On Monday, Rapper Lil Wayne began serving a 12 month sentence for weapons possession at NY’s infamous Riker’s Island prison. With rumors of gang threats against his life weighing heavy on his mind, Wayne made the brave decision to mingle with the prison population rather than accept a cell on an isolaton ward.

Still, according to a Riker’s guard who spoke with blogger Combat Jack, Wayne has been receiving special treatment from Riker’s corrections officers, two of whom have already been written up for bending the prison’s rules for Weezy:

“…A couple of guards have been written up, only because they’ve acted like fans, having more personal interaction with Wayne than is procedure, prolly acting all star struck, which, once again, the system does it’s best to discourage… For the most part though, Wayne has been pretty quiet, staying mostly inside his jail cell. There doesn’t seem to be anyone, any faction trying to get at him in any harmful way, because he’s new and because he hasn’t violated any of the codes customary to inmate living the prison life. As I was told, it’s too early to determine how the rest of his experience will be, but so far, so good. It’s all in Lil Wayne’s hands.“

The guard also said the prison has been inundated with calls from Wayne’s camp questioning if the prison will force Wayne to cut his dreads. Prison officials say that as long as Wayne’s dreads are real (and he keeps them neat and clean) they won’t be chopped off. Hopefully, they’re real.

The NY prison system provides barbers and beauticians for the inmates to keep them looking presentable free of charge.

THIS IS WHAT WAYNE’S LIFE IS LIKE IN PRISON:

“Inmate Carter is in a category of housing that we call ‘general population/escort,’ ” a New York City Department of Corrections official tells PEOPLE. That means when he leaves the housing area (his cell or the day room), he will have a captain escorting him at all times. On an hourly basis, the rapper can decide if he wants to be locked in his cell or locked out of it – for security reasons, inmates are not allowed to freely move between their cell and the common areas.

The official shared the following details:

The Day Room

In this common area, which he shares with 19 other inmates, Lil Wayne can watch television, play cards, read the paper or just socialize. Since the day room is within the housing area, he does not have an escort here.

The Meals

Breakfast is served at 4:30 a.m. Since a number of inmates will be going to court on any given day, the morning starts early for Riker’s residents. Lunch is served at 11, dinner at 4:30 p.m.

The Clothes

Lil Wayne will wear the standard institutional clothing: Green work shirt and pants, slip-on style sneakers.

The Cell

His six-by-ten space features a steel cot connected to the wall, a mattress, a sheet, a blanket and a pillow. There’s a sink and toilet in the cell as well, plus his personal property which includes the standard cup, razor, toothbrush and soap assigned to each inmate.

Outside the Housing Area

With his escort, Lil Wayne can leave the housing area for attorney visits, regular visits (he’ll get two per week with up to three visitors), religious services or jail-offered programs such as one that helps inmates transition back into society. While some inmates have work assignments in and around the jail, he will not because, “then you’d have to send somebody off to escort him every day,” says the official.

Recreation

One hour per day. The rapper’s facility features outdoor basketball courts.

The Commissary

He can buy snacks and toiletries from his Commissary account, which friends and family can contribute to online. Reports that he’ll have an ipod are untrue, though he can purchase a battery-operated AM/FM radio and earphones to listen to music.