Lil Wayne Heading To Jail In February

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.