There's a popular saying in hip-hop that "Rhyme pays" (shouts to Ice-T), but as we've seen throughout the history of the culture, crime usually doesn't. Dating back to the birth of the genre, rappers have found themselves entangled within the long arms of the law for various matters. Some artists have been found guilty while others were proven innocent of the charges against them.

Friction with law enforcement is an unfortunate reality for many of our rap stars. The unfair stigmas attached to young black men are usually used against artists, producers, managers and execs far too often and has resulted in the derailment of many promising careers.

The '80s included a few instances of rappers being charged with criminal offenses, but the '90s would be the decade when the beef between police and hip-hop would truly hit a higher level. High-profile artists like Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Jay Z, Diddy and Shyne were involved in their fair share of court cases, even going to trial with varying results. There's even been task forces created solely for the purpose of keeping a watchful eye on the activities of those involved in the rap game.

There are also times when rappers make grave mistakes that cost them their career and livelihood and land them behind bars for more time than they ever thought possible. As a result, they become cautionary tales of how a rapper blew their shot and became a dream deferred. 2015 has continued the unfortunate trend of rappers making headlines after being accused of criminal activity. We take a look back at 10 of the more noteworthy legal battles involving rappers this year.

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