T.I.
has never been one to bite his tongue, and not even charges from the
federal government could change that. The Atlanta rapper recently broke his
silence, courtesy of a video taped message posted on the internet
stating that he believes he’ll be cleared of all charges against him.
“It’s
a very trying time right now, but I want to let everybody know that I
plead not guilty, and I gotta stress my innocence, you know, to everyone
out there who’s listening! And I look forward to being exonerated on
all charges. And I say that with the utmost sincerity. I can’t stress
that enough to ya, ya dig?”
he said while clad in a robe and stocking cap from his Georgia home.
Tip, born
Clifford Harris was arrested October 13—hours before he was to perform at the
BET Hip Hop Awards—for allegedly trying to buy guns from an undercover
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms officer in the parking lot of a Walgreens store.
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In
spite of the publicity around the case, the rapper cautioned fans and
other viewers of the video not to believe everything they see on screen
or in print.
“I
just wanna tell everybody man, don’t even believe every thing you see on
the news, don’t believe every thing you read in the papers,”
he said, looking straight into the camera.
On house arrest pending the outcome of the case,
T.I. has been hard at work, penning songs for a new CD, tentatively titled
Paper Trail. According to an MTV report, the name of the album stems from
T.I. writing his rhymes on paper for this album. Like Jay-Z and other rappers,
Tip has gone through much of his career without writing his raps on paper.
Shout outs were given to all the attorneys working on the case,
Atlantic Records—who helped post T.I.’s bond—, the
Grand Hustle family and one other, unexpected individual received praise.
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“And
thank you to the judge for even allowing me the privilege of being on
house arrest and being here instead of, you know, the clear
alternative,”
he said, alluding to prison. “The king ain’t dead!” he exclaimed towards the end of the tape.
If convicted,
T.I. faces up to 10 years in prison. No trial date has been set.
