Hip Hop artist Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has faced criticism after reports emerged he used $15,000 from a COVID-19 relief fund on “mystery women”.
In December 2024, Business Insider exposed how Lil Wayne mishandled the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) money meant for venue and artist funding during the pandemic. While the details surrounding the alleged women are scarce, the 42-year-old rapper has previously been known for other high-profile dating, including:
Toya Johnson (2004-2006): Lil Wayne’s first known romance was Toya Johnson, with whom he had a marital relationship in 2004. The couple also had a daughter, Reginae Carter, who was born in 1998. They then divorced in 2006 due to instances of cheating by Wayne who had been involved with singer Nivea.
Lauren London (1998-2009): Wayne dated actress Lauren London. They were blessed with a son named Kameron Carter in 2009.
Trina (2005-2012): He dated another rapper, Trina, based in Miami, for some time. It was otherwise an on-and-off relationship but they severed all ties on pleasant terms.
Christina Milian (2014-2015): Wayne came to the limelight with singer Christina Milian for a short time before they called it quits.
La’Tecia Thomas (2019-2020): The rapper started dating Australian model La’Tecia Thomas whom he met on social media. They got engaged but ended everything soon after.
Denise Bidot (2020-2023): Lil Wayne’s most recent public companion was plus-size model Denise Bidot. They began dating publicly in June 2020 but split up in January 2023.
According to TMZ Hip Hop of October 18, 2024, Lil Wayne has taken up with LeahAngelie Murphy, the young lady who works for him as a live-in chef. The relationship between Wayne and Murphy was initially a business partnership but became a romantic one. Reports claim that they have been in a relationship since the beginning of 2024.
As per TMZ:
“Weezy recently wined and dined her during her birthday blowout, and they later hit a skate park in L.A. to further celebrate.”
More about Lil Wayne’s COVID-19 relief fund controversy
Lil Wayne is in the middle of scrutiny for reportedly misappropriating COVID-19 relief funds that were supposedly meant for struggling artists and venue owners. This is amid a Business Insider investigation that revealed Wayne received about $8.9 million through the SVOG program meant for financial support during the pandemic.
Reports suggest that Lil Wayne spent much of the grant on personal things instead of helping venues or independent artists. Key expenditures included:
Private charter flights amounting to a figure of over $1.3 million were reported.
Expenses of luxury clothing from Gucci and Balenciaga exceeded $460,000.
Out of all social causes, About $175,000 was also spent on a music festival to popularize his cannabis brand called GKUA.
Reports emerged that he used about $15,000 on travels and hotels for women whose connections with his touring business remain quite hazy, including a woman who waitressed at any Hooters-style restaurant, and an adult film star.
Lil Wayne also claimed about $88,000 in public money for a concert that he never made it for since he was paid to perform at the Coachella festival.
Records show that some of the SVOG funds were used to settle payments for former management and lawyer expenses rather than on operating costs that are associated with live performance.
Context and implications
The SVOG program was introduced by the federal government to support independent businesses/venues and artists, majorly hit by COVID-19 closure.
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Though there are many musicians such as Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, and others that have been accused of using this program to enrich themselves. For instance, Chris Brown allegedly got $10 million via his touring company and has been in a similar situation regarding wasteful spending in his personal celebrations
Senator Gary Peters has described this as “an abuse of federal resources” noting the need to enforce strict measures of monitoring of pandemic relief programs to avoid instances where rich people defraud deserving people of their hard-earned taxpayers’ money, according to Business Insider.
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