The popular pop star supposedly engaged in a multi-year order to hide millions of dollars in income from establishments and owes $1.7 million in taxes.
According to acting Manhattan US Attorney Joon Kim, the performer took in millions from his performances, television shows and songs — including the 2003 hit “X Gon’ Give it to Ya” — but dodged paying taxes on his earnings by “avoiding personal bank accounts, setting up accounts in other’s names and paying personal expenses largely in cash.”
“Celebrity rapper or not, all Americans must pay their taxes,” Kim said in a statement. “We will pursue those who deliberately and criminally evade this basic obligation of citizenship.”
After his arrest the 46-year-old —is due to appear Friday in Manhattan federal court.
In February 1998, DMX released his debut major-label single, “Get at Me Dog”, on Def Jam Recordings. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA. His first major-label album, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, which included the single “Ruff Ryders Anthem”, was released in May 1998. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S and sold over five million copies.
Later that year in December, DMX released his second album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, where it remained for three consecutive weeks. Within one week of the album’s release, 670,000 units were shipped.[citation needed] It was eventually certified Platinum four times. As a result, DMX was the first rapper in history to have released two number one albums in the same year, both of which debuted on Billboard 200