NEW YORK, (Reuters) – U.S. rapper Lil Wayne pleaded  guilty yesterday to attempted criminal possession of a weapon  in a July 2007 incident and will serve a year in prison, New  York City prosecutors said.  

Lil Wayne, 27, who won best rap album at the 2009 Grammy  Awards and whose real name is Dwayne Carter, agreed to a plea  deal with prosecutors and will be sentenced at New York State  Supreme Court in February.  

Prosecutors said a gun was found in his tour bus in July  2007. Rapper Ja Rule was arrested separately on similar charges  after a hip hop concert in New York where both men performed.  

Ja Rule, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, pleaded  innocent and a trial date has not yet been set.  

Carter had convinced the court earlier to delay his trial  date to accommodate his performing schedule.  

The rapper would have faced more serious gun possession  charges if the case had gone to trial, as well as a maximum  15-year prison sentence, a spokeswoman at the Manhattan  District Attorney’s Office said.  

Carter’s lawyer could not be reached for comment.