Incarcerated rapper Beanie Sigel has been sentenced to more time behind bars after pleading guilty to misdemeanour illegal drug possession.

The troubled star was sentenced on Wednesday (06Mar13) to between six and 23 months in prison, stemming from his arrest last August (12), when cops found pills and codeine syrup on him during a traffic stop in Pennsylvania.

The arrest happened not long before the This Time hitmaker, real name Dwight Grant, was due to report for a two-year jail stint for tax evasion.

Sigel's attorney is hoping the hip-hop star will be able to serve the sentences concurrently, reports Pennsylvania publication Delaware County's Daily Times.

His lawyer told the court, "Mr. Grant has been a successful entertainer and musician in the Philadelphia community for decades. Obviously, he's had an incredible amount of success and opportunity in his life. He's also made some mistakes, which have ended up putting him in custody. He's ready to go ahead and put that behind him and move on with his life.

"He has a lot of catching up to do, but he also has a lot of talent and a lot of opportunity, hopefully. So the prospect is that he can get out and move on and start doing something productive with his life."