Coolio Pleads Guilty to Possession Charge

Grammy-winning rapper turned reality television star Coolio pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine on Friday, the New York Times reports. He is reportedly scheduled to enter a drug rehabilitation program that will last 18 months, which will allow him to avoid serving jail time.

The rapper was arrested on March 6 at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of possession of narcotics. He reportedly resisted arrest for the suspected felony, but after pleading guilty to the possession charge, authorities at the Los Angeles courtroom agreed to drop the charges of battery as well as possession of a smoking device that had been filed against him.

According to the Times report, Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office in Los Angeles, said that Coolio would have been sentenced to three years in prison if he had been convicted on all the charges.

The rapper, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey, Jr., won a Grammy award for best rap solo performance with his 1995 hit, "Gangsta's Paradise." However, more recently, Coolio has been directing his efforts toward reality television, starring in shows such as "Celebrity Fear Factor" and "Coolio's Rules."