Lil Wayne Goes to Jail Today? Rikers Island Could Be Next Stop for Grammy Winner

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Daily Blotter

(AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

(AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

(AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) After a commanding performance at the Grammy Awards ceremony last week, Lil Wayne, one of music's biggest sellers and rap's hottest stars, is probably going to jail today.

Photo: Lil Wayne.

The Grammy-winning artist will appear in court Tuesday for sentencing for a gun possession charge. His plea deal calls for a year in jail, though good behavior could shave that to as little as eight months.

He's likely to start serving his sentence immediately, making him the latest in a string of rap stars to do time after topping the charts.

Photo: From left, Drake, Eminem, and Lil Wayne perform at the Grammy Awards on Jan. 31, 2010, in Los Angeles.

"This is Lil Wayne going to jail. Nobody can tell me what that's like," the rapper told Rolling Stone magazine for its latest issue. "I just say I'm looking forward to it."

His plea deal calls for him to serve his sentence not in state prison but in the New York City jail system. City Department of Correction spokesman Stephen Morello wouldn't discuss any arrangements being made to house Lil Wayne among the roughly 13,500 inmates in the massive Rikers Island complex and other jails. Most inmates are awaiting trial.

Photo: Lil Wayne.

Some inmates are separated from the general population because of their celebrity or other reasons, but "there's no special-inmates wing," Morello said.

Lil Wayne, 27, pleaded guilty in October of 2009 to attempted criminal possession of a weapon, admitting he illegally had a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun on his tour bus in July 2007. Police found the weapon when they stopped the bus after a Manhattan concert.

A rapper since he was a teenager, Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Carter, became known for his voluminous output and collaborations with other artists.

His career hit a peak in the last two years. His "Tha Carter III" led 2008 album sales with 2.8 million copies sold and featured such hits as the No. 1 smash "Lollipop." His Grammys include 2008's best rap solo performance award, for "A Milli."