Rapper T.I. Arrested Before Awards Show

Date: Sunday, October 14, 2007
By: Errin Haines, Associated Press


ATLANTA (AP) Grammy-winning rapper T.I. was arrested Saturday - just hours before he was to perform at the BET Hip-Hop Awards - in a parking lot where federal officials said he planned to pick up machine guns and silencers his bodyguard bought for him.

T.I., born Clifford Harris, is charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Harris was in federal custody, said U.S. attorney's office spokesman Patrick Crosby, who would not disclose his location.

Sydney Margetson, a spokesman for T.I.'s label, Atlantic Records, declined to comment Saturday evening.

The arrest resulted from an investigation that began this month. A federal firearms dealer told the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that a man was inquiring about buying a machine gun without registering the weapon as required, according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.

After trying to buy several machine guns from an undercover ATF agent, the unnamed person began cooperating with the government and said he was buying the machine guns and silencers for Harris, the complaint said. The bodyguard said that he had bought about nine firearms for Harris, and that the rapper had given him cash to buy guns four times, the complaint said.

Harris brokered the deals through the bodyguard because the rapper is a convicted felon, the complaint alleged. It is against federal law for a convicted felon to have another person get firearms on their behalf.

The 27-year-old rapper arranged to meet with the bodyguard Saturday to exchange cash for weapons, the complaint said. After his arrest in the shopping center parking lot not far from the awards show, agents found three firearms in the vehicle he was driving, including a loaded firearm between the driver's seat and center console, according to the complaint.

As the awards were being taped in Atlanta on Saturday night, federal authorities were still searching T.I.'s home in East Point, about 15 miles southwest of the city.

Agents found six guns in a closet, including three allegedly bought by the bodyguard for the rapper last month, according to the complaint. Five were loaded, agents said.

T.I. had been expected to perform at the BET show, which is to be broadcast Wednesday, and was nominated in nine categories. Instead, the rapper was noticeably absent from red carpet festivities before the show began at 6 p.m.

The co-chief executive of Grand Hustle Records won three awards at last year's inaugural BET Hip-Hop Awards and received nine nominations this year, including CD of the Year, Lyricist of the Year and MVP of the Year. His sixth album, "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," was released July 3 and debuted at No. 1.

T.I. won two Grammys in 2006, including best rap/sung collaboration for "My Love" with Justin Timberlake. He also hit the big screen in "ATL" that year, and he has a role opposite Academy Award winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in "American Gangster," set for release Nov. 2.

T.I. grew up in Atlanta and was selling crack by the time he was a teenager. In 2004, warrants were issued for his arrest on probation violations for a drug conviction, and he was sentenced to three years behind bars. It wasn't clear Saturday how much of the sentence he actually served.

---

Associated Press writers Jason Bronis in East Point and Jonathan Landrum Jr. in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Someone I know has a huge crush on TI... and has no earthly idea on God's green earth why....

erm... he was set up


"FREE TI"

Someone needs to send him a copy of Cosby and Poussaint's new book.

I think TI and Tiny (Xscape) are an Item.

Here's a little more of the story ... and a MUCH better picture than the one they provided before!



Rapper T.I. in custody until Friday



ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- After his weekend arrest on gun charges, rapper T.I. will remain in custody until a bond hearing Friday, a federal magistrate said Monday.

The entertainer, whose real name is Clifford Harris, was arrested Saturday just hours before he was scheduled to perform at the BET Hip Hop Awards.

The small court room of Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman was packed with family, supporters and media, but even more people, including the rapper's mother, were turned away because of the overcrowding.

Harris, 27, was arrested in a federal sting after his bodyguard-turned-informant delivered three machine guns and two silencers to the hip-hop star, according to a Justice Department statement. VideoWatch a search of the rapper's home »

He was held in federal custody over the weekend.

Authorities said that Harris provided the bodyguard $12,000 to buy the weapons, which Harris is not allowed to own because he is a convicted felon.

Court documents said Harris was convicted on felony drug charges in 1998, and a federal affidavit said he has been arrested on gun charges in the past.

However, one of his attorneys, Dwight Thomas, said he was not aware Harris was a convicted felon and that "a number of people" live in Harris' suburban Atlanta home. Thomas added there were "two sides to every story -- sometimes three" and he was confident the legal system would work in Harris' favor.

