Puff Daddy: Cleared of gun and bribery charged

His co-defendant and associate Puff Daddy was cleared of gun possession and bribery charges at the trial, which ended in March.

State Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon called Barrow smart, talented and charitable but said he could not lose sight of the fact that Barrow had fired a gun in a nightclub "as crowded as a subway in rush hour".

Barrow's conviction stems from the 1999 shooting at the Manhattan nightclub, during which one person was severely wounded in the face.

He was cleared of additional charges of attempting to murder three club patrons.

Barrow: Started counselling group in prison

Barrow telephoned a TV show on Thursday to say he has been "in hell" while waiting for his sentence.

He is a close associate of Puff Daddy - real name Sean Combs - and intends to release his Dear America album on Combs's Bad Boy label at the end of the year.

He started a counselling group to help fellow inmates while awaiting sentencing.

After the trial, Combs insisted he will not abandon Barrow.

"He's young, very talented," he said. "He's definitely somebody whose life shouldn't be wasted."

Barrow said in a statement that Dear America will be about "the reasons, the factors behind the realities, political stuff, social issues and the people who really cause the problems".

His debut album, Shyne, was released in September 2000.