Coolio pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine

The Grammy-winning rapper Coolio, below, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine on Friday, and will enter a drug rehabilitation program for 18 months, thus avoiding jail time, Reuters reported.

Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was arrested on March 6 at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of felony narcotics possession. He resisted arrest at the time, but in exchange for his guilty plea on Friday in a Los Angeles courtroom the authorities agreed to drop charges of battery and possession of a smoking device.

Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, said Coolio faced three years in prison if convicted on all charges. His 1995 single, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” earned him a Grammy Award for best rap solo performance, but in recent years he has spent most of his time on reality television shows like “Celebrity Fear Factor” and “Coolio’s Rules.”

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