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Lloyd Banks and Young Buck Cleared of Gun Charges

Prosecutors dropped felony gun possession charges against Lloyd Banks and Young Buck after discovering that -- oops! -- neither one of them ever possessed the guns in question.

The two G-Unit rappers were arrested in August 2005 after a concert with Eminem and 50 Cent at Madison Square Garden. Their vehicle had been pulled over after running a red light in Manhattan, and a search of the van revealed a loaded gun and another weapon. A spokesman for Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said that one suspect has pleaded guilty in the case, and a second suspect is still under indictment.

The dropped charges are especially good news for Young Buck, who is on three years probation after pleading no contest to stabbing a man with a fork during the ill-fated 2004 Vibe Awards.

"The whole experience reminds me of the title of my new album -- Rotten Apple," said Banks, deftly managing to plug his album and shake his fist at the Man in a single sentence. Rotten Apple is out now -- and receiving lukewarm reviews -- while Young Buck is expected to release his next album in February. Both albums will have had a delayed release. Young Buck explained his pushed date by telling Billboard that he wanted Interscope [G-Unit's parent label] to give him a "whole, total push."

--The ARTISTdirect Staff
11.09.06