Rising Bad Boy rap artist Black Rob — who used his debut album to vent about the 12 years he's spent in and out of correctional facilities — is due in a New York court Friday to face weapon and drug charges, said Sarah Frank, a

spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

Sunday evening, the rapper was arraigned on charges of third-degree criminal weapon possession and drug possession.

At 12:35 a.m. Sunday, an undercover police officer saw Black Rob (born Robert Ross), 29-year-old Kwame Thomas and three other men in a silver Ford Taurus in front of 170 West 85th St., Frank said.

The officer allegedly saw the rapper hand Thomas a .22 Deringer and watched Thomas put the gun in the trunk of the sedan. When police arrested the pair, they confiscated the weapon — which had four live rounds — and the drug ecstasy, according to New York police Detective George Nagey and court documents.

Cheryl Fox Spencer, a spokesperson for Bad Boy Entertainment, said on Monday (May 22) that she didn't have enough information to comment. The label plans to release a statement sometime this week, Spencer said.

Another Bad Boy artist, Sean "Puffy" Combs, also faces weapons charges connected to a December shooting outside a New York nightclub. Combs, who co-founded the label and is featured on Black Rob's album, could face up to 15 years in prison if

he is convicted.

A judge set bail for Black Rob at $10,000 bond or $5,000 cash. If convicted, Black Rob could spend up to seven years in prison. Most recently the Spanish Harlem resident spent 51 days locked up for a parole violation.

In March, Black Rob said his stints behind bars for robbery convictions inspired his first album, Life Story, which includes the current club anthem "Whoa!" (RealAudio excerpt).

He said that he turned to a rap career to put those days behind him.

"A lot of people don't appreciate jail. That's because they go into there and don't learn nothing," Black Rob said. "Those are the people who love jail. I hate jail."