Source: WENN

Back in February, we reported that the state of New Jersey issued a $901, 769 tax lien against the “queen of hip-hop soul,” Mary J. Blige. Unfortunately, it appears that MJB’s money troubles are only worsening.

TMZ is reporting that the IRS recently issued a federal tax lien against the 42-year-old blonde-haired diva, claiming that she failed to her her taxes for the years 2009 ($574,907.30), 2010 ($2,203,743.53) and 2011 ($647,604.60), bringing her tax bill’s grand total to a whopping $3,426,255.

Sadly, Mary has also made headlines this year for being on the outs with Bank of America after she allegedly defaulted on a $500,000 loan and reportedly being in court with Signature Bank regarding a $2.2 million loan. Lauryn Hill’s recent run-in with the IRS has reminded everyone just how real tax troubles can get when not properly taken care of, so hopefully Mary gets the message.

Earlier this year, when asked how she felt about her money woes constantly being plastered across media headlines, she responded:

“All you can do is keep pushing, keep your head up and just let people be people. [Let] haters hate and just do what you do.”

We hope Mary can find a way to get her money issues squared away so that she can focus on continuing to put out great music.

Shutterstock

The phrase “The only thing that’s certain is death and taxes” is very true. And with taxes on the rise many people are attempting to find ways to avoid coughing up cash to the federal government, the wealthy included. According to The New York Times, new legislation for 2013 has raised the marginal income tax rate from 39.6 percent from 35 percent for individuals with income over $400,000 and for couples with income over $450,000 and deductions can start to phase out on income of around $250,000.

Some rich people are on board with the tax increases like Warren Buffett and Russell Simmons, but others are struggling to pay their rapidly growing tax debt.

Other wealthy people are having issues paying their tax bill. We recently talked about how the Queen of R&B, Ms. Mary J, was hit with a $900,000 tax lien and now another entertainer has joined the list. This week Perez Hilton reported that rapper Snoop Dogg is not on good terms with the IRS owing $546,000 in back taxes from 2009 and 2011. This isn’t the first time the “Gin and Juice” rapper has been in trouble with the IRS. He had this same issue back in 2008.

The list of celebrities that have experienced tax problems in the past include Wesley Snipes, Nicholas Cage, Toni Braxton, Lindsey Lohan and the goes on and on. However, you don’t have to be rich to get into tax trouble. StatisticsBrain.com reports on a study conducted by Pew Research, showing that 44 percent of audited individuals make under $25,000 per year. So although the rich folks are what we read about in the papers, there are millions of ordinary people who get audited that don’t make the front page.

Filing your taxes late, substantial understatements, disregarding tax rules and regulations, and bounced checks are just some things that could get you into trouble with the tax man. In most cases if you are found to have dabbled in tax evasion you may just get hit with a fine. However in other cases you could face criminal imprisonment for up to five years.

Now when it comes to taxes it’s important to make sure you reduce your tax burden as much as possible through legal practices spelled out by the IRS. This is called “tax avoidance” and is encouraged by the federal government. This includes, for example, finding all of your deductions and getting any credits you qualify for.

However you don’t want to reduce your tax burden by lying or being deceitful, which is tax evasion. The biggest difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion: one is illegal.

With the tax deadline approaching it’s important to keep your morals at the forefront. If you don’t feel qualified to do your own taxes then hire a professional. At least in that case, if you have been truthful with providing information and things hit the fan, you have a preparer to help clean it up. Income taxes aren’t going anywhere. It just makes since to be truthful and pay your tax bill instead of wondering if the tax man will come knocking at your door.

Mary J. Blige and Kendu Isaacs at the Vibe Media 20th anniversary celebration. Photo -DAVID CROTTY/PatrickMcMullan.com== (PatrickMcMullan.com via AP Images

Mary J. Blige received a notice on the apartment door of her tony Manhattan apartment for failure to pay rent, according to a report in the New York Daily News. The Ashley boasts a basketball court, health club, and bowling alley, and an apartment like the three-bedroom that Blige was renting can cost between $9,000 and $12,000 per month to rent. Sources for the paper say she’s been there for a little over a year and the problem began in November.

