Well, folks, here we go again—another day, another example of COVID relief funds being turned into personal piggy banks by people who are already living in the economic stratosphere. This time, the spotlight is on rap and pop superstars Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Marshmello, and a handful of other music industry elites, who allegedly treated taxpayer-funded Shuttered Venue Operations Grant (SVOG) money like Monopoly cash for private jets, birthday bashes, and designer clothing.
Let’s break this down. The SVOG program, signed into law by President Trump in 2020, was designed to be a lifeline for arts venues, theaters, and studios crushed by pandemic lockdowns. The grants—offering up to a jaw-dropping $10 million per recipient—were supposed to cover payroll, operating costs, and other “ordinary and necessary” expenses to keep these cultural hubs afloat.
But according to recent reports, instead of paying staff and covering expenses, some of these artists decided to live it up while taxpayers footed the bill.
Let’s start with Lil Wayne, who reportedly received $8.9 million in relief funds. And what did he do with nearly $9 million in taxpayer money? Well, $1.3 million went to private jets, $460,000 on designer clothes, and—brace yourself—over $2 million to pay off an old debt to his former manager, Cortez Bryant. Now, I’m no financial expert, but I’m pretty sure “clearing personal debts” wasn’t listed in the SVOG’s fine print.
Oh, and for good measure, Wayne allegedly had some kind of outburst related to the funds but later issued an apology. Because, you know, apologies make everything better.
Then there’s Chris Brown, who reportedly pulled in a cool $10 million from the SVOG. Half of it—$5.1 million—was allegedly funneled straight into his own pocket. And because no pandemic relief scandal is complete without a blowout party, Brown reportedly dropped $800,000 on a birthday bash. If you’re wondering whether that expense was listed under “necessary operational costs,” the answer is a hard no.
Next on the list is DJ Marshmello, who allegedly received $9.9 million from the grant program and… put the entire amount into his own pocket. Not payroll, not operating costs—just straight into the Marshmello vault. At least he’s staying on brand, I guess—silent about the money, just like his stage persona.
Steve Aoki and Shinedown: A Little Bit for the Team, A Lot for Themselves
To Steve Aoki’s credit, he did reportedly use $2.9 million for payroll—what the grant was actually intended for. But he also allegedly paid himself $1.9 million. Meanwhile, the band Shinedown apparently pocketed $2.5 million each while kicking $650,000 to their staff. Generous? Sure. Within the intended spirit of the grant? Not so much.
And finally, Rae Sremmurd reportedly collected $7.7 million, with most of that money allegedly making its way directly to the artists instead of being reinvested into their operations.
A couple weeks ago, we were doing another round of phone calls, trying to confirm that the musicians we’d named were aware of our reporting.
I realized the email address we’d found for Lil Wayne was hooked up to iMessage. So I texted it.
— Katherine Long (@ByKLong) December 18, 2024
Here’s the reality: when COVID struck, small businesses, families, and yes—struggling arts venues—were brought to their knees. These grants weren’t charity; they were emergency assistance paid for by hardworking American taxpayers. While your average mom-and-pop theater was jumping through flaming hoops to get a fraction of this funding, multimillionaire artists were allegedly treating it like free money from Uncle Sam.
The SVOG wasn’t created to bankroll private jet rides or designer wardrobes—it was meant to keep the lights on and people employed. And let’s not forget: every one of these artists has already made millions from record deals, tours, and endorsement contracts. This isn’t survival money—it’s excess, plain and simple.
But hey, accountability is rare when it comes to these massive COVID relief programs. Remember the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)? Billions vanished into thin air, and barely anyone was held accountable.
If these allegations are true, it’s hard to see this as anything but theft—legalized theft, perhaps, but theft nonetheless. And where’s the outrage? Where are the demands for investigations? We’re talking about millions of taxpayer dollars being siphoned away by people who absolutely, unequivocally did not need it.
Meanwhile, small businesses, independent artists, and actual local venues—the folks these grants were supposed to help—were left drowning.
