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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: Tawaina Gardner on 10/18/2007 10:27AM
All I have to say, is where are the body guards that turned on T.I. going to leave now? They can't very well stay in the man's house; now can they?
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By: satch on 10/18/2007 5:24PM
i,m not trying to be poor and in the ghetto.i grew up there.everybody with two brain cells moved out.some of you complian about cosby, oprah jesse al,etc. when they are dead and gone young blacks might wish they had folks like them still
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By: raveqqq on 10/19/2007 6:55AM
Beautiful day for all
http://www.spymac.com/details/?2285281
http://www.spymac.com/details/?2284984
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By: Juanita on 10/19/2007 5:28PM
Bless all of you who have nothing more to do but make negative comments about others. You buy and listen to his music and the news about his life, which confirms that you too had some interest in the young man. None of you are in a position to judge another. Let those who have not sinned cast the first stone!
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By: On And On on 10/20/2007 4:56PM
146. I am an African American pastor and I must say that I am so tired of people like Arlonda who want to preface that she is a "women of God" but refuses to stand with a righteous judgement from the Word of God. While it is true that we have sinned and come short of the glory of God we must also remember that we will reap what we have sown. And that we must all give an account for the deeds done in our lives. Yes, we can pray all day for these thugs that refused to see that God has by His grace removed them from the ghetto into a place of wealth and influence. However, if they don't see a need to change their behavior we are praying in vain. As a people of God we need to understand accountability and responsibility for our own actions. We can point the finger all day long at the government, and I am not saying that many people have not been falsely accused and that the system is unbalanced. I am saying that we cannot discount the fact that we do have so many black young lazy, trifling, ignorant, arrogant, disrespectful, disconnected, loud, rude, and disregarding young black people. We have lost any sense of decency. Our own community has turned on any black person who calls our social ills on the carpet and made them the enemy. We don't want to face truth. We are own own worst enemy. Our black youth don't kill whites, they kill other blacks. They don't go into white affluent neighborhoods and break into homes, they go into their own neighborhoods and rob their own people. They don't hang in front of white stores, they litter up black stores. When do we tell the truth about our people. We hate when a white person says anything about our culture, yet we are unwilling to say anything. What we do is promote the ignorance and covering and making excuses. Well, why are you not in the streets thugging and killing? LIFE CHOICES!!!!! You made a choice not to live that kind of life regardless of your history!
Someone said TI has done so much for the community. Don't we understand it's called TAX BREAKS! PUBLIC RELATIONS so that these same ignorant people will keep supporting my lifestyle from their meager earnings. They will take pamper money to get the new CD from TI, won't pay a light bill, to go to a rapper's concert and them come to the church looking for a handout!
TI and the rest of these pitiful, arrogant hood rats need to grow up and realize life is choice driven. Clean your life up. And the only people who buy who keep supporting these rappers who refuse to live a life of influence in the market place are those who have no real social or cultural reality. Stop covering for ignorance! Stop making excuses for this disgrace to our community. Stop and think about it. Yes these people are talented but we cannot keep over looking every week we hear about this stupid and foul behavior. SO as a women of God you should know that even Jesus did not excuse Peter's thug behavior when he cut off that soilders ear. Women of God, stand for righteousness!
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...and let the Church say Amen!
BTW: Convicted felons LOSE their Second Amendment rights (the 'right to bear arms') under Federal law. Felons aren't even allowed to have a personal gun collection. If many of you T.I. stans would even bother to read a book, you'd already know this.
Sadly, T.I. is finished.
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By: Millie on 10/23/2007 1:22PM
To # 22 (Romy) We need to pray for everyone TI and the people that may have become victims of these weapons. And as an elderly woman I believe that TI is innocent, I also believe that the community needs to stop blaming rappers for what happens in their community and unite to help parents, teachers and community leaders to make our streets safe for our children who are our future.
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By: Cee Cee on 10/23/2007 11:24PM
No body knows the real deal.The man could be totatly innocent...
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By: cindy on 11/10/2007 8:45AM
OMG, so attractive, i saw her blog on interracialsingleonline.com . the blog is sincere and attractive. every one needs something new,It's said most famous stars has tried to seek some hot girls for interracial relationship or joy. Maybe sometimes you need to make your life more crazy. LOL.
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By: CEO in training on 11/30/2007 12:16PM
People need to realize that everyone makes mistakes just because TI is famous doesnt make him unhuman I can only hope the system doesnt railroad him like so many before him but if so don't give up on life cuz in the end you will bounce back and come out stronger because of it cuz life then threw you many obstacles and you have overcome so let this be a lesson when life is good don't back track move forward cuz something good is always waiting round the corner holla
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