Poor Mary’s financial hardships have been well-documented in the media: a tax lien in New Jersey over more than $901,000 in back taxes; a lawsuit with Bank of America over a $500,000 loan; and a lawsuit with Signature Bank over a $2.2 million loan. Commenting on all of the headlines during an interview with Hip Hollywood, she said, “All you can do is keep pushing, keep your head up and just let people be people. [Let] haters hate and just do what you do.” That may be true, but what about all that money and those lawsuits?

The Daily News speculates that copyright infringement lawsuits could be causing all of Blige’s money problems. The newspaper says they’re costing her as much as $1 million per year to fight.

Source: WENN

Mary, this is…out of hand.

In documents obtained by TMZ, singer Mary J. Blige has been hit with a tax lien by the state of New Jersey. The documents state that Mary owes the government $901,769.65 in back taxes.  They didn’t state what years the IRS is seeking back pay but she’s probably missed at least two years.

This is just the latest string of financial problems and embarrassments for Mary.  It was just over a week ago that we told you she defaulted on a loan from Bank of America and now owes them over $500,000. When she was asked about it, she said was that all she can do is just keep pushing on on and “let haters hate.” Ahhh yes, those haters sure do know how to get you in alleged financial trouble, don’t they?

But even prior to that, she defaulted on a $2.2 million dollar loan and  before that, she was sued because of her charity not paying back money.

It would seem like when you suddenly find yourself in major situations like this on an almost consistent basis, not only would you fire your accountants (even if they’re flesh and blood), but you might also consider taking some accounting classes so you can figure out how to go over the books yourself.  There just doesn’t seem to be a logical reason for these things to keep happening.

TMZ reached out to Mary’s reps but so far, they’ve received no response.

From StyleBlazer

Love her or hate her (we love her by the way!) Mary J. Blige has always kept it real. In her songs and the way she carries herself as a woman, you know there are no smoke and mirrors. For VIBE Magazine’s 20th Anniversary and Style issue, the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul”  reveals how she perceives her personal style and career now (that has spanned into acting), since she first debuted in 1993.

Check out excerpts from her interview on StyleBlazer.com.

Source: WENN

Last week, we told you that Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige had found herself in quite a bind when financial institution, Bank of America filed a $511,000 lawsuit against her with the Manhattan Supreme Court. Court documents allege that she defaulted on a $500k loan that she took out with the bank back in 2005. Although the Grammy Award-winnng singer is not confirming or denying these claims, she did comment on her name being negatively strewn across media headlines.

“There’s really nothing you can say about the negative things that are in the media about you. All you can do is keep pushing, keep your head up and just let people be people. [Let] haters hate and just do what you do. Use all of that to fuel you to do something better,” the Betty and Coretta star told Hip Hollywood as she strolled the red carpet at the Vibe Impact Awards, where she was being honored.

The “Real Love” singer, who appears to be taking it all in stride, went on to express how honored she was to be recognized by Vibe for her achievements throughout the years.

“I think it’s great to be honored with the Impact Award tonight because I believe I’ve made an impact on so many people’s lives and it feels good,” the 9-time Grammy Award-winner expressed.

There’s no arguing with that. Mary has an amazing story that can serve as an inspiration to many. We hope that she is able to work out any financial issues that she may be facing and get back to putting out great music.

 Check out footage of Mary’s full interview on the next page. What do you think of her response? 

Source: WENN

It seems as if it’s every other day that we hear about celebrities finding themselves in the midst of icky court battles with financial institutions over large sums of unpaid money. Unfortunately, the latest poster child for mismanaged funds is our girl Mary J. Blige, reports the New York Post.

