Lil Wayne is accused of lying about his drug use to obtain a $8.9 million Small Business Administration grant during the pandemic.
The legendary rapper secured the multi-million dollar grant from the government and claimed in documents that he operated “a drug-free workplace.”
In 2021, Wayne signed a certification document that states he would provide a drug-free environment for employees of his company, Young Money Touring Inc. He was to inform his team of the “dangers” of substance abuse in the workplace and who violated that rule or who was caught using any substance would be punished or go to rehab.
The document was signed one year after the government began offering financial assistance to small businesses and owners.
The “Lollipop” rapper, a marijuana connoisseur and avid user, launched a cannabis brand back in 2019 called Gkua Ultra Premium Cannabis. He has also been known to smoke weed on stage as well as during podcast interviews.
Marijuana is legal in California, and medical marijuana is legal in most states as well as in Washington, D.C. However, cannabis it is not legal in Wisconsin, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Indiana and South Carolina. It is also not yet legal on the federal level, which could be a problem for the “Love Me” artist.
Business Insider obtained the grant documents — which also revealed rapper Post Malone received a $10 million SBA grant — after they filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Small Business Administration.
While the SBA hasn’t directly commented on the outlet’s reporting or Lil Wayne’s grant, the agency did release a general statement about recouping funds from SBA grant recipients and said that no recovered funds were related to “drug-free certification.”
“The SBA’s process of monitoring and auditing of grant recipients is actively ongoing. To date, about $40 million has been returned from SVOG grantees and additional files have been referred for ongoing criminal investigation or civil recovery,” read the statement. “To date, none of the recoveries relate to the drug-free certification.”
Lil Wayne is facing accusations that he lied about his marijuana use to get a pandemic loan approved. pic.twitter.com/GeQmVtkdEj
— NowNewHipHop_ (@_NowNewHipHop) March 17, 2024
Fans had mixed reactions on social media with some making jokes and others defending the “Carter 5” rapper. Two said. “Leave Weezy alone,” and “Everybody lied to get they money back then don’t hate.” Another joked, “Whoever believed that very obvious lie should be fired.”
It’s unclear if the SBA will audit the recording artist. However, the agency said that the drug certification process didn’t cover the “personal actions” of recipients or “any drug use outside the period from March 2020 to June 2022.”
Lil Wayne obtained the grant through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, which was created to help struggling music venues avoid bankruptcy during the pandemic.
