T.I. Discusses His Recent Ordeal Tonight On BET
In his first televised interview since a plea bargain on weapon charges, multi-platinum recording artist and actor T.I., a.k.a. Clifford Harris, Jr., speaks exclusively to BET News in the half-hour special T.I. SPEAKS, premiering Wednesday, May 7 at 7:30 PM*. He directly answers the tough questions from host Toure and at-risk youth about his life and future after being sentenced to a year in prison. In a compelling moment, he explains why someone who seems to have everything — money, power and fame — would risk it all.
More on the story below…
On October 13, 2007, T.I. was set to perform at BET’s second annual HIP HOP AWARDS in Atlanta, but he never made it to the stage. Just hours before the show, the Grammy Award winner and budding actor was taken into custody by federal authorities who alleged that he gave his bodyguard cash to buy firearms. Never bashful in his lyrics about his days of drug dealing and guns, this arrest was just another line in the 27-year old Atlanta native’s already long rap sheet.
While not making excuses for his poor decisions, the rapper discusses his best friend’s murder in 2006 and explains how being a celebrity has its drawbacks and “ignites a certain paranoia.” He says, “Every one knew me and I knew no one … you can’t tell if a person is a fan or not until the (car) window winds down.” With a new baby on the way, a forthcoming marriage, a new album and the one-year jail sentence awaiting him, T.I. details how this entire ordeal has changed his life. Claiming a new understanding for life and its meaning, T.I. delivers a strong message about decision-making to a group of at-risk students and reveals his thoughts about going back to jail and his career’s future. He says, “I must be a man and stand up and accept responsibility. I exercised extremely poor judgment, and for that, I must be willing to pay whatever price that comes before me.”
16 Comments so far
Dude is accepting responsibility for his actions and trying to stop kids from making the same decisions. I aint got nothing but respect for TI. Much success homie, hope it all goes well for you.
#1.. Well said! Keep doing your thing Tip
He doin thangs for the kids but he still a snitch and we’ll fnd out sooner or later.
#3, real talk.
I commend TI for his efforts, but for someone who has constantly reference the code of the streets, I wonder how he’s going to explain that federal deal.
I guess the only positive for the high black incarceration rate is that you have madd niggas that know about the prison system politics.
#4 He got a deal because
1.he is a celebrity and it would do more good to society to help the community by teaching kids and teenagers who look up to him rather than locking up another one of there role models (IT might not be fair but its called paying a debt to society and this is how hes doin it)
2.He has a child on the way and he also has a number of other children. they usually cut people who commit unviolent crimes a deal if they have children on the way and a steady girlfriend, fiancee, wife.
So stop saying people snitched because they can afford a real lawyer and is worth more to society than a drug dealer who does nothing for the community and has very little to offer society.
The moral of the story is get yo shit together and be somebody thats worth something to your community and maybe you can get off with community service bargain.
Cosign ejm205
These guys watch a sseason of “the Wire” and all of a sudden think they know the legal system front and back…who’d he snitch on?..Shawty Lo?…This guy prolly hasnt been in the streets like that for YEARS to be able to snitch on anybody worth a shit but his friends
# 5&6 i agree.
i’ll be watching…
Cosign #5 and #6. Stop and saying this nigga snitched. Until we all hear this niggaz snitched on someone, and it becomes evident and a true fact Shut Da Fuck Up Already! Damn niggaz be gettin gassed by The Wire n shit. This real life homie. T.I.P. got hella money and he’s one smart individual. He got a deal. So What! Dont be mad cuase you got a homie or family member that didnt get off as easy. Thats called hatin! In Reality theres many things you can do to pay your debt to society after committing a crime such as this one.
but, #5,6,7,8
Mike Vick and Weasly Snipes are celebrities too.
Explain that.
#9 Wesley Snipes didnt pay his taxes twice. He got a second chance. Government dont play about taxes
Mike Vick got basically the same deal you must have forgot T.I WILL have to serve a year in prison starting next year.
LOL i definitely don’t agree with number 5 about the whole he got a deal because he has a baby on the way…please. Wesley Snipes has more than one child with an Asian or Caucasion woman so tell me whats the difference there? Same Shit. The thing is T.I. really told some information in order to get his sentenced reduced. Plus, I also feel the judge had poor judgment. He’s one of those judges that sentences an innocent a man for 25 years when the culprit goes free. If Wesley had gotten extradicted in ATL, maybe he would have gotten free? who knows, judges are more lenient in different states, places like New York, Texas, and Florida are not lenient at all.
