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Blacklisted: Celebrities Who Burn Through Dough

Aja Dang |
July 16, 2011 | 7:13 p.m. PDT

Columnist

Akon (bossip.com)
Akon (bossip.com)
As the United States teeters on the brink of an economic default and the eurozone debt crisis threatens to spread over more country borders, it seems like people around the world are dealing with the reality of growing budget deficits and threats to financial security.

However, for a handful of people, growing inflation and a diminishing Social Security Trust Fund are issues they don’t have to worry about. Time and time again, these people have proven how economic-proof they are through extravagant spending sprees during a time when most of us are pinching our pennies. 

Who are these fortunate few? 

Celebrities, of course. 

While in the past it may have been amusing to hear about Jay-Z dropping $350,000 at Hermès or Jennifer Aniston spending $15 million on a posh New York penthouse, two celebrities this week have proven that although they have money, they certainly don’t have class. 

First up, Floyd Mayweather, Jr, who proved on Sunday night how much he enjoys burning through money. Spotted partying at the Velvet Room in Atlanta with Lil’ Kim and Gucci Mane, Mayweather decided to burn a benjamin in the club. 

In what can easily be described as a drunken, self-promoting stunt, Mayweather lit a hundred dollar bill on fire while onlookers took video and pictures of the pyromaniac. While Mayweather has been known to make it rain on thankful club goers on many occasions, this is the first time his flashy antics could get him in trouble. 

It is illegal to burn money and if authorities decide to pursue this, his disco inferno could put him in jail for six months and may be fined, drumroll please, $100. Though the likelihood of Mayweather getting thrown in jail is the same as the Manny Pacquiao fight actually happening, one has to wonder how spoiled Mayweather must be to easily throw away money that takes two days for those on minimum wage to make. 

Next we have Akon, the music mogul who blew through $50,000 in one dollar bills (of course) in support of strippers of New York. He requested an amount of money so large that an armed truck was used to deliver the stacks while he was at the club.

Sources close to the rapper have claimed that the reason for the extravagant spending spree isn’t to start a college fund in his name for dancers around New York, but to attract attention to himself as a means to promote his new, soon-to-be released, single. 

While I don’t believe spending money on strippers is a solid marketing move, it seems to be the case as a video has popped up on the web enticing those interested in seeing Akon “blow $50k in a strip club” to log onto his website. Warning, NSFW

Granted, $50,000 is chump change for someone who made $21 million in 2010 thanks to artists like Lady Gaga, but there are other ways Akon could have spent that money to give him positive publicity. 

I understand that donating to the Red Cross or helping to build clean water wells in his native country of Senegal might not give him the street cred that dropping racks, on...well...racks would, it would have made Akon look more classy. 

When all is said and done both Akon and Floyd can do what they want with their hard earned money but wasting the kind of dough that most people can’t even make in a year is arrogant. Not only are Akon and Floyd Blacklisted, but their accountants need to tighten their financial reigns. Money can’t last forever boys, especially at the rate you are burning through it. 

 

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