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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Business Insider’s review of accounting records, described in December 2024 coverage, attributed an $8.9 million Shuttered Venue Operators Grant to Lil Wayne and a $10 million grant to Chris Brown’s touring company. Reports linked some of the money to private-jet travel, clothing and a birthday party, while also documenting touring-related costs such as contractor payments and crew payroll. These are reported expenditures and disputed characterizations—not court findings that either artist committed fraud.
What program did the money come from?
The grants at issue were from the federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program, not the Paycheck Protection Program. SVOG was created to support shuttered venues and businesses connected to live entertainment during the COVID-19 pandemic; touring companies could apply.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Tha Carter III | $13.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Tha Carter II | $10.91 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Tha Carter IV [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513dK+2Gj+L._SL160_.jpg)
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Tha Carter IV [Explicit] | $13.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Tha Carter | $17.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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No Ceilings | $13.95 | Buy on Amazon |
The FADER’s 2024 account said applicants had to make a good-faith statement that funding was needed to maintain ongoing operations and show at least a 25% revenue decline between one quarter of 2019 and the same quarter in 2020. It also reported that applicant assets were not considered, a feature that could allow a company associated with a wealthy performer to qualify. This is The FADER’s summary of the program criteria, not a review of the underlying rule text.
What spending did reports attribute to Lil Wayne?
Business Insider’s accounting-record review, as summarized by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and The FADER in 2024, attributed an $8.9 million SVOG grant to Lil Wayne. Rolling Stone reported that the records attributed $1.38 million to private-jet travel and more than $460,000 to clothing. Rolling Stone and The FADER also reported more than $327,000 in payments to contractors for Wayne’s shows.
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- Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III, topped the Billboard 200 chart when it debuted in 2008 selling over 1 million copies in its first week
Those categories do not by themselves establish whether a particular expense violated grant rules. The reported contractor payments, for example, were described as show-related; the accounts do not provide a final legal determination about the eligibility of each expenditure.
What did reports say about Chris Brown’s grant?
Business Insider’s review, as summarized by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and The FADER in 2024, said Brown’s company CBE Touring received $10 million. Pitchfork and The FADER reported that about $5.1 million was paid to Brown personally. Rolling Stone and Pitchfork also reported an approximately $80,000 cost for Brown’s 33rd birthday party. Rolling Stone reported more than $383,000 in payroll for Brown’s crew.
Rank #2
The grant amount went to the company, while the reported personal payment and expense categories describe how the records were said to account for funds. They are not interchangeable figures, and the reporting also identified business expenses such as crew payroll.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do the reports prove misuse or fraud?
No court judgment establishing fraud by either artist is reported in the accounts summarized here. “Misuse” and “fraud” are not equivalent: the reporting described spending that critics questioned, but also included touring-related costs that may have been legitimate. The published figures are secondary accounts of Business Insider’s document review, not independently audited totals in the cited coverage.
Rank #3
- Lil Wayne's #1 album, Tha Carter IV, was released in 2011 via Young Money Records
Rolling Stone quoted Sen. Gary Peters calling the reported spending “an abuse of federal resources.” The FADER quoted former Comptroller General David Walker saying, “Whether it’s legal or not is up to a lawyer or ultimately to a court. But it sure smells.” These are criticisms of the reported spending, not findings by a court.
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- 11 years after its initial release, Lil Wayne's No Ceilings mixtape is now available for the first time on CD
Rank #4
- Lil Wayne's first album in Tha Carter series was released in 2004 via Cash Money Records
How to read the reported amounts
- Grant: the amount awarded to the applicant company or recipient, as described in the coverage.
- Personal payment: an amount the reporting said was paid to an artist personally; it is not the same as the total company grant.
- Spending category: a cost attributed to the grant records, whose eligibility is not resolved merely by naming the category.
- Legal outcome: the cited accounts do not report a court-established fraud finding against either artist.
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