The entertainer was taken into custody about 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Atlanta, where the BET award show was taped.

Harris, the show's top nominee, was up for nine awards, including CD of the year and lyricist of the year. He also was scheduled to perform, along with fellow rap stars Common, Nelly and Kanye West. Harris won two awards.

The show went on without the self-proclaimed "King of the South," whose car and home in the Atlanta suburb of College Park were searched after his arrest.

Authorities said they found three more firearms in the car in which Harris drove to pick up the machine guns and silencers, "including one loaded gun tucked between the driver's seat where Harris had been sitting and the center console."

At his home, authorities found six other guns, five of them loaded, in his bedroom closet.

"Machine guns pose a serious danger to the community, which is why they are so carefully regulated," said David Nahmias, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

"The last place machine guns should be is in the hands of a convicted felon, who cannot legally possess any kind of firearm. This convicted felon allegedly was trying to add several machine guns to an already large and entirely illegal arsenal of guns."

The sting came after Harris' bodyguard was arrested purchasing the machine guns and silencers from an undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Wednesday, according to the Justice Department statement.

The bodyguard then agreed to cooperate with the ATF, the statement said.

The guns were not registered on the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by law. The bodyguard -- who has worked for Harris since July -- told authorities he had bought about nine guns for the rap star in the past, the statement said.

On Wednesday, authorities said, Harris arranged for the bodyguard to pick up $12,000 in cash from a bank to buy the guns. After his arrest, the bodyguard made phone calls to Harris, which authorities recorded, the statement said.

Harris was supposed to meet the bodyguard in a shopping center parking lot in midtown Atlanta to pick up the guns. Authorities arrested Harris there without incident, the Justice Department statement said.

Court documents in the case show Harris was convicted on felony drug charges in Cobb County, Georgia, in 1998 and sentenced to seven years' probation.

"Harris has additional arrests and at least one probation violation for unlawfully possessing firearms," according to an affidavit.

Harris' music is built around the drug culture and is known as "trap musik," the name of Harris' second album. A "trap" is Southern slang for a drug house.

Harris soon will appear in the movie "American Gangster," starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. The film is set to open November 2.

That picture is just...

*sigh*

Wow! And his career is blastin' too. When will the rappers LEARN? Massa is WATCHING you. Now, when white boy gets in trouble like this he is off to some rehab/behavior adjustment spa....our kids...well we all make mistakes. And this is ONE huge for him... But mass media makes it out as if our "kids" [cuz he is a kid[based on his behavior]...he's just 27] are these latent CRIMINALS waiting to exhale. "Jus give them little n&ggers some money...and watch them buy all drugs and guns." But when white boy buy a gun it's part of his collection. And I know we are taking about machine guns. But who makes these guns? Massa! Who sells these guns around the world? Massa! So when one of the little n&ggers get a hold to one of their GUNS...then it's an all state's bulletin. I'm not putting T.I. off the hook....cuz I don't know what actually HAPPENED...however, homeboy knew better if he did that...but Massa I don't trust him no further than 1/2 of 1/2 of a millimeter. Cuz it always MORE to the story than what he [massa] allows the public to know. So it's a wait and see kinda thang.

Wow! Tiny certainly has changed. I almost didn't recognize her.

Gun Love in America Is Strong as Ever

By Paul Harris, The Observer UK

Posted on October 16, 2007, Printed on October 16, 2007
http://www.alternet.org/story/65194/

Shirley Katz is not afraid to fight for her rights. Last week the schoolteacher, 44, went to court in her home town of Medford, Oregon, to protest at her working conditions. Specifically she is outraged she cannot carry a handgun into class. 'I know it is my right to carry that gun,' she said.

Katz was in court in the week that someone else took a gun to school in America. This time it was a pupil in Cleveland, Ohio. Asa Coon, 14, walked the corridors of his school, a gun in each hand, shooting two teachers and two students. Then he killed himself. Coon's attempted massacre made headlines. But a more bloody rampage, the murder of six young partygoers by Tyler Peterson, a policeman in Crandon, Wisconsin, got less attention, even in the New York Times -- America's newspaper of record -- which buried it deep inside the paper.

