AceShowbiz - Rapper Ja Rule will surrender to New York authorities on June 8 and begin a two-year prison sentence for illegal weapons possession. The "Always On Time" hitmaker, real name Jeffrey Atkins, pleaded guilty to attempted weapons possession in December 2010, relating to his 2007 arrest in the Big Apple.

The hip-hop star, who is free on bail, has been busy putting the finishing touches to his new album, "Renaissance Project", and filming a reality TV show in preparation for his jail term. But he will not have the chance to promote his new projects - on Wednesday, March 9, a New York judge ordered him to report to prison officers in June.

According to The New York Post, Ja Rule's delayed sentence after the rapper is granted a furlough by the judge to complete album and and settle federal tax issue. His lawyer, Stacey Richman, says, "Somebody, an accountant, had filed an incorrect form, and this is to correct what was done in the past."