Source: www.gettyimages.com

Tampa Bay, if you were recently in a Barbershop, and the conversation came up "What Ever Happened to Lil Flip???" Well here is your answer!!!! The Houston rapper plead not guilty to charges that he was caught speeding in a car while in possession of weed and an illegally owned AR-15 assault rifle. 

TMZ reports:

We broke the story ... Flip was pulled over for speeding on Xmas in Louisiana ... and was placed under arrest when police claim they found weed in his car ... along with an AR-15 rifle.

Following his arrest, Flip was charged with possession of a firearm, possession of a schedule 1 narcotic (weed), and speeding. He pled not guilty yesterday to all three counts.

No surprise ... Flip had previously told us he planned to fight the charges -- insisting his rifle is 100% legal. He even showed us his concealed handgun license to prove it. As for the alleged blunts ... Flip says they were Black & Mild cigars ... NOT filled with weed.

A pre-trial date has been set for April.

As previously reported, on Dec. 26, Flip was allegedly caught going 86 mph in a 75 mph zone. The "Game Over" rapper was behind the wheel of a 2010 Dodge Challenger while his passenger was a man named Olanza Sanders, who was charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.