Ja Rule Wednesday began serving his two-year prison sentence for gun possession in New York, officials said.
Atkins was arrested after police found an unlicensed handgun in his vehicle after a concert in 2007.
The New York Post said the rapper signed autographs for fans in the hallway outside the courtroom where the sentencing took place.
"See you in 18," the newspaper reported he said, referring to the number of months he expects to spend behind bars, with good behavior.
His mother and wife were crying in the courtroom as he was led away, the Post said.
