Lil Wayne has appeared in a New York court on charges of gun possession.

The rapper, who has pleaded not guilty, was arrested in July 2007 when police allegedly found him trying to conceal a .9mm handgun on his tour bus.

The latest hearing at a Manhattan court is focussed on the DNA technique used to tie the hip-hop star to the weapon.

Prosecutors argue that the small amounts of DNA found on the weapon connect it to Lil' Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter.

But the rapper's lawyer, Stacey Richman, has maintained that the profiling technique is unreliable and that the gun did not belong to Carter.

The hearing is expected to last for days, according to the Associated Press.

The rapper is due to stand trial on the gun charges in January 2010. If found guilty he could face a minimum of three and a half years in prison.

As previously reported, it was announced this week that Lil' Wayne's new album 'Tha Carter IV' would be released in December.

Another album from the rapper, the much-delayed 'The Rebirth', is also due before the end of 2009.

(by Jason Gregory)