Jail, new album in Beans’ future?

Rapper Beanie Sigel has a busy second half of 2011 in his future, with sentencing in November scheduled yesterday after pleading guilty to failing to file income taxes for three years and negotiations under way for releasing his fifth album.

Sigel, 37, whose real name is Dwight Grant, admitted in U.S. District Court that between 2003 and 2005 he did not file returns for what the government says is in excess of $450,000 on more than $1 million in income.

Uncertainty remains over possible jail time since Sigel’s lawyer, Fortunato Perri, Jr., said he will challenge the loss amount provided by federal prosecutors prior to sentencing. It also remains up in the air as to when his new album will be released, at least publicly, as he works on details with some big names, including DJ Green Lantern. A message left last night for Sigel’s manager was not immediately returned.

One of the producers on his upcoming album, Shawn “SK” Kuiper, said Sigel has been working hard in the studio the last two years, describing the rapper as “a cool dude” and “a family man.”

“This is gonna be some of the best stuff Beans has done,” said Kuiper, who runs a local recording studio called Rec Room Recording. “People think he’s sitting there sleeping and not doing anything, but he’s been coming harder than ever.”