On May 19, in a Torrance, Calif. Superior Court, Coolio (Artis Ivey) re-entered his not guilty plea on a concealed weapon charge, stemming from a September arrest|. Coolio originally pleaded innocent to the charges during another pretrial hearing in February. A month later, he then changed his plea to no contest. In April, Coolio withdrew his no contest plea altogether.

The charge stems from Tuesday, September 15, when Coolio was pulled over for a traffic violation in Lawndale, Calif. During the stop Coolio told the police that there was a gun in the car, and officers confiscated a 9mm semi-automatic pistol located in a side door pouch. Deputy sheriffs arrested him on misdemeanor weapons and narcotics charges, as well as for two other infractions: driving with an expired license, and driving on the wrong side of the street.

He is scheduled to reappear before the court on July 7 for another pretrial hearing. The new trial date will allow him to complete his "18-City Mission" tour. -- Bonanno