Rappers Ja Rule and Lil’ Wayne were arrested on gun charges in New York City.  Wayne was also cited for criminal marijuana possession.

The NYPD tells TMZ that around 10:30 PM last night, Ja Rule’s 2004 Maybach was stopped on Manhattan’s Upper West Side for excessive speeding and expired tags. When cops investigated, they found a .40-caliber Taurus pistol inside the car. The scrap-happy rapper (real name: Jeffrey Atkins), his driver and a female companion were all arrested on charges of criminal possession of a weapon.

An hour later, just blocks away, Lil’ Wayne, who had just played a show at the Beacon Theater, was “observed” by cops allegedly smoking pot in his tour bus. When police did a subsequent search of the bus, they again found a .40-caliber pistol, and arrested Wayne (aka Dwayne Carter) for criminal marijuana possession and criminal possession of a weapon.

Expired tags will always give the cops an excuse to pull you over, so be sure to keep your car tags current kids.