Well, well, well—looks like some of the biggest names in the music industry have a lot of explaining to do. In a revelation that’s enough to make taxpayers’ blood boil, an extensive Business Insider report has accused heavy hitters like Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Marshmello, and Steve Aoki of misusing funds from the Shuttered Venue Operations Grant (SVOG)—a $16 billion lifeline meant to help struggling artists and venues stay afloat during the devastating COVID-19 lockdowns.
Here’s the short version: while mom-and-pop venues and local musicians were scraping by, some of the industry’s wealthiest names were allegedly treating SVOG like their personal piggy bank. The grant required recipients to prove at least a 25% revenue loss between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020. Fair enough, right? Except the accusations suggest some serious abuse of those funds once the checks cleared.
Let’s start with Lil Wayne. The rapper reportedly pocketed $8.9 million from the grant. Instead of keeping his touring crew or small businesses afloat, he allegedly spent $1.3 million on private jets, nearly $500,000 on designer clothes, and a whopping $2.14 million to settle an old debt with his former manager. Oh, and let’s not forget the $175,000 he supposedly threw at a marijuana festival promoting his cannabis brand. Because, apparently, taxpayer dollars make for great fertilizer.
Then there’s Chris Brown. He reportedly collected the maximum $10 million for his company, CBE Touring, and allegedly paid himself over $5 million. To add insult to injury, $80,000 of those taxpayer funds supposedly went to his birthday party. Yes, you read that right—your tax dollars might have funded Breezy’s balloons and cake.
Moving on to Marshmello, the masked DJ was allegedly approved for $9.9 million in SVOG funds, and—brace yourself—it all reportedly went straight into his own pocket as salary. Now, technically, that was within the rules since it didn’t exceed his 2019 earnings. But morally? That’s another story entirely.
And let’s not leave out Steve Aoki. His company, DJ Kid Millionaire Touring, received a hefty grant and allegedly spent $2.4 million on payroll, with $1.9 million of that going directly into Aoki’s bank account. Again, technically legal, but the optics are about as bad as a remix of “Baby Shark.”
Oh, and the rock band Shinedown allegedly took $8.3 million and divvied up $2.5 million among themselves. Meanwhile, hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd reportedly walked away with $7.7 million.
Look, these grants were supposed to support workers—the roadies, the sound techs, the bus drivers—not fund private jet flights or designer shopping sprees. The program’s original intent was noble: keep an industry on life support during unprecedented economic shutdowns. And let’s not forget, these aren’t faceless corporations being shortchanged. These are real people—the ones setting up lights, carrying amps, and selling merchandise at shows.
But here’s the kicker: none of these artists have issued a public response. Not a peep. Not even a vague Instagram story with an apology typed in Comic Sans.
Now, in fairness, some of this spending might technically fall within the SVOG’s guidelines. But there’s a difference between what’s legal and what’s ethical. When taxpayers see millionaire celebrities using relief money to pad their already-stuffed bank accounts, it’s not just a scandal—it’s an insult.
Congress and the Small Business Administration are going to have to answer some tough questions here. How were these grants approved? Was there adequate oversight? And will there be consequences for those who exploited a program meant to save livelihoods?