Spending countless hours becoming a tried-and-true fan of certain, shall we say provocative artists, can sometimes backfire -- especially if you consider yourself a bit of a goody-two-shoes. Troublemakers, however, generally tend to gravitate towards the VIP badasses of the world. Either way, there have been some very interesting celebrity arrests over the years, from indecent exposure to tax evasion and a whole lot in between.
Here's our list of 13 famous musicians who, at one time or another, have found themselves in the back of a police cruiser.
Jim Morrison of The Doors
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Everyone swooned when Jim Morrison of The Doors sang about wanting to "Love Her Madly." But it was in 1969 when he may or may not have let it, you know 'it,' break on through while on stage in Miami when the cops decided to issue a warrant. Morrison went to trial and was given six months in jail for indecent exposure and "open profanity."
Justin Bieber
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Oh, Justin. In 2014, a 19-year-old Biebs was arrested in Miami Beach for street drag racing in a yellow Lamborghini -- and failing a sobriety test. Justin was charged with DUI, resisting arrest, and driving with a suspended license.
Lauryn Hill
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In 2013, Fugees founding member Lauryn Hill was sentenced to three months in prison and three months under house arrest for her failure to pay taxes on about $1 million in earnings. Insisting she always meant to pay up, Hill said during her hearing "I needed to be able to earn so I could pay my taxes, without compromising the health and welfare of my children, and I was being denied that."
Wiz Khalifa
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Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa was never, ever shy about his weed use, but arrested he was for possession in North Carolina in November of 2010. Cops apparently seized over 60 grams of marijuana during this incident. Deep breath, exhale. Khalifa was arrested again for pot-related offenses in May 2014 (3 full years after his album Rolling Papers was released, mind you) during a TSA check in Texas. In August 2015, Wiz was arrested once again, this time for riding a hoverboard around Los Angeles International Airport. Following the incident, Khalifa posted on Twitter, "Haven't been slammed and cuffed in a while. That was fun."
Paris Hilton
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While some consider her foray into music a crime, it was in 2006 when hotel heiress Paris Hilton was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Later reduced to reckless driving, Paris was sentenced to a fine, 3 years probation, and mandatory alcohol education classes. A month later, she was caught driving with a suspended license, landing her 45 days in jail.
Willie Nelson
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Look, we're not gonna list all of the marijuana-related arrests, just the fun ones. Enter, Willie Nelson. When Willie's tour bus was pulled over for routine inspection in Louisiana in 2006, the cops found nothing routine about the psychedelic mushrooms and a pound and a half of weed they found. Luckily, a few others claimed the stash and Willie caught a misdemeanor. Lesson not learned, in 2010 he was nabbed again in Texas for possession of weed. On the tour bus. Go figure...
Prince
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While on tour in 1980 with Rick James, Prince and his keyboardist were arrested after lifting an emergency megaphone from an airplane -- a federal offense. After the item was found in the keyboardist's bag following a search from Sky Marshals, Prince took the hit with him. Later on at the station, as the story goes, the booking turned into a meet & greet of sorts, because, well, it's freakin' Prince.
Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses
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Among a slew of arrests and jail terms as a juvenile, it was Axl Rose's arrest for inciting a riot following a Guns N' Roses show in St. Louis where over $200,000 in damages were made after he cut short a show because a fan was filming. Rose was arrested in 1992 and convicted of property damage and assault in relation to the riot. Rose was hit with a $50,000 fine and two years' probation.
Foxy Brown
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Do not f*** with Foxy Brown's nail game. In 2004, Brown was sentenced to three years probation and anger-management classes after attacking New York City nail salon employees following a botched mani/pedi experience. Charged for the services that were never rendered, Foxy was not happy to say the least. After violating said probation, Brown landed in jail for a year.
Frank Sinatra
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This is a weird one... Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, was arrested in 1938 for something that entire apps are based around now. His crime? Seduction. Rawr! When it was later found that the woman he apparently seduced was actually married, the charge was changed to Adultery (also, there's an app for that) and he was arrested again. After bonding out and being released, the charges were eventually dropped.
Travie McCoy
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Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy and a pal were pinched after tagging up remnants of the Berlin wall in Germany. The cops knew it was Travie because he tweeted about it before and afterward, even providing a pic. Also the tag he threw up was "Travie McCoy." The dastardly duo were released on bond a few thousand dollars later.
Lil Wayne
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After a number of local criminal drug and weapons charges that go all the way back to 2007, Lil Wayne plead guilty to federal weapons charges in 2020 stemming from an arrest in Florida the previous year when he was caught transporting a loaded handgun on his private jet. As a convicted felon from previous weapons charges, he was barred from such activity. Wayne was among more than 140 people who were granted pardons or had their sentences commuted by outgoing President Donald Trump on January 19, 2020, his last full day in office.
Ozzy Osbourne
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We all know Ozzy Osbourne's a doozie. He's been around quite a few cops in his life (like that time he tried to murder Sharon), but it's his 1982 arrest in San Antonio, TX that gets the giggles. Publicly intoxicated and wearing one of Sharon's dresses -- Ozzy was picked up urinating not on the actual Alamo but on an adjacent memorial. Texas don't like that kind of stuff. Ozzy was charged and banned from performing in the city for 10 years.
Stay in school, kids. Do your homework, eat your apples and all... and do yourself a favor -- stay out of trouble. Those prison stripes are really not a good look.
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