Beanie Sigel, the popular rapper who has been shadowed by his violent past, was wounded by gunfire during an attempted robbery earlier today (May 25).

The rapper was shot one or two times in the upper right arm shortly after 8 a.m., police said. He was hospitalized and is in good condition.

The apparent holdup was attempted by five males traveling in two cars, according to police. It was not clear where the shooting took place.

Sigel, born Dwight Grant, was released from federal prison in August after serving a year on a gun charge and was acquitted of attempted murder the following month. He was also briefly jailed in November for failure to pay child support.

His three albums--"The Truth" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) in 2000, "The Reason" in 2001 and last year's "The B. Coming" (DDMG/Criminal Background)--each hit the top five on The Billboard 200. The latter disc has sold 404,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Sigel also starred in the movie "State Property" and its sequel.