It is being alleged that the 41-year-old Queen of Hip Hop Soul defaulted on a $500,000 Bank of America loan. According to the Manhattan Supreme Court, the “Mr. Wrong” singer took out the loan back in 2005 and had faithfully made payments all the way up until June of 2011. That’s a huge problem, considering it’s February 2013.

As as result of her failure to pay off the rest of her loan, the nine-time Grammy Award winning singer now owes the financial institution $511,000, which includes a $497,000 unpaid principle in addition to interest. So far, no representatives from Blige’s camp have returned any phone calls or released any statements regarding the matter.

Hopefully, this is all some sort of misunderstanding and Mary can pay off her debt, clearing her name. But, the proof appears to be in the pudding, espcially since this isn’t the first time the New York native has defaulted on a hefty loan.

I’m always curious as to how regular people with modest salaries understand and recognize what happens when you don’t pay your bills, but  celebrities living lavish lifestyles don’t get it. When things like this happen is the actual celebrity to blame or their financial advisor or accountant? Do they forget they owe money or do they just flat out not care? I wish someone would do a one-time television special on the subject. Inquiring minds want to know. Possibly, it could replace the vacant slot where Shawty Lo’s All My Babies’ Mamas would’ve aired…

What do you make of Mary’s latest financial woes?

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

Source: WENN

One reason that many people will always love Mary J. Blige is for the level of realness that she never ceases to exude. Since What’s The 411, the singer has not only won us over for her amazing vocal abilities, but for her authenticity, her openness and her honesty. We love the fact that she doesn’t just freely discuss the good things, but also the bad things, the hurtful things, the things that may actually help someone else. In a recent interview with Kevin Sessums of Los Angeles Confidential, the Queen of Hip Hop Soul opened up about some of the challenging moments in her life and offers inspiration to us all as she recalls how she made it through. Check out some of the interview’s highlights.

On how Whitney Houston’s death impacted her personal alcohol consumption: 

“What I did was I chose to learn how to drink socially and it didn’t work. The test comes when you have to decide whether you’re drinking to be social or drinking to cover up something again. To cover up depression. To cover up guilt. Shame. Abandonment. All of that, man. Once I realized, “There you go again,” I had to stop. Whitney Houston’s death really affected me. Her death is another reason I stopped. I really do think I’m done. I looked at how that woman could not perform anymore.”

On being molested as a child:

“I was 5. Mmmm … yes. I was 5. I don’t want to go into the details. It’s something that hurt me really bad. I’m still the same way. When I open up to trust you, I trust you wholeheartedly. And then when you betray that trust, it closes me up.”

“The quiet. I always think about how quiet it all was. It was abnormally quiet. It was just quiet. And there are certain smells that… mmmm… well… someone was using this lotion on their hands an hour or so ago. I smelled this lotion and I had such a flashback about it all. It’s weird that we’d be talking about all this right now after me just having that flashback.”

On the dark moments in her life:

“That’s it. Life. You start from day one. And what we spoke about earlier—when I was 5 years old. That dark moment. That one dark moment. It only happened once, but after that there was so much else in my childhood that happened. So many dark moments—which all added up and that’s what sprung on the drug addiction, trying to numb it all with the drugs. The depression. The lack of love for myself. The lack of people loving you around you. The abandonment issues. Daddy not being there all the time. Mommy not knowing how to handle it all. Although she loves you, she abandons you at some point too. I’m not saying that to be down on my mom. She was just a cursed woman as well. There have been so many other dark moments that I can’t even talk about. I have given the world so much and even in the middle of all that stuff there has been so much Isht going on. It was all those tributaries that gave me such deep soul. But it is those same things that now have taught me how to be strong. In the past those were the same things that were killing me. But I made it out. I made it out.”

On believing in God throughout her addictions:

“I don’t know why. But I didn’t want to go to rehab. I believe that anything man himself can do for me, God can do for me in a greater way. I decided to pray and to seek God on my own. I just stayed in The Word. And it worked.”