Guns, and the violence their possessors inflict, have never been more prevalent in America. Gun crime has risen steeply over the past three years. Despite the fact groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) consistently claim they are being victimised, there have probably never been so many guns or gun-owners in America -- although no one can be sure, as no one keeps a reliable account. One federal study estimated there were 215 million guns, with about half of all US households owning one. Such a staggering number makes America's gun culture thoroughly mainstream.

An average of almost eight people aged under 19 are shot dead in America every day. In 2005 there were more than 14,000 gun murders in the US -- with 400 of the victims children. There are 16,000 suicides by firearm and 650 fatal accidents in an average year. Since the killing of John F Kennedy in 1963, more Americans have died by American gunfire than perished on foreign battlefields in the whole of the 20th century.

Studies show that having a gun at home makes it six times more likely that an abused woman will be murdered. A gun in a US home is 22 times more likely to be used in an accidental shooting, a murder or a suicide than in self-defence against an attack. Yet despite those figures US gun culture is not retreating. It is growing. Take Katz's case in Oregon. She brought her cause to court under a state law that gives licensed gun-owners the right to bring a firearm to work: her school is her workplace. Such a debate would have been unthinkable a few decades ago. Now it is the battleground. 'Who would have thought a few years ago, we would even be having this conversation? But this won't stop here,' said Professor Brian Anse Patrick of the University of Toledo in Ohio. Needless to say, last week the judge sided with Katz and she won the first round of her case.

It is a nation awash with guns, from the suburbs to the inner cities and from the Midwest's farms to Manhattan's mansions. Gun-owning groups have been so successful in their cause that it no longer even seems strange to many Americans that Katz should want to go into an English class armed. 'They have made what was once unthinkable thinkable,' said Patrick, a liberal academic. He should know. He owns a gun himself. Even the US critics of gun culture are armed.

To look at the photographs in Kyle Cassidy's book Armed America is to glimpse a surreal world. Or at least it seems that way to many non-Americans. Cassidy spent two years taking portrait shots of gun owners and their weapons across the US.

The result is a disturbing tableau of happy families, often with pets and toddlers, posing with pistols, assault rifles and the sort of heavy machine-guns usually associated with a warzone. 'By the end I had seen so many guns and I knew so much about guns that it no longer seemed unusual,' Cassidy said. He keeps his in a gun safe in his home in Philadelphia. 'This turned into a project not about guns but about a diverse group of people,' he said.

At the cutting edge of weapon culture remains the gun lobby and its most vocal advocate, the NRA. Founded in the 19th century by ex-Civil War army officers dismayed at their troops' lack of marksmanship, the NRA has transformed into the most effective lobbying group in Washington DC. It has scores of lobbyists, millions of dollars in funds and more than three million members. It is highly organised and its huge membership is highly motivated and activist. They can have a huge influence on politics.

In 2000 Vice-President Al Gore supported stricter background checks for gun-buyers and the NRA organised against him, describing the election as the most important since the Civil War. It spent $20m against Gore in an election ending in a razor's edge result. Its influence was especially felt in Gore's home state of Tennessee, which he narrowly lost to NRA gloating. 'Their vote can select the President. They don't get to pick who goes to the White House. But they can tip the balance,' said Patrick.

Democrats have learnt that lesson now. Many shy away from gun control issues, wary of taking on such a vociferous lobby group. In the 2006 mid-term elections the NRA was able to back a historically high 58 Democrats running for office. Every one of them went on to win. Such influence over the past three decades has seen the NRA fight a successful campaign against new gun laws. It has in fact loosened regulations, spreading the ability to legally carry concealed weapons across 39 states. And this has all been done in the face of a fight from anti-gun groups, backed by much of the mainstream media. 'Politicians are so afraid of the gun lobby. They run scared of it,' said Joan Burbick, author of the book Gun Show Nation

But the key question is not about the number of guns in America; it is about why people are armed. For many gun-owners, and a few sociologists, the reason lies in America's past. The frontier society, they say, was populated by gun-wielding settlers who used weapons to feed their families and ward off hostile bandits and Indians. America was thus born with a gun in its hand. Unfortunately much of this history is simply myth. The vast majority of settlers were farmers, not fighters. The task of killing Indians was left to the military and -- most effectively -- European diseases. Guns in colonial times were much rarer than often thought, not least because they were so expensive that few settlers could afford them. Indeed one study of early gun homicides showed that a musket was as likely to be used as club to beat someone to death as actually fired.

