Nelly arrested after drugs found on tour bus

The US rapper was pulled over for not displaying a legal traffic sticker

Rapper Nelly will appear in court on drugs charges in June (Getty Images)

Rapper Nelly has been arrested after police found drugs on his private tour bus.

The 40-year-old, real name Cornell Iral Haynes Jr, was stopped by Tennessee Highway Patrol on Saturday morning because the vehicle lacked the legally-required US Department of Transportation sticker.

Officers soon noticed a smell of marijuana and shortly afterwards discovered a small amount of the drug, along with five rocks that tested positive for meth and some drug paraphernalia. They also found a number of handguns.

Nelly is now facing charges of felony possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has been released on bail from Putnam County Jail and will next appear in court on 19 June.

Scott Rosenblum, Nelly’s lawyer, is “extremely confident that when the facts come out, Nelly will not be associated with the contraband that was allegedly discovered”, CNN reports.

The “Ride Wit Me” singer became the first US artist to perform in the 8,000-year-old city of Ebril, Kurdistan last month when he took part in a benefit concert to raise money for victims of Isis and other recent conflicts.

His famous “Hot in Herre” lyric “so take off all your clothes” reportedly had to be changed in order for him to appear.