This morning, rapper Lil Wayne appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court to be sentenced for a gun-possession charge from July 2007. According to MTV News, Lil Wayne caused a “near riot” on the steps of the court building. Fortunately, he was escorted by police and his Cash Money crew and thus able to enter the courtroom safely. The sentencing itself was described as a rather solemn occasion, as the rapper simply nodded when he heard his charges from the judge and chose not to address the court.
Although the judge formally sentenced the New Orleans native to a year in prison, Lil Wayne admirers can rest easy that he may be out of jail as early as October, thanks to a plea deal orchestrated by his lawyer.
The charges stem from Lil Wayne’s July 2007 New York show at the Beacon Theatre, where he was arrested for attempted gun possession. MTV News says, had Lil Wayne been arrested in states with looser gun possession laws, he could have gotten with simply a misdemeanor and we wouldn’t have to spend most of 2010 without him.