Popular American Rapper Lil Wayne Begins Jail Term in New York
09/03/2010 10:23
Dwayne Carter, popularly known as rapper Lil Wayne, will start his one year jail term at the Rikers Island jail after he was sentenced Monday by a New York court for for illegal gun possession.
Popular American rapper Lil Wayne starts his jail term after he was sentenced to one-year imprisonment for illegal gun possession. The charge stemmed from a 2007 traffic stop of his tour bus in New York when authorities said they smelled marijuana, and as they approached, he tossed aside a bag with a loaded .40-caliber handgun.
The popular rapper will serve his prison term in New York's Rikers Island. His lawyer said the 27-year-old Grammy Award winning singer will be held in protected custody, separate from common prisoners.
Lil Wayne, who has vowed to keep writing while behind bars, had already said goodbye to his fans during recent concerts and in video messages posted online. "He knew what he had to do, and he's doing it," said his lawyer, Stacey Richman.
The star could be released in about eight months if he behaves well, reports suggest. Before serving his term, Lil Wayne came back to his native New Orleans to do a concert for his hometown fans in what he called his farewell tour.
"I'm nothing without you," he told the screaming crowd last year at the New Orleans Arena after opening the concert with "A Milli," which earned him a Grammy for best rap solo in 2008. CBS Entertainment reports:
Dozens of fans jockeyed with photographers waiting on the courthouse steps Monday afternoon, cheering as Lil Wayne, fellow rapper Birdman and others arrived. Shouts of "Oh, man" and "Keep your head up, Weezy!" (a nickname he often uses) erupted in the courtroom as he was sentenced.
"Law is mind without reason...I'll return," he wrote on his Twitter account Monday morning.
(original article appeared @ Digital Journal )