Veteran rapper Twista is reportedly facing up to 5 years in jail. The hip-hop star, who rose to global prominence in the early 2000s, reportedly owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in income taxes. His debt has accumulated over numerous years.
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"According to court docs filed this week, the 52-year-old, born Carl Mitchell, entered a guilty plea last month in U.S. District Court ... admitting to five counts of willfully failing to pay income tax," TMZ reports. "Federal prosecutors say Twista failed to pay income taxes from 2019 through 2023 despite earning income from performances, streaming royalties, album sales, and music licensing."
Twista had reportedly received multiple warnings, both from the IRS and his own accountants. However, those warnings over his mounting debt clearly fell on deaf ears. Now, he's going to be forced to face up to his problems.
To make matters worse, Twista reportedly sought to circumvent a future tax hit by entering an agreement with a third-party company for an advance on his future royalty payments. If there's one thing you should never do, it's try to hide money from the government.
"Investigators also allege he continued spending heavily during the period in question, including purchasing at least four luxury vehicles, rather than using the money to address his tax liability," TMZ continued. "According to court records, Twista's unpaid tax obligations date back to 2011 and total more than $440,000."
Twista is scheduled to be sentenced on October 22. Each count against him carries a maximum one-year sentence behind bars.
Twista Is Still a Popular Artist
Despite his career peaking during the early 2000s, Twista remains a popular artist in the rap and hip-hop genres. According to Spotify, he still draws over six million streams per month.
"Slow Jamz" is Twista's biggest song on the streaming giant's platform. It's gained over 311 million streams since the launch of Spotify. "Overnight Celebrity" is his second most successful track, earning over 260 million hits. "Slow Jamz", featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, rounds out the top three with 109.2 million streams.
Twista's last studio album, Shooter Ready, came out in 2021. However, he's continued working on music in recent years, primarily as a featured artist on other people's tracks.