But many Americans believe the myth. The role of the gun is now enshrined in mass popular culture and has huge patriotic significance. Hence the fact that gun ownership is still a constitutional right, in case America is ever invaded and needs to form a popular militia (as hard as that event might be to imagine). It also explains why guns are so prevalent in Hollywood. Currently playing in US cinemas is the Jodie Foster film The Brave One, a classic vigilante movie of the wronged woman turning to the power of the pistol to murder the criminals who killed her boyfriend. Foster's character is played as undeniably heroic. 'There is a fascination with guns in our culture. All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun,' said Cassidy.

But this worship of the gun in many ways springs from economics and social problems, not the historic frontier. It took mass production and mass marketing to really popularise firearms. The Civil War saw mass arms manufacturing explode in America, including making 200,000 Colt .44 pistols alone. It saw guns become familiar and cheaper for millions of Americans. The later 19th century saw gun companies using marketing techniques to sell their weapons, often invoking invented frontier imagery to do so. That carries on today. There are more than 2,000 gun shows each year, selling hundreds of thousands of guns. It is big business and business needs to sell more and more guns to keep itself profitable. 'They will do anything to sell guns,' said Burbick.

But there are deeper issues at work too. The gun lobby's main argument is that guns protect their owners. They deter criminals and attackers whom -- the gun lobby points out helpfully -- are often armed themselves. Some surveys estimate there are more than two million 'defensive' uses of firearms each year. But others say that this argument is a shield, using guns as a way of deflecting harder arguments about how crime is caused by economics, poverty and racism. 'The argument over guns redefines a lot of social issues as simple aspects of crime,' said Burbick. She argues that a way to make Americans feel safer from crime is not to arm them with guns but to tackle the causes of crime: urban poverty, joblessness, drug addiction and racial divisions. 'We have to take back the language of human security. To talk about solving those social issues in terms of safety, not just letting the gun lobby control that language,' she said.

It is a powerful argument. Critics of America's gun culture often point to other nations with high levels of gun ownership -- such as Canada and Switzerland -- but much lower levels of violent crime. The fact is that America itself is equally divided. Patrick lives in a quiet, rural part of Michigan just across the state line from Ohio and the town of Toledo where he works. 'I would be amazed if anyone within four miles of me did not have a gun,' he said 'But our homicide rate is zero.'

Then look at where Cassidy lives. He has an apartment in Philadelphia, a city that is just as flooded with guns as Patrick's rural idyll, but also suffers from inner-city social ills. It has a stratospheric murder rate. 'There is a murder here every day. This is something that America has to come to terms with,' he said. Yet the differences do not lie with the simple existence of guns. Both places are full of them. They lie with the root causes of crime and violence, such as poverty and drugs, that blight many big cities. Guns seem neither to be totally the problem and certainly not the solution.

However, that is a debate few in America are having. In the meantime, the gun culture is so firmly entrenched and society so full of guns that there is little prospect of it retreating. Even those who advocate much tighter laws have long accepted defeat of the ideal of creating a society where guns are rare in public life, or even completely absent. 'That notion is absurd. There is no way to de-gun America,' said Patrick.

To cap a grim week, as Katz was winning her court battle in Oregon police in Pennsylvania were giving details of a raid on the home of a teenager who was plotting to attack a school. They found seven home-made grenades and an assault rifle. His mother had bought it for him at a gun show. The boy was just 14.

© 2007 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/65194/

His name is Clifford???


T.I. Biography:

Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born on September 25, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American rapper, actor, and philanthropist. He is best known by his stage name T.I., and also goes by The King of the South, T.I.P., and Rubber Band Man due to his former association as a dope-boy, and T.I.P., his alter ego.