Bottom line is T.I. snitched. T.I. got arrested in September, from then till now, he always consisted he was innocent and he made it seem like he was ready to go to trial if it came to that point but then the prosecution obviously made sure he was not going to come out for a long time if he was found guilty. T.I. is a 7 time felon, and he wasn’t caught with a handgun like Prodigy in a car…homie was caught trying to obtain more weapons with silencers and rifles that were already in his possession in a finger printed access safe in his home. You’re telling me, that T.I. deserved a year?! get out of here. The man has kids from toddlers to 11 years old living with him.
The whole speaking to the youth is absurb to me. If T.I. wasn’t caught, would he be doing this now? I’m not saying he was someone that wouldn’t do it, but would he be doing this now at this point in time? This generation absolutely hates hypocrites. Its not like the 60s and 70s where parents did all sorts drugs and wild things and they were able to hide it from their kids while trying to teach them to do the right thing. No, kids these days are not THAT naive. They know whats going on. So for T.I. to talk to kids about doing the right thing will only seem hypocritical to them because T.I. is still a rapper right? hes not going on the path of Gospel, hes still going to be rapping about things kids in the hood want to aspire TO DO or TO BE. Once he leaves that room, all the speeches will be dismissed and at least one kid will go out and try to purchase a hand gun.
I don’t want to say I’m 100 percent sure that T.I. snitched but you NUMBER 5 CAN’T absolutely say that he didn’t. Most guys in his position with the record that he has would snitch anyway. But stop frontin and acting like he some OG Al Capone nigga that just “happened” to get off. T.I. is a punk ass nigga from the Bankhead projects who happened to trap an RnB singer name Tiny from XSCAPE who helped him become a rapper.
I don’t want to say I’m 100 percent sure that T.I. snitched but you NUMBER 5 CAN’T absolutely say that he didn’t. Most guys in his position with the record that he has would snitch anyway. But stop frontin and acting like he some OG Al Capone nigga that just “happened” to get off. T.I. is a punk ass nigga from the Bankhead projects who happened to trap an RnB singer name Tiny from XSCAPE who helped him become a rapper.
The whole speaking to the youth is absurb to me. If T.I. wasn’t caught, would he be doing this now? I’m not saying he was someone that wouldn’t do it, but would he be doing this now at this point in time? This generation absolutely hates hypocrites. Its not like the 60s and 70s where parents did all sorts drugs and wild things and they were able to hide it from their kids while trying to teach them to do the right thing. No, kids these days are not THAT naive. They know whats going on. So for T.I. to talk to kids about doing the right thing will only seem hypocritical to them because T.I. is still a rapper right? hes not going on the path of Gospel, hes still going to be rapping about things kids in the hood want to aspire TO DO or TO BE. Once he leaves that room, all the speeches will be dismissed and at least one kid will go out and try to purchase a hand gun.
Bottom line is T.I. snitched. T.I. got arrested in September, from then till now, he always consisted he was innocent and he made it seem like he was ready to go to trial if it came to that point but then the prosecution obviously made sure he was not going to come out for a long time if he was found guilty. T.I. is a 7 time felon, and he wasn’t caught with a handgun like Prodigy in a car…homie was caught trying to obtain more weapons with silencers and rifles that were already in his possession in a finger printed access safe in his home. You’re telling me, that T.I. deserved a year?! get out of here. The man has kids from toddlers to 11 years old living with him.
LOL i definitely don’t agree with number 5 about the whole he got a deal because he has a baby on the way…please. Wesley Snipes has more than one child with an Asian or Caucasion woman so tell me whats the difference there? Same Shit. The thing is T.I. really told some information in order to get his sentenced reduced. Plus, I also feel the judge had poor judgment. He’s one of those judges that sentences an innocent a man for 25 years when the culprit goes free. If Wesley had gotten extradicted in ATL, maybe he would have gotten free? who knows, judges are more lenient in different states, places like New York, Texas, and Florida are not lenient at all.
#12 I feel ya We Dont Know if he told or not but yea my aunt is a lawyer at a very big firm in Birmingham, AL. And she told me if a defendant has a child on the way the Judge will sometimes depending on the crime either delay his prison time or reduce the time so he can raise his child.
The reason you get less time for copping a plea deal before trial is because you save the government millions of dollars. So they tell you if you just say you did it and not put us through all this will cut you less time.
All Im saying is just because someone gets less time doesnt automatically mean there an informant or gave up information.
plus everytime someone does “snitch” there are documents that are available to the public.
And to answer your question “If TI wasnt caught would he be talking to the youth” No probally not thats why its his punishment its his community service time he has to serve. Thats him repaying his debt to society. I mean would most of the people in prison be making license plates if they werent caught?
And RealTalkNy I believe it comes on tommorow night not tonight
ummm…KING if you was quoting me, thank you even if you forgot to put the quotation marks and basically not putting it in its original order.
TI snitched. 2 brothers were arrested in his friend’s murder from ‘06 today. Bottom line, TI did snitch, and the state will herald it privately as saving another couple of murders.