15 Rappers Who Had Major Tax Problems

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Iggy Azalea’s tax troubles may be easy to laugh at, but it’s also not unusual for the taxman to come knocking on ra apper’s doors. She’s not the first, and she certainly won’t be the last, rapper to get a visit from the IRS for money owed.

It’s always been said that the Federal government is the biggest gangsters there are…*cough*

Without further ado, then, here’s a list of some of your favorite rappers who’ve had trouble with the IRS.

As a sidebar: your taxes are due on ~~April 15~~ April 18.

photo: WENN

15. MC Hammer

What can we say about MC Hammer that hasn’t been said before? The “U Can’t Touch This” rapper went from ballin’ to broke, to the tune of millions of dollars. The first time the taxman came for Stanley Burrell, they wanted a piece of the $13 million that he’d earned in 1996 & 1997. Then, a few years later, they wanted $800,000. Garnish game proper.

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14. Lauryn Hill

The legendary female MC and leader of the Fugees may have defecated on your microphone, but the IRS defecated on her entire life when they threw her in jail for three months back in 2013, for failing to pay over $1 million in taxes.

photo: WENN

13. Jermaine Dupri

There was a time when he was known as the most in-demand producer in the Hip-Hop world. Now, however, he’s known for being Janet Jackson’s ex…and for failing to pay over $3 million in taxes back in 2008.

12. Tyga

Kylie Jenner, please come and get your man. The “Rack City” rapper hasn’t been around for very long, but he already owes more than $100,000 to the IRS. (And he wants to get full custody of who? And why?)

11. Snoop Dogg

The Doggfather got hit with a tax bill not once, but twice: first, in 2008 for nearly $500,000; and then again in 2013, for another $550,000.

10. Busta Rhymes

The IRS got “Bussa Buss” all in check when, in 2014, he got hit with a tax bill totaling $800,000. As if that wasn’t bad enough, this bill got added to the already-existing tax bills he got slapped with in 2010 and 2012.

photo: PNP / WENN

9. Ja Rule

50 Cent may have effectively ended the Murder Inc. rapper’s career, but right after that happened, Ja Rule got the one-two sucker punch of his life when he was hit with a $1.1 million tax bill, and tax evasion charges, in 2013…after he got out of jail for a gun possession charge. Murdaaaahhh…

photo: Jeffrey Clark Grossman/ WENN.com

8. Lil’ Kim

The Queen Bee needs to get a worker on top of her income taxes, because in 2014, it was revealed that she hadn’t paid her taxes in nearly seven years. And you best believe that the IRS wants its $125,000.

7. Fat Joe

The “Lean Back” rapper hadn’t paid taxes on his earnings from 2007 to 2010, so the IRS gave him four months of Federal prison time, and required him to pay back every dime he owed from then forward. And it was really was his accountant’s fault. Ouch.

photo: WENN

6. Method Man

One of the most infamous members of the Wu-Tang Clan was kicking off a promising acting career after the success of How High, and plead guilty to tax evasion (after not paying his taxes for nearly four years) to avoid serving time.

5. Master P

In between shooting ICDC commercials, this Louisiana rapper failed to pay taxes in 1999 and 2000, so he got hit with a tax bill for more than $200,000. Make ’em say UNNH, indeed.

4. Nelly

At one point, this rapper’s income tax problems were so bad that he had to file for bankruptcy. Fortunately for us, and the future of the rap-country crossover market (why?), he’s now back on top thanks to his success with the Florida-Georgia Line.

3. Xzibit

The former Pimp My Ride host and “Napalm” rapper got hit with a tax bill of more than a half-million dollars in April, 2009. Maybe that’s why we haven’t seen much of him (of course, it could also be because of Bad Lieutenant…).

2. Diddy

Remember when Diddy tried to get into the restaurant business? So does the IRS. In 2009, a tax lien was filed against the defunct restaurant, Justin’s, for just over $7,000. And while this is paltry compared to the other numbers on this list, it’s still embarrassing for the rapper-turned-mogul, who blamed a “clerical error” for the lien filing.

1. Lil’Wayne

This could explain why he’s doing those ridiculous Samsung commercials: he has not one, but two, tax bills to pay. The first one came in 2009, to the tune of $7 million; the second one, in 2014, for a whopping $12 million. Whaaaaaaat!

Bernadette Giacomazzo pays her taxes every year, thank you very much. Follow her on Twitter at @berngiacomazzo.