T.I. is from the streets of Westside Bankhead Zone 1. His original stage name, T.I.P., stems from his childhood nickname "Tip". Due to his southern drawl, fans mistook his name for "Chip", so he began spelling it out "T.I.P". Upon signing with Arista Records subsidiary LaFace Records in 2001, he shortened his name to T.I. out of respect for label mate Q-Tip. He is also known to go by "Rubberband Man" and the self-proclaimed "King Of The South" (which has created several cases of controversy between other southern rappers).

T.I. has five children. Their names are Messiah YaMajesty Harris, Domani Uriah Harris, Deyjah Harris, and King Harris.The fifth child is his girlfriend Tiny's daughter named Zonnique Jailee Pullins. He claims her as his own but not biologically.

He is the leader of a rap group known as P$C (Pimp Squad Clique). His debut album I'm Serious was released through Arista Records in 2001, which spawned the single of the same title which featured reggae vocalist Beenie Man. His debut album included Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes (who named him the Jay-Z of the south), Jazze Pha and Youngbloodz. However, the album did not sell very well, and he was dropped from the label. Undaunted, he formed Grand Hustle Records and released several mixtapes with the assistance of DJ Drama, which created an underground buzz. He resurfaced in the summer of 2003 on Bonecrusher's song "Neva Scared". He parlayed this attention towards the release of his second album, Trap Muzik. It was more of a success than his debut album because of the singles "24s", "Be Easy", "Rubber Band Man", and "Let's Get Away". The success of the album was followed by some controversy: while on tour, T.I. was charged with violating his probation over a 2003 drug charge, and turned himself in. He was sentenced to three years in prison. While there he was granted rights to film the music video for his introduction at WHTA/Hot 107.9's Birthday bash.

After his second CD Trap Muzik sold over 900,000 copies in the U.S., T.I. released Urban Legend in late 2004. Urban Legend instantly generated crossover success with the hit single "Bring 'Em Out". He used a sample from Jay-Z's "What More Can I Say" from The Black Album to create the hook, and featured production from Ruff Ryders's producer Swizz Beatz. The album featured Trick Daddy, Nelly, Lil Jon, B.G., Mannie Fresh of the Big Tymers, Daz Dillinger, Lil' Wayne, Pharrell of the Neptunes, P$C and Lil' Kim. The album debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200. At the beginning of 2005, T.I. enjoyed success alongside Lil' Wayne on the Destiny's Child song "Soldier", which proved to be a worldwide smash hit.

His latest album, King debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on April 4, 2006, selling over 520,000 copies in its first week.

Over the years, T.I. has also continued to expand his business portfolio. In 2005 he launched his own film production company called Grand Hustle Films, signed a multi-artist joint venture deal for his label with Atlantic Records, and established a music publishing deal for Grand Hustle Music with Warner Chappell. He also co-executive produced the soundtrack to the film Hustle & Flow and released the collection through Grand Hustle/Atlantic. He also did the same for the debut album of his group P$C, 25 To Life. He has also starred in the film ATL.

On television, T.I. was seen on MTV's Diary and Punk'd after being tricked by Ashton Kutcher on his way to his own concert held at Fresno, California.

On a recent MTV interview, T.I. has stated that in early 2007, after the sequel to his movie ATL hits theatres, his next studio album, T.I. vs. T.I.P., will quickly hit afterwards. T.I. will also be making appearances on upcoming albums by Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, and Young Dro. [1]

T.I. had the number 1 video on B.E.T. on August 5th, 2006.

In 2004, T.I. received an early release from incarceration, and returned to music with some disparaging words for rival rappers Lil' Flip and Ludacris. T.I. had overheard people claiming that Lil Flip had disrespected him at a show he did in Atlanta and he felt obliged to respond. He freestyled over Jay Z's 99 problems (lil flip aint one) and Ray Cash's "Pussy Ass Niggas" with UGK rapper Bun B. Flip responded with numerous freestyles, and released an underground album where most of the tracks were devoted to dissing T.I. and others.

T.I. also called out Ludacris over an old disagreement their crews had with one another. Ludacris made a music video in which a person in a shirt that resembeled that of a Trap Muzik shirt was seen being beaten, and, whether the resemblance was intentional or not, the feud between T.I. and Ludacris progressed. T.I. later recorded a song with G-Unit rapper Young Buck originally featuring Lil Jon. T.I.'s verse seemed like a diss to Ludacris and Young Buck did not want to be apart of it. Young Buck told Ludacris about this and Ludacris decided to get on the same song and diss T.I.

