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Busta Rhymes will not be charged

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Busta Rhymes opens for a Mariah Carey concert in Los Angeles on Oct. 6th. The rapper will not be charged with weapons possession. (AP Photo)

Rapper Busta Rhymes stood silently in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday as a judge ruled prosecutors could not charge him with possession of a weapon -- a machete found inside an SUV following his August arrest on an assault charge.

Rhymes, 29, appeared in court wearing two huge diamond stud earrings, a gem-encrusted watch and a diamond pinkie ring for the brief hearing before Criminal Court Judge Shawndya Simpson. The judge rejected a prosecution request for the additional charge against the best-selling rap star.

Rhymes, whose legal name is Trevor Smith, said nothing during the hearing. But he took a minute to tell the courtroom sketch artists, "I love it when you make me look good."

He left the courthouse in a crush of photographers, camera crews and reporters, climbing into a black SUV. Rhymes was charged with assault after he allegedly attacked a man for spitting on his car on Aug. 12. He is due back in court on the assault charge on Dec. 11.

According to prosecutor Harrison Scheiloch, the machete was found in the rear seat pocket of an SUV in which Rhymes was a passenger when he was arrested following a performance at the Amsterjam Music Festival on Randall's Island.

The rap veteran's most recent album was the "The Big Bang," released earlier this year, featuring the hit "Touch It." Rhymes has had a stream of hits throughout his career, which spans more than a decade, including "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Dangerous." He's also been in films, including 2000's "Shaft."