Massively popular rapper Lil' Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted weapon possession on Thursday, a surprise move that will land the Grammy-winning star in jail for a year, the AP reports. He previously had pleaded not guilty to illegal gun possession charges that carried at least 3½ years in prison. But with the plea, he agreed to a reduced sentence.

He will officially be sentenced in February.

Police pulled over Wayne's tour bus in Columbus Circle (near NYC's Central Park) on July 22, 2007. They said they had seen and smelled marijuana smoke wafting out the door before the bus left a concert venue minutes earlier. Police said that as an officer approached, the rapper (real name Wayne Carter) tossed away a Louis Vuitton bag containing a gun.

Prosecutors said trace amounts of DNA found on the loaded gun connected it to Wayne. His defense lawyer said the gun wasn't his, and that there were flaws in the way the evidence was tested.

The defense also disputed the whole premise used by officers to search the bus (pot smoke).

According to the AP, Wayne acted politely in court when acknowledging that he had a .40 caliber semi-automatic gun on the bus.

Lil' Wayne's troubles with the law don't end in NYC, though. He is also scheduled for trial in Arizona on felony drug possession and weapons charges. He has pleaded not guilty in that case, but in an interview with MTV last year the rapper took responsibility for the arrest, which was also on a tour bus.

"I was irresponsible at that time. F--- up on my part. No ifs, ands, buts about it. I don't blame nobody but myself. I can't blame nobody for not taking my charge. ... This is my bus."