract case and the settlement will be quiet. If it isn't, the countersuit will be the more interesting document. Either way, artists at Lucki's level need paper for the paper: a business manager who isn't the manager, and receipts for who paid the hotel.
## Sources - Lucki Sued by Former Manager for $5.9 Million for Breach of Contract and Unreimbursed Advances — XXL, Sept. 17, 2026

