While he may be Too Legit to Quit, famed 90s rapper MC Hammer has come into the crosshairs of the IRS for owing back taxes.

Hammer, real name Stanley Burrell, won fame and fortune after his 90s mega hit “U Can’t Touch This” became a hip hop anthem. But after hiring hundreds of people from his Oakland community to spread the love, he ended up having a payroll of nearly $1 million every month.

IRS Sues MC Hammer for Back Taxes

At nearly $13 million in overall debt, he filed for bankruptcy. But the IRS wasn’t letting him off the hook for his nearly $780,000 in back taxes. Like a wage garnishment, the IRS is looking to get its hands on any of Burrell’s concert earnings and have them automatically redirected into the government’s pot.

The back taxes are from 1996 and 1997, considered the backbone of Burrell’s rocky financial history. While he made millions in royalties and corporate fees for the use of his popular song, his lavish spending left him broke and in debt to Uncle Sam.

One of Many

Now an ordained preacher, he’s one of many Americans targeted by the IRS. His song might have said “U Can’t Touch This,” but the IRS is singing a different tune: “Oh Yes We Can.”

Heed the Lesson Learned from MC Hammer

Rappers, rock stars, average Joes. It doesn’t matter. If you owe back taxes to the IRS you’ll likely get a wage garnishment, bank levy or tax lien placed against you. You shouldn’t consider it to be a surprise, because that’s just how things go with the IRS.

Fortunately, if you hire a tax attorney you can increase your chances of telling the IRS that they can’t touch at least a part of your earnings. Now that’s something to rap about. Isn’t it?