From CNN:
The saying goes, “Out of sight, but out of mind…”
But when rap star T.I. disappears from the hip-hop scene to complete his one-year, one-day sentence in federal prison, several music experts say, that won’t be the case.
The self-proclaimed “King of the South” will be sticking around, thanks to the success of his most recent album — the double-platinum, Grammy-nominated “Paper Trail,” released last September — his community service efforts and a reality show on MTV that has resonated with fans, they say.
“I think that if anything, it will gain him more fans and actually support his fan base, because he’s talked about making a mistake,” said Emil Wilbekin, editor in chief of Giant Magazine, which focuses on urban music and lifestyle and featured T.I. on its November 2008 cover. “He’s talked about taking care of the error of his ways.”
T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, was sentenced to prison in federal court in Atlanta, Georgia, last week on weapons charges. He will be taken into custody no earlier than May 19.
In addition to serving prison time, the court asked T.I., 28, to pay a $100,300 fine on weapons charges related to purchasing machine guns and silencers.
“I would like to say thank you to some and apologize to others,” Harris said at his sentencing Friday. “In my life, I have been placed in the worst-case scenario and had to make the best of it.”
Though he had been in legal trouble before, Harris’ current situation began when he was arrested just hours before he was to perform at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.
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