Rapper Jay-Z was sentenced to three years’ probation on Thursday for stabbing music executive Lance “Un” Rivera at a Manhattan nightclub in December 1999. The rapper entered a guilty plea in October.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Sean Carter, stabbed Rivera in the stomach with a 5-inch knife at a Dec. 1, 1999 launch party for Q-Tip‘s album Amplified at New York’s Kit Kat Klub. Reportedly, the rapper was upset with Rivera for allegedly bootlegging his album Vol. 3…Life and Times of Sean Carter.
Rivera however did not file suit against Jay-Z, and the record mogul refused to work with prosecuting attorneys. The New York Post reported on Oct. 18 that Jay-Z had paid Rivera $600,000 to not cooperate with prosecutors.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Micki Scherer sentenced Jay-Z, 31, to three years probation as part of a plea agreement. The Grammy-winning rapper answered “yes” when asked if he understood that he would be in hot water if he got in trouble again, PageSix.com reports.
“Obviously, if you are arrested again, that would be a serious situation, ” the judge said.
Had he pleaded not guilty, the rapper faced up to a 15-year jail sentence if convicted. Jay-Z originally claimed he was innocent and even recorded the song “Guilty until Proven Innocent” with R. Kelly.
The rapper did not talk to reporters, but his lawyer, Ben Brafman, said that his client was pleased the case was resolved.
Jay-Z, whose album The Blueprint has sold more than 1.5 million copies since its September release, is currently working on a new album, Jay-Z Unplugged, due out Dec. 18 on his own Roc-A-Fella Records.
