Jay-Z was given three years' probation in a New York criminal courtroom Thursday (December 6) for stabbing record producer Lance "Un" Rivera in 1999. The rapper (born Shawn Carter) appeared before the judge with his lawyer, Murray Richman, to receive his sentence, according to a spokesperson from the Manhattan district attorney's office.

The judgment comes on the heels of Jay-Z pleading guilty to third-degree assault in October (see "Jay-Z Pleads Guilty To Stabbing, Faces Three Years' Probation") for attacking Rivera on December 2, 1999 at a listening party for Q-Tip's solo album Amplified. After voluntarily answering police questions, Jay-Z had maintained his innocence until entering his plea, even going so far as to include the line "Not guilty, y'all got to feel me," in his hit single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (see "Jay-Z Turns Himself In To Police For Questioning, Denies Involvement In Stabbing").

Rivera couldn't be reached for comment, and Jay-Z's label, Roc-A-Fella Records, didn't have one. Richman and Jay-Z's Def Jam Records spokesperson didn't return calls by press time.

The sentence means that Jay-Z can't leave New York without the permission of his probation officer, with whom he'll have to meet periodically. A schedule for how often these meetings will take place has yet to be determined, according to a Department of Probation spokesperson.

Had Jay-Z not pleaded guilty and the case gone to trial, he would have faced up to 15 years in prison on charges of felony assault in the second degree (see "Jay-Z Charged With Felony Assault, Lawyer Maintains Rapper's Innocence").

Jay-Z's not out of the legal woods yet, however. A civil suit involving copyright infringement over parts of "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" from his latest album, The Blueprint, is still pending (see "Judge Won't Stop Jay-Z's Flow").