Photo: Getty
Whoops.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Nov 01, 2019
It's probably not a good idea to live above your means, but don't tell that to people in hip hop. The latest rapper to hit the skids, financially, might be in trouble in more ways than one thanks to trying to pay for his jewelry with a check...which subsequently bounced. Who is Lil Yachty?
Depending on who you ask, Miles McCollum — best known as Lil Yachty — is either the future of hip hop or the reason for its demise. He first came to prominence in 2015 with the release of his singles "Minnesota" and "One Night," from the Summer Songs album. He went on to release two more studio albums, and currently, he's hard at work on his third. He also has endorsements from Sprite and Chef Boyardee and endorsed Bernie Sanders for president back in 2016.
But Lil Yachty also has his fair share of problems. Let's look at what we know about them.
1. He's had issues with finances before.
The Sun-Sentinel reports that back in 2015, Lil Yachty (under his real name, Miles McCollum) was arrested, alongside Clarence Logan, at The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on the charges of credit card fraud. The outlet reports that Lil Yachty tried to pay for LIDS hats with fraudulent credit cards from Western Union and Paypal. Lil Yachty claimed that the records were expunged, but there's no proof of that, as of yet.
2. Lil Yachty also has issues with fidelity.
Perhaps it's not a good idea to get involved with someone who commits credit card fraud, but according to BET.com, Lil Yachty's girlfriend, JT from the City Girls, claimed that the rapper cheated on her while she, herself, sat in prison for (wait for it!) credit card fraud. JT told the outlet that Lil Yachty was a "manipulator," but was quick to add that their relationship status was never fully confirmed. (That was her first mistake.)
3. Despite his criminal past, Lil Yachty was recently named the headliner of FSU's Homecoming Concert.
On October 20th, Lil Yachty was the headliner at the Florida State University Homecoming Concert, which was held at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, reported WTXL-TV. The outlet reports that Two Friends was his opener, because crime pays.
4. Lil Wayne recently dissed and dismissed the rapper.
According to HipHopDX, Lil Wayne was asked who some of his favorite rappers were, and the outlet reports that the Young Money legend claimed to not listen to anyone except himself. When questioned about his opinion of Lil Yachty, Lil Wayne basically said, "Who?" (He likes Tech N9ne, though.)
5. The same jeweler that sued Offset is suing Lil Yachty.
Urban Islandz reports that just last month Cardi B's husband Offset was sued for over $400,000 in unpaid bling bills. Now, Guven's Fine Jewelry — the same jeweler that's suing Offset — is suing Offset's Quality Control labelmate Lil Yachty for unpaid bling bills.
6. Did Lil Yachty really make a $70,000 check bounce?
"Guven has been providing jewels to Yachty since 2017. Under their agreement, he would reportedly pay for the ones he decided to keep. According to the suit, Lil Boat paid for more than half of a $600,000 total he racked up for 20 pieces. But the payments have stopped with his last check bouncing," reported HipHopDX.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.