Yup... you heard it, and unfortunately I am NOT making this up.
T.I. (a.k.a Clifford Harris Jr.) was busted by undercover cops outside a downtown Atlanta store for attempting to buy machine guns and silencers. Did I mention this went down just FOUR HOURS before the
BET award show T.I. was scheduled to attend and potentially receive NINE AWARDS?? Granted this run down with the cops took place last year but the fun has only begun for T.I: he now has to serve ONE YEAR in prison. Granted this isn't that long for someone who calls himself a "thug" and a "gangsta" but still... one year when you have the
Billboard #2 and #3 song is quite the ruthless punishment. Can they even do this to him??
CNN conducted a great interview with Clifford Harris Jr. that is an epitome of journalism genius. Check out excepts from the interview transcript below, courtesy of
CNN.com:
CNN: When I first heard about the charges, I said, "You have got to be kidding. WHY?"
T.I.: Well, in order to fully understand the answer to that question, you will have to put yourself in my shoes. You know how many attempts have been made against my life? There are people out there that would rather kill you than to tell you "Good luck" or "I am happy for you." So until you understand that, you wouldn't understand my train of thought.
Not to say it was right. It's just my best explanation.
CNN: What scares you?
T.I.: Federal court dates. (Laughs)
CNN: Are you scared about going to jail for a year?
T.I.: I wouldn't describe it as fear. I would describe it more as concerned. Concerned, and I am a little anxious. Sooner I get started, sooner I get finished.
CNN: What do you think is the biggest misconception is about you?
T.I.: The biggest misconception is that I am a hotheaded thug. Ignorant, cold-hearted, just another ignorant rapper who had a chance at success and has done nothing but horrible things with it. Nothing can be further from the truth.
CNN: You can't vote because you're a convicted felon.
T.I.: As far as I know, that is the case.
CNN: How much does that hurt? Is there a candidate you want to support?
T.I.: Well, man, it isn't necessarily about a candidate that I want to support. I feel like I owe that to my kids, my little cousins, everybody in the generation under me, to try to make this world a better place, this nation a better place. I am not going to focus on what I can't do. I am going to focus on what I CAN do.
CNN: How many kids do you have now?
T.I.: Six.
CNN: Six?! How many kids do you want?
T.I.: I'll have as many as the Lord blesses me with. So be it, as long as I have enough money to take care of them. I don't ever want to have kids who don't know their brothers and sisters. I want them all to grow up together, knowing each other, living together. I don't ever want to have some secret children.
CNN: That's very Bob Marley of you.
T.I.: (Laughs)
CNN: Do you think there's been a price to pay for your success?
T.I.: Absolutely. Absolutely. There has definitely been a price to pay. So far, it has cost me my best friend [T.I.'s 26-year-old personal assistant, Philant Johnson, was killed in a freeway shooting after a 2006 concert in Cincinnati], it has cost me time in jail, it has cost me time away from my family. I have missed four birthdays, two first days of school, four football games and a few more other things. Important outings that I would have liked to be home for.
But I mean -- I'm not going to complain about it, you know what I'm saying? I prayed for this for so long, and now I got it, you know? So I am going to maintain my position.
End
Ok, so I have a few comments (as usual, I know):
First of all, NO ONE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU, T.I. Yes, you are a fantastic rapper with clever beats and thuggish lyrics BUT you are no
Tupac or
Biggie.... sorry. Now they, on the other hand, did have people out to kill them and it just so happened it was the other one... (and
Suge Knight and
LAPD... now they had a reason to carry a machine gun...)
Secondly, if I were you, I would take those federal court dates you're scared of more seriously because there is a slightly good chance you will only serve like a day in prison like all the other celebrities. I would also be a little more scared of you mom and your career.... oh wait, being a "thug" this will help your career. Must be nice.
Thirdly, there is no "as far as I know..." when it comes to you voting status. You can't vote, get over it, stop committing felonies. Also, would you have really voted anyway? It seems difficult to do whatever you like when you have to get up and vote on Nov. 4.
Fourthly, why do you have six kids???? I mean, seriously, why? And I have to ask, how many mothers do these six kids have? After all, you are not married.
And finally, to the CNN interviewer... please go back to journalism school. Your comments are bizarre and way to friendly and normal for a celebrity as high class as T.I. Plus, there were more important questions to ask such as, how long do you lawyers tell you you will actually spend in prison, how well is your prison cell furnished, who will you pop bottles with in prison, and exactly what is a "paper chaser?" These answers we may never know... or at least not for another year.
