By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices
T.I. and BET Awards just don't seem to mix well -- at all.
The platinum-selling hip-hop superstar finds himself in the midst of legal trouble on the heels of starring in 'American Gangster' -- the Ridley Scott-helmed epic drama headlined by Academy Award winners Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe and Cuba Gooding, Jr. -- and an expected sweep of the BET Hip-Hop Awards, which were scheduled to take place tonight at Atlanta.
Earlier today, federal authorities were executing a search warrant on the Atlanta home of the 'Big Things Poppin' rap star.
Special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives spent most of Saturday afternoon at the College Park residence about 15 miles southwest of the city, reported the Associated Press.
ATF spokesman Special Agent Marc S. Jackson would not say who the owner of the home is, but a search of property records listed the owner as Clifford Harris, which is T.I.'s born name.
According to TMZ.com, T.I. was arrested this afternoon on multiple weapons charges after they say he had a bodyguard try to buy machine guns and silencers for him. (Read the complete state from the Department of Justice here.)
Sydney Margetson, Vice President of Publicity for Atlantic Records, offered "no comment," when reached by The BV Newswire today.
The irony here is that T.I. (who is up for nine awards for the show that is expected to air on Oct. 17) was embroiled in another sordid drama -- in relation to the 2007 BET Awards in Los Angeles in June. As widely reported, the 'A.T.L.' star and Ludacris' crony Chaka Zulu broke out in fisticuffs during the "Make It Happen Power Brunch" at Hollywood's Sunset Towers Hotel.
This was during a week of star-studded festivities celebrating the awards show which boasts about celebrating "Black Star Power."
T.I., also a celebrity for Chevy automobiles, publicly apologized for his role in the melee during the live broadcast of the show.
A week later, he was #1 on the Billboard charts with his newest album, 'T.I. vs. TIP,' which sold close to half a million copies in its first week of release.
'American Gangster,' in which he stars as an ambitious relative of reputed Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, opens Nov. 2.
Comments: (369)
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By: SEAN on 7/05/2008 2:20PM
WHAT A WASTE. ALL THAT MONEY AND NO BRAINS.
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By: charlie bellaire on 12/20/2009 6:57PM
im tierd of every one puting the rappers down they hed a hard life im looking to become a raper my self i look up to thows like ti snoop an mashal mathers so u cant take the hood out an when u get famous u shouldnt leave the people that helped u get out i say to every one that put down rappers go in an try to be in there shoes when growing up
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By: Andre on 10/13/2007 11:32PM
I thought we were "lucky" he was only doing rap....!
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By: Eve on 10/14/2007 9:10AM
you think!, you can take the thug out of the street but you can`t take the street out of the thug.rappers r not invinceable, the rich white get away with this stuff, not a thug. white rich america is targeting all the rappers. they don`t want them as neighbors, guess who their neighbors r? judges, politicians (rich ones)wake up.
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By: K2007 on 10/14/2007 10:02AM
Another black thug. For some reason, I'm not suprised. His FREEDOM, LIFE, and CAREER are SO over.
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By: Herb C. on 10/14/2007 10:27AM
All aspiring rappers pay attention!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See the signs ... ie.... I knew the FEDS would be waching T.I. the moment I heard him say "Wild as the TALIBAN 9 in my right 45 in my other hand. I admit the hook was catchy but come on T.I. ....... don't forget the war on terror was in its early stages right after 9/11. Once you said that...... your name was added to "THE LIST" same as my man 'Pac. Although Pac name was already on "THE LIST" do to his mother being one of the founding members of the great and almighty "Black Panther Movement" ......it really wasn't until 'Pac uttered the following words that I really believed 'Pac was pushed to the top of "THE LIST" and marked for death at the top of his game.
Peep: THESE WORDS ARE A PRELUDE FROM PAC'S MASTERPIECE CALLED "REVOLUTION" ......
PAC: You know what gang violence is, mostly
and the people dont want you to hear this
somebody shoots your family member
so of course you retaliate, You know what i mean
Same thing the U.S does except nobody even shot their family members you know, they see that, somebody bomb a school and all these people get killed
so the United States feel like ooh!!! thats messed up
we gotta go show 'em who tha real killers is
this country was built on gangs, you know
I think this country still is run on gangs
republicans, democrats, the police department, the FBI
the CIA, those are gangs, you know what I mean
the correctional officers,
I had a correctional officer tell me straight,
we the biggest gang in New York state
straight up! (POWERFUL)
My name is Herb C. and I keep my game and my mind in the best type of condition to avoid being missing!
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By: MB on 10/14/2007 11:20AM
I am so sick of SOME of these black men carrying on with their criminal ways once they have left the "hood". It just shows that they never leave that crap behind even once they get money. Silencers? Who the heck was he trying to "silence"? I can't stand dumb a** so-called men. To think these people have children who will imitate their behavior. It never ends. These rappers are so unappealing to me.
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By: MIss Jay on 10/14/2007 11:50AM
Here we go again. I am so sick of these stupid ass people with money making stupid choices. TI stays in trouble. When are they going to grow up and leave that "ghetto mentality" and use their music and fame to influence POSITIVE things in our youth especially "African American Boys" Snoop Dogg, TI...they all have children and what do they tell their kids. Lead by example not by the roots of your environment.
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By: AHMAD on 10/18/2007 11:29PM
our S.K.I.N. IS THE SIN
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By: voluptuous 31 woman on 10/14/2007 4:51PM
Keep your head up T.I. I'm keeping you in my prayers. Here is my problem with all of the previous comments, instead of everyone talking about how bad they think he is they should be praying for the young man.
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