Is it just us, or does following hip-hop sometimes feel like going to law school? Calling in recently to Vlad TV, Ja Rule outlined the charges that led to his 20-month stay at New York's Oneida Correctional Facility and explained why he was given a harsher sentence than Lil Wayne, who did eight months for the same crime.

"It's a weird charge," Ja Rule said, referencing the "attempted gun possession" rap that landed him behind bars. "I've never really even heard of this type of charge. I didn't know you could go to jail for attempting to possess a gun."

It turns out you can, and as the Queens rhymer learned, if you're going to get busted for carrying a weapon, it's best to have a registered one. When Weezy was picked up back in 2007, the pistol found on his tour bus had a serial number, and that, Ja said, saved him from doing more time at Rikers Island.

In Ja's case, the serial number was scratched off, and that's a major offense.

"It could have been a while bigger situation," he said. "I ain't mad about the time that I got. I'm just here doing my time. It could have been worse. I'm grateful it's not."

Ja Rule was busted in 2007, for possessing a handgun after performing at New York City's Beacon Theater. When his vehicle was pulled over for speeding, police found the gun inside.

Next month, the rapper is set to release his 'Pain Is Love 2' album from prison, a follow-up to his 2001 album 'Pain Is Love.'

Watch 'Ja Rule in a Showbiz Minute'

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ShowBiz Minute: Ja Rule, Sheen, 'Jersey Shore'



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