The artist formerly known as C-Murder can be seen but not heard.

That's the decision handed down by a Louisiana judge, who rejected a petition by the rapper and his publicist on Monday asking the court's permission to give interviews to hype his latest album, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

State District Judge Martha Sassone said she nixed the request out of sensitivity to the family of the teenage boy the rapper, whose name is Corey Miller, is accused of killing on Jan. 12, 2002, outside a now shuttered nightclub in the suburban town of Harvey. 

However, Sassone did agree to allow Miller to be photographed for the yet-to-be-titled CD on the condition that the pictures be taken at the 35-year-old hip-hopster's residence in Kenner, where he's currently under house arrest on a second-degree murder charge.

"I guess the music will have to speak for itself," Sassone said upon making her decision, per the Times-Picayune. "Capitol Records will have to find another way to advertise it."

As for the pics, Sassone ruled that the photographer's name must be submitted to her before the shoot and Miller's attorney, Ron Rakosky, must be present.

"I don't have a problem with the photographs," the judge said, as long as the images are snapped inside Miller's home.

The emcee was convicted by a jury in September 2003 of gunning down 16-year-old Steve Thomas outside the Platinum nightclub, and received an automatic life sentence. However, in April 2004, Sassone tossed the conviction and ordered a new trial after ruling that prosecutors in the original case withheld key information about the criminal histories of witnesses called to implicate Miller. 

He was released from jail on $500,000 bail but confined to his abode until the new trial, now scheduled for Feb. 26, gets underway.

To help soften his image during the case, the performer, who's the sibling of rappers Silkk the Shocker and Master P and the uncle of Romeo, changed his stage name from C-Murder to C-Miller.

Rakosky filed the interview request with the judge on Monday, arguing that the entertainer needed to publicize the new disc to generate income to support his three children, raise money to pay for his legal defense and help rebuild his grandmother's New Orleans home, which sustained heavy flood damage from Hurricane Katrina.   

"All that has a substantial cost," the attorney told Sassone, noting that restricting such promotions would deny his client the "ability to make funds."

Prosecutors weren't so accommodating, though.

Assistant District Attorney Roger Jordan pointed out that granting such a request would be "improper," given the emotional toll the case has already taken on the victim's family and the community. Jordan also noted it was hypocritical for Miller's camp to want to promote the performer at the same time it was asking the judge to consider a change in venue for the trial on the grounds that negative publicity could prejudice the jury pool.  

That reasoning ultimately carried the day.

"There'll be no interviews, no music videos," Sassone ruled.

Sassone's decision was apparently influenced by Miller's track record. While jailed in 2005, the rapper got into hot water after managing to sneak a film crew into lockup to shoot part of a music video.

Aside from barring the promotional interviews, the judge ordered both parties to adhere to a gag order in the case. In a separate ruling, Sassone also approved a request by Miller's attorney relaxing his home confinement to allow him to play with his kids in the backyard.