Lil Wayne - Lil Wayne Heading To Jail In February

Embattled rap superstar LIL WAYNE will spend St. Valentine's Day (14Feb10) in a prison cell - he's been ordered to begin his year-long sentence for gun charges in February (10).

The Lollipop hitmaker, real name Dwayne Carter, pleaded guilty to charges of second degree felony of criminal weapons possession and criminal possession of a loaded weapon, following his 2007 arrest in New York, when cops found a firearm on his tourbus.

He reportedly struck a plea deal with prosecutors in October (09), after initially pleading not guilty, in a bid to cut down his time behind bars.

Carter appeared in Manhattan State court on Tuesday morning (15Dec09), when a judge ruled the hip-hop star must start his prison stint on 9 February (10).

The date falls one week after his new album is due for release - Rebirth is set to hit U.S. retailers on 1 February (10) after months of delay.

It is not yet known where Carter will serve his jail term.

The prison sentence will be the start of a tough year for the rapper - he's also due to stand trial in March (10) on drug possession charges following an unrelated arrest in Yuma, Arizona in January 2008.