A recent report from Business Insider has exposed several artists for misuse of money from the taxpayer funded Shuttered Venue Operators Grant in 2020. Among them are Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Marshmello, and Alice In Chains.

The grant, signed into law by then-president Donald Trump in 2020, was intended to provide financial aid to venues and musicians affected by pandemic-related disruptions. It has now come to light that the aforementioned artists used the millions of dollars they received from this grant on luxury items and experiences.

Lil Wayne reportedly received $8.9 million, and spent over $1.3million on private-jet flights and over $460,000 on designer clothes. The report also reveals that Wayne spent a significant sum of money on “flights and luxury hotel rooms for women whose connection to Lil Wayne’s touring operation was unclear, including a waitress at a Hooters-type restaurant and a porn actress.”

Meanwhile, disgraced R&B singer Chris Brown pocketed over $5 million from the $10 million that his CBE touring company received, and used at least $80,000 on a lavish birthday party, including $2,100 on "atmosphere models. Marshmello, who received nearly $10 million, allegedly pocketed the entire sum.

The members of Alice in Chains, while using most of the money appropriately, notably did not use any on health insurance for their longtime photographer and guitar tech Scott Dachroeden, who passed from cancer after being diagnosed in 2022. They instead shared a GoFundMe on their social media following his diagnosis.