T.I.'s verse was omitted from the original track listing and replaced with The Game. According to website [2], T.I. was on a Houston radio station talking about the situation between himself and Lil' Flip. They since have discontinued this feud after a closed door meeting between the two.

However, on T.I.'s album King, there are several tracks which have been disputed by the hip hop community to be shots at Lil Flip ("What You Know","You know Who" and "Im talkin to you"). However in an interview with a popular online hip hop website on March 24, 2006, T.I. was quoted as saying he and Lil Flip have no beef. This is somewhat contradictory to the events that occurred during Young Dro's video "Shoulder Lean". As Young Dro delivers the line "Lucky Charm Diamonds man, but nah, it ain't Flip(Lil Flip)". T.I. is seen making a laughing gesture towards the video camera.

In June of 2006 rapper Ludacris released a track titled "War With God", which disputedly seems to be starting a second round of feuding between the two Atlanta native rappers. In the song "War With God" Ludacris begins by stating "I'ma take the subtle approach first, I'm just getting started". He continues with lines such as: "You ain't did three(mil)"..."Call yourself whatever you want, except the multi-million man"..."Disrespecting those doing time with real criminals", and ends by challenging him to make a diss record. There has yet to be any response from either side about the track. Ludacris recently stated that he was not dissing T.I and that he was insulting himself.

Tennessee recording artist Justin Brown A.K.A. Steady B (rapper) and T.I. also released a track dissing Lil' Flip once again. Both freestyled over Yung Joc's It's Goin' Down (lil flip goin' down). Rival artist Lil' Flip retaliated with a track titled "Real Niggaz" stating that Brown and T.I. were phony. Flip apparently sqaushed the beef at a closed-door meeting held in Atlanta. As for now the two beefing sides are cool.

In the early hours of May 3, 2006, T.I. and his entourage were involved in a gunfight after leaving a concert after-party at the Club Ritz, a Nightclub in Cincinnati, Ohio that has a history of problems with the law. Four members of T.I.'s entourage were shot in the altercation. T.I.'s personal assistant Philant Johnson was killed and Janice Gillespie was seriously wounded by the gunfire. It is believed that the altercation began at the Ritz when members of T.I.'s entourage began throwing money from the stage into the crowd, angering male audience members.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the feud began at the city's Club Ritz during an after-party for the Atlanta rapper and his protege Young Dro -- who performed earlier that evening at the club Bogart's -- and moved outside, where shots were fired into two vans transporting T.I.'s crew just after three o'clock.

"[The money] was supposed to be for the ladies," one witness said. "But it was hitting guys in the face, and they were like, 'We got money, so why are you throwing money at us?'"

When the situation grew tense, T.I. reportedly told his group to head out. A witness outside told the Enquirer that one shot -- believed to be unrelated to the ensuing gun battle -- was fired in the parking lot and at least four people followed the vans in a large vehicle.

T.I. has stepped up his community involvement as well, taking the lead on several initiatives to help the victims devastated by Hurricane Katrina, including personally donating $50,000 to the relief effort while leading an on-air Labor Day pledge drive on Atlanta's V-103 FM that raised over $263,000 for Mississippi rapper David Banner's "Heal the Hood" Foundation. He also partnered with David Banner and Atlanta newcomer Young Jeezy for a two-day food and clothing drive at Atlanta's Club Vision and co-headlined a massive benefit concert on September 17, sharing the bill with heavyweights such as Nelly, OutKast's Big Boi, and David Banner - with 100 percent of the proceeds going to "Heal the Hood."

In addition to his Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, T.I. worked with troubled youths at Paulding Detention Center in Atlanta, provided scholarships for single parent families at Boys and Girls Clubs, and headlined Boost Mobile's RockCorps concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall, which featured such performers as Fat Joe, Slim Thug, and Kanye West, and was held exclusively for community service volunteers. In June 2005, The Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Foundation, named for the deceased member of multi-platinum female group TLC, and Atlanta's V-103 honored T.I. with the 2005 Lisa Lopes Award for groundbreaking achievements in music and community service which was court ordered. With this steady list of growing accomplishments T.I. is being recognized as the "Jay-Z of the South." according to Pharrell Williams of multi-platinum production team The Neptunes.

