Ja Rule is headed to a New York prison for up to two years after being sentenced today in a 2007 gun case.
The platinum-selling rapper and actor had pleaded guilty in December after being charged with attempted criminal weapon possession.
The charges stemmed from an incident in July 2007 when the authorities pulled the rapper over as he was leaving a concert in his luxury sports car and found a loaded semi-automatic 40-calibre pistol in the back seat.
They later discovered the gun was unregistered and New York law prohibits people from having firearms outside their homes or workplaces.
Behind bars: Rapper Ja Rule was sentenced to up two years in a New York jail today, stemming from an incident with an unregistered hand gun in 2007
The rapper, his manager and their driver were all arrested on the scene, as was fellow rapper Lil Wayne who had performed with Ja Rule earlier that night.
The 35-year-old, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, sat silently during the sentencing at the New York State Supreme Court.
He is expected to serve between 18 and 20 months with good behaviour.
Good spirits: The rapper waved to fans in the courthouse before being led off.
Cuffed: Ja Rule was calm and well-mannered as the officer locked handcuffs onto his wrists to be led to jail
Just one and a half hours before his sentence was revealed, Ja Rule sent a Twitter message to his 50,000 followers: 'Out on my patio having my last free moment I love all my fans Pain is love!!!'
Dressed in a grey track suit, the father-of-three signed autographs for fans before entering the courthouse and then later hugged his attorney and waved to his high school sweetheart wife, Aisha Atkins as he was led away.
Ja Rule also faces the possibility of a federal prison sentence for failing to pay taxes on more than $3 million in income, reports American newspaper USA Today.
Final moments of freedom: Ja Rule arrived at court today holding hands with his wife of ten years, Aisha Atkins
He could get up to three years in prison for the tax case and sentencing begins on June 13, but it is thought that his legal team will push for it to be served at the same time as his current sentence.
The Grammy-nominated artist has worked with music industry hit makers such as Jennifer Lopez, Christina Millian, Ashanti and R. Kelly.
He has also has appeared in more than a dozen movies, including the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious and 2003's Scary Movie 3.
Ja Rule's biggest hit was the 2002 album Pain Is Love, and he has sold nearly 20 million albums over the course of his career.
Solid fan base: Never forgetting the people who made him famous, Ja Rule signed photos for fans outside the court
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