“I loved God, but I didn’t love myself. When I would get really, really high and the daytime would come, I would feel like God was watching me. And that’s when I’d start to go into this panic thing. I remember one night I was soooooo high. And as I was trying to go to sleep there was this dream… mmmmm…. Gosh, man, I don’t know if I should be telling you all of this. But let me put it this way. I believe in God so much that I would not let the enemy win my soul. You know what I’m sayin’? God loves me no matter what.”

 

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

We know we all morn in different ways, but what possessed a mourning girlfriend to sing Mary J. Blige’s  ”Seven Days” at her boyfriend’s funeral, we just don’t know. Couple things, you never want to talk about making love to someone while people are coming together to pay their last respects, and of all the songs to sing, “Seven Days” just isn’t it. There are just way too many lines in that track that are not appropriate for that occasion.

Perhaps the funniest thing about this clip is that when the girlfriend goes into the second verse, someone decided to save her from herself and basically told her to have a seat baby. Thank God for that woman.

Check out the clip below. Have you ever had anybody sing a suspect song at a funeral you attended?

In MN’s Year In Review, we’re counting down our top stories as well as the biggest moments in television, music, movies, and news.

Madame Noire is good for writing an open letter to someone or some “someones” to try to correct what we see as suspect behavior, express admiration, or spread a little positivity to the noirettes holding it down. We did plenty of all of that in 2012. Here are the best, funniest, and most honest open letters we published this year (in no particular order).

1. AN OPEN LETTER TO MARY J. BLIGE RE: HER BUFFOONISH BURGER KING COMMERCIAL

Dear Mary J.,

Gurl, you know we love you. Like for real. We love your triumph. We love your music. We love your passion. But we have no love whatsoever for the recent debacle you decided to lend your image and vocals to. Mary, sometimes ignorance really is bliss; because up until a few hours ago, I had nothing but warm fuzzy feelings for you…Read more.

2. AN OPEN LETTER TO MY SINGLE SISTAS: BEING SINGLE IS NOT A CURSE, IT’S A GIFT

Dear Single Sistahs,

I am writing this letter to my Single Sistas who desperately desire a relationship, to those whose biological clocks are ticking, to those who are at the end of a relationship, to those who feel as though they will always be a bridesmaid and never a bride, to those who are currently playing the dating game, on a hiatus from it or have simply retired from it, to those who are moving out and moving on, to those who fear being alone, to those who are settling for less, to those who are divorced and refuse to open their hearts, and finally to those who have lost a love, and feel as though they can never love again…Read more.

3. AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ALMIGHTY GOATEE

Dear Goatee,

I’ve been clocking your style for a while now. It started with a subconscious glance, a double look and finally I allowed myself to drink you in completely. I’ve come to the conclusion that you are beautiful…Read more.

 4. An Open Letter To All The “Playas” And Man Wh**es: You’ve Had Your Share Of Women, But Wait ‘Til You Meet Karma

To All of the heartbreakers out there,

I’ve always wondered how some of you can be so cold. How you can have a wife here, a mistress there, and 30 side chicks spread everywhere, yet tell someone that you only want to be with them. Does sleep come easy knowing that your promiscuous ways and playboy antics crush hearts and bruise self-esteem, causing pain and bitterness for women who love you more than you love yourselves?…Read more.

5. An Open Letter To My Single Parent Sistahs: Be An Example To Your Child

Dear Single Sistahs,

I am writing this letter to all of you who are singly mothers by choice, by force, by divorce, or by other circumstances. I am writing this letter to all of my Single Parent Sistahs to encourage you to be the best mother and parent you can be to your child or children. I’m writing this letter to encourage you to be your child’s parent, particularly be your child’s mother because as the first woman in your child’s life, you set the tone for how he, she or they will view, treat and react towards women. You set the tone for how your child will view women because you are the first example of a woman he/she will see and know…Read more.