Originally posted by Khalliqa:

quote:

In June 2005, The Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Foundation, named for the deceased member of multi-platinum female group TLC, and Atlanta's V-103 honored T.I. with the 2005 Lisa Lopes Award for groundbreaking achievements in music and community service which was court ordered. With this steady list of growing accomplishments T.I. is being recognized as the "Jay-Z of the South." according to Pharrell Williams of multi-platinum production team The Neptunes.

What was the purpose of saying COURT-ORDERED? As if to say he was FORCED to do community service for his people? That's what I get out of that statment. When judges appoint community service to MASSA's children...the media conveniently gloss over the word COURT-ORDERED..why come?

quote:

However, one of his attorneys, Dwight Thomas, said he was not aware Harris was a convicted felon and that "a number of people" live in Harris' suburban Atlanta home. Thomas added there were "two sides to every story -- sometimes three" and he was confident the legal system would work in Harris' favor.

I would think that a change in Attorneys might be in order especially since his conviction on felony drug charges were a matter of court records.

And after the whole Mike Vick issue with friends and family in his house doing wrong, the notion of not being held responsible for what goes on in your house should be understood loud and clear by all, its not an excuse at least according to the police. Plus, didn't they find a gun in the car he drove to the meet.

At this point, I don't know what to say. The year 2007 seems to be challenging this young generation for one reason or another.

First of all, what was T.I. doing buying machine guns (and silencers) of all things to buy? You're a convicted felon, why are buying guns at all? I just don't understand why brothers allow themselves to get hemmed up like this. It's mind-boggling. That's why I am weary of those artists that rap about how large and how many guns they have in their possession. Some of them are bringing their lyrics to life, and they are attracting unwanted attention to themselves. It's not a good look and they should definitely wise up.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rowe,

T.I. pleads guilty to weapons charges

March 27, 2008, 6:48 pm PDT
Associated Press


ATLANTA - Rapper T.I. pleaded guilty Thursday to federal weapons possession charges, and will receive a sentence that includes prison time after he completes a period of community service.

In the year that he is awaiting sentencing, T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, must complete at least 1,000 hours of a total 1,500 hours of community service, talking to youth groups about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs.

He will be sentenced to serve about 12 months in prison after completing the community service, officials said. His prison time could be increased or reduced, depending on his fulfillment of the terms of the deal and good behavior, they said.

Harris, 27, who was dressed in a gray business suit, told the judge he understands the terms of the agreement.

He pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, unlawful possession of machine guns and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

Harris is one of pop music's most successful artists. His sixth album, "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," was released July 3, debuting at No. 1. He appeared in the 2007 film "American Gangster," which starred Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.

U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said Harris will remain "under strict bond conditions" during the next year.

He said Harris' sentencing was deferred "to allow him to perform a unique and extensive program — at least 1,000 hours — of community service. That service will focus on using his high public visibility and his talents to tell at-risk young people about the mistakes he has made and to educate them about the dangers of violence, guns, gangs and drugs."

Nahmias said under the agreement, Harris will have to serve a year in prison and three years of supervised home detention, perform a total of 1,500 hours of community service and pay a $100,000 fine.

Failure to fulfill his obligations will net Harris a "much longer prison sentence," Nahmias said.

Harris spoke to the media briefly after the hearing.

"I'd like to thank God for blessing me with a second chance in life and success," he said, adding that he takes the charges against him very seriously.

"I'm looking forward to turning this negative time in my life into a positive," he said. "I know I have a long road of redemption to travel."

He was arrested Oct. 13, just blocks away and hours before he was to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.

Harris was charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.

He was allegedly trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. He initially pleaded not guilty, and has been under house arrest since he was released on $3 million bond on Oct. 26.

U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. must approve the deal.

Harris, who is co-CEO of Grand Hustle Records, grew up in Atlanta. His first taste of success came with his 2003 album, "Trap Muzik." In 2004, warrants were issued for his arrest on probation violations for a drug conviction, and he was sentenced to three years behind bars.

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Associated Press Writer Harry R. Weber contributed to this story.