May 29, 2009
T.I. began a 366 day sentence in an Arkansas federal prison Tuesday on a weapons conviction.
As a goodbye, the 28-year-old rapper performed a concert at Philips Arena in Atlanta Sunday to a packed audience of about 16,000 people. The teen rapper, Soulja Boy performed with him.
T.I. told the crowd, “I’m going to stand up tall; head up high. Thank you for all of your support.”
He arrived late on Tuesday at the Forrest City low-security prison passing by fans and reporters. Spokesperson for the prison Traci Billingsley said to the Associated Press that the prison does not have special protections planned for T.I.
T.I. was arrested in 2007 while trying to purchase unregistered machine guns and silencers from undercover federal agents. He claims that he was seeking to protect himself from people who tried to kill him in 2006 at a party in Cincinnati, OH. His best friend was shot and killed at that party by bullets T.I. claims were for him.
The rapper reached a plea deal with prosecutors after he spent time under house arrest and spoke at high schools and community groups about violence, guns and drugs. His community service was conveniently taped for the MTV show “T.I.’s Road to Redemption.” In addition to the jail time, he will have a fine of $100,000 and three years of probation. Before the plea bargain, he was facing up to 10 years in prison and $750,000 for his three-count indictment.
T.I.’s legal name is Clifford J. Harris, Jr. His latest album Paper Trail has sold approximately 2 million copies and has spawned two U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number one hit songs: “Whatever You Like” and the Rihanna collaboration “Live Your Life.” Paper Trail is being re-released with a new song with Mary J. Blige: "Remember Me."
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