Lil Wayne needs stitches after skateboarding accident

Lil Wayne was released from prison last November after a weapons charge

Lil Wayne needed stitches after hitting his head at a skateboard park.

The rapper was in St Louis, Missouri, ahead of a performance at the city's outdoor Verizon Amphitheatre when the accident happened.

Speaking on his Twitter account, the star said: "The Lou was good but I busted my head at the sk8park! 9stitches! Gnarly gash over my eye!

"Thx to u all for the concern but pls know that I will eventually take even harder falls if I wanna get better."

The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, has also revealed when his new album will be available.

The Carter IV will be released digitally after Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, at which Lil Wayne will perform.

The album, which features collaborations with Drake, Cory Gunz, Rick Ross and Busta Rhymes, is out on 29 August.

His last album, The Carter III, was the best-selling US album of 2008 and won a Grammy for best rap album.

In 2010, he served time in a New York jail after pleading guilty to a weapons charge.