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.