Lauryn Hill Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion

Anybody else remember that old urban legend that Lauryn Hill once told MTV, "I would rather die than have a white person buy one of my albums?"

For those who do: guess what? The Snark Fairy has paid us all a visit, and left a few just-add-water quick jokes under our pillows.

The former third of beloved hip-hop trio the Fugees and eight-time Grammy winner plead guilty Friday in Newark to three counts of failing to file federal income tax returns, according to Reuters. Hill didn't claim federal income tax between 2005 and 2007, despite earning more than $1.8 million between recording and film royalties.

Face it, folks: Whitey pumped in at least a little bit.

For all three counts total, Hill could spend up to three years in prison and owe fines totaling up to $300,000. She'll be sentenced Nov. 27, and was released on $150,000 bond with provisions that she be allowed to leave the country for performance touring. As a condition, she must also undergo mental health counseling. She's already spent the past 10 years in family counseling, according to attorney Nathan Hochman.

Hill claimed earlier this month that she "deferred" payments during a period of self-imposed isolation, for the safety of her six children. Her statement was a sprawling, paranoid rant that made leaps between bemoaning the music industry's commercialization and a "media-protected military industrial complex" manipulation of society.

Her 1998 solo debut album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" was a roaring success that earned five of her eight Grammys, including Best New Artist and Album of the Year. Unfortunately, she hasn't released another solo effort since 2001.

(By the by....spare the comments about the urban legend. I'm well aware that she didn't actually say that. The actual quote is right there in the Snopes.com article. Lauryn Hill is no racist. She's just a teensy bit 'nanners.)