Nelly: No Jail Time On Drug Charges

Nelly just caught a HUGE break in court Friday, and now he's one step closer to clearing his name ... IF he stays on the straight and narrow.

The rapper was in a Tennessee court for charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. His lawyer argued his clean record qualified him for a pretrial diversion, and the judge agreed. If Nelly stays out of trouble for a year, the charges will be wiped from his record.

TMZ reported the incident back in April ... cops pulled over his tour bus and busted Nelly for possession of pot and MDMA, but his lawyer later vowed it was not Nelly's MDMA.