Rapper Lil Wayne has become the first rapper since Tupac Shakur to have a #1 album on the charts, while serving time behind bars, after police found a loaded handgun on his bus in 2007.

The rapper, who is currently finishing an eight-month prison sentence on Riker's Island, has the #1 album in the country with his latest release, I Am Not A Human Being, which has moved over 323,000 copies since its release on September 27th.

According to Billboard, the feat marks the first time a rapper has topped the charts from behind bars, since Tupac Shakur did it in 1995 with the release of his classic album, Me Against the World.

Lil Wayne's feat behind bars impressed former Death Row Records head Marion "Suge" Knight, who signed Shakur to the now-defunct, legendary label, after the release of Me Against the World.

"It was great that they had that communication with fans," Knight told Billboard, while adding that due to technology, during the 1990's, "the world stopped" for an artist serving time behind bars.

According to Bryan "Baby" Williams, Lil Wayne's continued presence while he was incarcerated was a part of a carefully thought out strategy that was executed by Cash Money Records, Young Money Records and Lil Wayne's management team.

"The challenge was to make sure you feel like he never left," Williams said. "We came with a good strategy, and it worked."

While Lil Wayne was incarcerated, he stayed in touch with fans through radio appearances, his fan site WeezyThanxYou.com and on a "Riker's Remix" to "Light Up" featuring Drake and Jay-Z.

Lil Wayne is scheduled to be released from Riker's Island on Thursday (November 4th).

The rapper is planning to release The Carter IV in addition to publishing his memoirs, which he penned while he was incarcerated.

(AllHipHop News) - By Nolan Strong