PHILADELPHIA - Beanie Sigel, the popular rapper who has been shadowed by his violent past, was wounded by gunfire during an attempted robbery early Thursday.

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

The holdup was attempted by five males traveling in two cars, police said. 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" in 2000, "The Reason" in 2001 and last year's "The B. Coming" -- each hit the top five on the Billboard album chart.