Rappers and their tax problems are nothing new, but Fat Joe's debt could put him behind bars. The Terror Squad front man is prepping for a hearing next month over tax evasion charges, and has revealed to MTV's RapFix Live that being locked up is a real possibility.
Asked of his financial situation, the 42-year-old couldn't go into too much detail. "I can't really explain that 'cause I got a real court case going on, like facing jail time," he said. "But I guess after June 24. Hopefully it goes well."
The Bronx native was charged for failing to pay federal taxes on roughly $3 million in income, from 2007 and 2008. Although he's paying off the debt, Joe explained that faulty accountants are the real crooks. "You got to understand we hire guys who supposedly have Harvard degrees to take care of us, and then…the first thing they did to you when you caught money is introduce you to a bunch of fancy guys with bow ties who are going to take care of your money and all that. You always see an artist or a celebrity going down for it [tax troubles], and these guys never go down for it. They never take the fall."
Joe however has stepped up to handle his business. "At the end of the day I'm paying back all of the money that's owed. I'ma just go like a man, stand up. But I'll explain the story after that so you'll get a real understanding of what happened to me. I'm sure it's happened to everybody."
The "Make It Rain" rapper's admission does bring up an interesting point, being that his music peers are embroiled in similar tax troubles. Lauryn Hill was sentenced to three months in prison for not paying Uncle Sam, Ja Rule was just recently released after serving nearly two years for the same crime, and Mary J. Blige just had a $3.4 million lien placed against her for not paying taxes.

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