Rapper Nelly has said he needs to take more ''responsibility'' and be careful about who he surrounds himself with after drugs were discovered on his tour bus last week.

The 'Dilemma' hitmaker - who was stopped in Tennessee, United States, because of an improper Department of Transportation sticker - was arrested for drug possession after a small amount of marijuana, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and several guns were found on board on Saturday (11.04.15).

He now insists he will be more careful in choosing the people surrounding him after claiming the contraband could have belonged to any number of people who had made their way onto the vehicle before the search took place.

The 40-year-old star - who has been released on bail - told TMZ: ''I feel the need to take responsibility for my choices in needing to be more aware of all the people I associate with and allow onto my property.

''While my instinct of course, is to be accessible to my friends, fans and acquaintances, the last thing I would want to do is compromise the respect and admiration of my friends, family and fans.''

Nelly - whose real name is Cornell Haynes - is due to appear in court on June 19. In a statement, the rapper's lawyer stated: ''Nelly was one of several individuals that was on a tour bus that was stopped and searched while traveling through Tennessee. In fact, there had been 15-20 people that had access to the bus prior to the stop.

''Allegedly, a small quantity of contraband was discovered during the routine search. We are extremely confident that when the facts come out, Nelly will not be associated with the contraband that was allegedly discovered.'' According to authorities, a second passenger was also arrested.