Nationwide — Rapper Lil Yachty recently criticized the Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization, calling it a scam and accusing it of misusing funds. His comments reignited debates about the organization’s financial practices and leadership.
Yachty highlighted allegations that BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors used organization funds to purchase a $6 million mansion in Los Angeles in 2020. Cullors defended the purchase in 2023, stating that the property was meant to provide long-term stability for Black-led organizations.
BLM faced more scrutiny in 2022 when Shalomyah Bower, a leader of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF), was accused of stealing $10 million in donations. Although the lawsuit was later dismissed, concerns about the organization’s financial management persisted.
Meanwhile, the organization responded to Yachty’s remarks in a statement, calling his comments misinformed and harmful.
In a statement, the organization said, “It’s clear Lil Yachty has been drinking the white supremacist ideology Kool-Aid. His comments are wrong. They are misinformed, unoriginal, and crafted to please the same people who profit from Black suffering.”
The real scam isn’t Black Lives Matter. It is watching Black artists with massive platforms recycle the same tired attacks on Black movements while ignoring the actual systems killing us. Black Lives Matter has supported Black families who have lost loved ones to police violence. We have built programs, funded mutual aid, and fought in courtrooms and on the streets to protect our people.”
Moreover, Lil Yachty is not the first rapper to criticize BLM. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, also called the organization a scam in a 2022 Instagram post, writing, “Everyone knows Black Lives Matter was a scam. Now it’s over… you’re welcome.”