Eminem Gets Two Years Probation

Rap star Eminem was sentenced to two years' probation Tuesday for carrying a concealed weapon.

The charge carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison, although Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga said earlier that he would seek no more than six months "because he has no record and there was no serious injury."

As part of his probation, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Antonio Viviano ordered the Grammy winner to undergo counseling and submit to drug testing.

He will be allowed to travel within the continental United States for work.

"In this case, the weapon was not loaded and there was no direct danger to human life," Viviano said, agreeing to accept a pre-sentencing report that recommended the rapper receive zero to three months in jail.

At the advice of his attorneys, Eminem made no statement in court. He stood silent between his attorneys in a dark suit and tie.

"Mr. Mathers is a self-made man. He has overcome many obstacles," his attorney, Wally Piszczatowski, told the judge before he handed down the sentence. "He has the ability to overcome this problem as a minor setback."

Eminem was charged following a June 4 confrontation outside a Warren nightclub. Police say Eminem struck a man he says he saw kissing his estranged wife, Kim.

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, pleaded guilty to the charge in February as part of an agreement with prosecutors who dropped a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon in return. Eminem could have changed his mind after hearing what sentence he would receive.

The rapper, also known as "Slim Shady," is no stranger to the legal world.

Eminem also faces charges in Oakland County that he illegally possessed and brandished a concealed weapon during a confrontation with Douglas Dail of Insane Clown Posse, a Detroit-based rap group, in nearby Royal Oak. That happened hours before his Warren arrest and has not yet been resolved.

Mathers and his wife — who have a five-year-old daughter — filed for divorce and worked out a deal in March that gives Eminem their $450,000 Clinton Township home and wife, Kim Mathers, $475,000 in cash to purchase one for herself.

The agreement also gives the couple joint legal and physical custody of their daughter, Hailie Jade.

Kim Mathers also sued Eminem for $10 million, claiming that the lyrics of his song "Kim" harmed her by describing "horrific domestic violence" against her. The two reached a settlement in that case.

Eminem's mother, Debbie Mathers-Briggs, earlier sued the rapper for $10 million and for $1 million, claiming he defamed her in songs and interviews.

Eminem claimed three Grammy awards in February — for best rap album, rap solo performance and rap performance by a duo or group — but his "The Marshall Mathers LP" was beaten out in the album of the year category. The violent themes in his work have drawn bitter criticism from feminists and gay rights advocates. He has said he plas characters in his songs and that their over-the-top brutality is a satire on people he has known.

©MMI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed