Lil Boosie Pleads Guilty
The Baton Rouge rapper pleaded guilty on Tuesday to three counts of drug smuggling, but insists he is innocent of the first-degree murder charges. straightfromthea

Lil Boosie is still awaiting a trial for first-degree murder, but the rapper hasn't been idle during his prison time: on Nov. 28, Lil Boosie pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to smuggle drugs into the Louisiana State Penitentiary, landing an eight-year prison sentence for his crimes.

Torrance Lil Boosie Hatch was charged back in the summer of 2011 with attempting to use an undercover agent to smuggle in ingredients for codeine syrup.

Back in 2009, the troubled Baton Rouge rapper hatched a similarly unsuccessful plan to smuggle drugs into the Dixon Correctional Institute. Boosie tried to use his girlfriend and a former Dixon guard to help him smuggle in the drugs, but was caught before he could get the drugs inside the prison.

Judge Gives High Penalty

Back in June 2011, Lil Boosie had pled not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to introduce contraband into a penal institution, three counts of possession with intent to distribute narcotics and three counts of conspiracy to commit possession with intent to distribute narcotics.

At his trial, however, the rapper changed his plea to guilty for three counts of cosnpiring to bring drugs into a penal institution.

Local TV station WFAB reports that Judge Mike Erwin sentenced him to eight years in prison for the attempted drug smuggling. Upon hearing his sentence, the 29-year-old rapper requested drug rehab. Although the judge said he would recommend treatment, he refused to order a drug rehabilition program as part of the rapper's sentence.

Lil Boosie will receive credit for the time he has already spent in jail.

Probation and First-Degree Murder

Lil Boosie is currently incarcerated for a 2009 probation violation, and is also awaiting trial on a first-degree murder charge, to which Lil Boosie continues to plead not guilty.

The first-degree murder charge could get the Baton Rouge rapper the death penalty. He stands accused of hiring hit men to kill 35-year-old Terry Boyd in an alleged turf war.

Lil Boosie is also being investigated for several other murders by the East Baton Rouge DA's office, and may be linked to as many as five other hits. Michael Louding (Marlo Mike), who stands accused of six murders, has been subpoenaed by Lil Boosie's defense after prosecutors tried to get him on their side.

The DA's office says Louding told them he was hired as a hitman by Lil Boosie for multiple murders.

Lil Boosie: 'The system don't like it.'

In a prison interview in May 2011, Lil Boosie told XXL magazine that he was being persecuted because of his music.

[I'm here] 'cause of the songs I made, before I was indicted, about the police in Baton Rouge and what's going on here, the rapper said. There's a lot with our record label that the system don't like.

He also expressed frustration that police had confiscated his computer, which held many of his songs. The rapper is best known for being featured on Wipe Me Down and for songs like I Know.

They took my hard drive out of my house after I got arrested, he said in the interview. I have albums for days in there. They still haven't returned it. They've had it for d*mn near a year now. I need that music.