Rap legend Hammer not too legit to quit paying taxes
MC Hammer, equal parts rap star and cautionary tale of squandered riches, is in the midst of a career resurgence with a TV show and tour that will bring him to DTE Energy Music Theatre on Aug. 14. But Hammer, aka Stanley Burrell, is coping with new money problems. Records show the state of California and IRS have filed liens against him this year totaling more than $671,000.
Hammer, 47, whose hit "U Can't Touch This" helped him sell 50 million records worldwide, famously went broke in the late 1990s despite raking in $33 million one year. He filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1996.
What's owed:- The IRS filed a $625,792 lien against Burrell and his wife July 1 in the Los Angeles County Recorder of Deeds office.
- The state of California filed a $12,464 lien against Burrell on June 22 in San Joaquin County Court.
- The IRS filed a $32,926 lien against the couple on May 18 in the San Joaquin court.
The address listed on each lien is for this home in Tracy, Calif.:
And here's where he used to live, before the money problems:
His side:
Hammer's publicist declined comment today but said she forwarded an e-mail to the rapper. He did not respond.
