Lil Wayne Leaves the Slammer

Lil Wayne is a free man.

He has been released from the Rikers Island jail complex after serving eight months for his involvement in a gun case, it was announced Thursday.

His family and friends are planning a welcome home bash this weekend in Miami.

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Lil Wayne (real name: Dwayne Carter Jr.) pleaded guilty in October 2009 to attempted weapon possession, admitting he'd had a loaded, semiautomatic .40-caliber gun on his bus after a Manhattan concert.

"I was never scared, worried nor bothered by the situation" behind bars, he said Tuesday through Weezythanxyou.com, which he set up to give fans a glimpse of his life in jail.

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During his time behind bars, he dropped his latest album, I Am Not a Human Being, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart last month.