(from http://www.cdnow.com)



Ex-A Tribe Called Quest rapper Q-Tip pled guilty to assault in the third degree Monday (June 26) morning in New York City's Midtown Court and walked away with just a slap on the wrist.



Q-Tip (real name Kamall Fareed) admitted to punching and breaking the jaw of 28-year-old aspiring rapper Kenrick Miranda at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square on March 15 (allstar, March 27). The altercation stemmed from an incident last summer in which Q-Tip prevented Miranda from handing out his demo tapes in front of New York's Hit Factory studios. Miranda sustained a broken jaw for which he later required surgery at St. Claire's Hospital (his jaw was wired shut).



By pleading guilty, Q-Tip was sentenced to an unconditional discharge, and had to pay a court-imposed mandatory surcharge of a mere $120. It was his first conviction.