The charge carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison, although Macomb CountyProsecutor Carl Marlinga said earlier that he would seek no more than six months “because hehas no record and there was no serious injury.”

As part of his probation, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Antonio Viviano ordered theGrammy-winner to undergo counseling and submit to drug testing.

He will be allowed to travel within the continental United States for work. “In this case, the weapon was not loaded and there was no direct danger to human life,” Vivianosaid in accepting a pre-sentencing report that recommended the rapper receive no more than threemonths in jail.

In February, Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, pleaded guilty to thecharge as part of an agreement with Macomb County assistant prosecutor David Portuesi, whodropped a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon in return.

Viviano took the plea under advisement, which meant Eminem could have changed his mindafter hearing what sentence he would receive.

Eminem, of Macomb County’s Clinton Township outside Detroit, was charged following a June4 confrontation outside a Warren nightclub. Police say Eminem struck a man he says he sawkissing his estranged wife, Kim.

“The judge treated me fair, like any other human being,” the rapper said after the sentencing. “I just want to get it behind me and get to spending time with my little girl and making music.”

Eminem also faces charges in Oakland County that he illegally possessed and brandished aconcealed weapon during a confrontation with Douglas Dail, an associate of Insane Clown Posse, a Detroit-based rap group, in nearby Royal Oak. That occurred hours before his Warren arrest and has notyet been resolved.

“Mr. Mathers is a self-made man. He has overcome many obstacles,” his attorney, WallyPiszczatowski, told the judge before he handed down the sentence. “He has the ability toovercome this problem as a minor setback.”

Piszczatowski said Eminem has been cooperative throughout the legal process.

“I’ve talked with Mr. Mathers for the past 10 months … and he’s asked me to tell the court hedoes not take this matter lightly. He’s very concerned about how this case might impact hisdaughter.”

At the advice of his attorneys, Eminem made no statement in court. He stood silent between hislawyers, wearing a dark suit and tie.

At least 20 fans, mostly teen-age girls, waited at the courthouse to get a glimpse of the celebritydefendant.

Sharon Stempleski, 29, of Warren, said she took her 15-year-old daughter Stephanie out ofschool for the court appearance.

“My daughter and her friends are big fans of him, and they don’t do drugs or drink. They relateto him in a lot of ways,” Stempleski said. “We know a different side of him, and he’s not like themedia made him out to be.”

The rapper, also known as “Slim Shady,” is no stranger to the legal world. Mathers and his wife filed for divorce and worked out a deal in March that gives Eminem their$450,000 Clinton Township home and wife, Kim Mathers, $475,000 in cash to purchase one forherself.

The agreement also gives the couple joint legal and physical custody of their 5-year-olddaughter, Hailie Jade.

Kim Mathers also sued Eminem for $10 million, claiming that the lyrics of his song “Kim”harmed her by describing “horrific domestic violence” against her. The two reached a settlementin that case.

Eminem’s mother, Debbie Mathers-Briggs, earlier sued the rapper for $10 million and for $1million, claiming he defamed her in songs and interviews.

And Eminem’s grandmother, Betty Kresin, hired a Sterling Heights lawyer in 1999 to warn therap star not to use recordings of his dead uncle’s voice in his music.

Eminem claimed three Grammy awards in February – for best rap album, rap solo performanceand rap performance by a duo or group – but his The Marshall Mathers LP was beaten out inthe album of the year category. The violent themes in his work have drawn bitter criticism fromfeminists and gay rights advocates. He has said he plays characters in his songs and that theirover-the-top brutality is a satire on people he has known.