Grand opening… grand closing.

Clifford “T.I.” Harris’ first day of September started off with a bang, as he was released early from serving his 11 month prison sentence for federal parole violation but it ended just as dramatically when he found himself right back in the hands of the law.

When I first heard the sad news that the Feds had took Tip away again, my first thought was that the reality show & book deals somehow violated the terms of his probation, but apparently it was his mode of transportation.

Tip’s attorney, Steve Sadow, revealed to the Associated Press that the Federal Bureau of Prisons “has moved T.I. to a different facility” because of an issue involving the rapper’s 375-mile trip Wednesday from the Arkansas lockup to Atlanta in a gleaming motor coach.

The same bus that Grand Hustle General Manager Hannah Kang tweeted about days ago…

“There appears to be confusion surrounding the method of transportation,” Sadow said.

Sadow didn’t elaborate on the exact nature of the problem federal authorities had, but said it was not drug-related. He said they are trying to resolve the problem.

Tip has been transported away from the halfway house where he was dropped off earlier this morning and Federal authorities would not disclose his destination.

Traci Billingsley, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, told the AP that she couldn’t comment on the rapper’s status or his immediate whereabouts.

I guess renting that luxury tour bus wasn’t such a great idea after all.

So Tip is back in custody…  now what?

[Sidebar: Released and picked up in less than 24 hours? That’s got to be some sort of new world record… ]

(source)

*Update 9/2/11 8:40am ~  As suspected, it wasn’t merely the luxury bus that thwarted Tip’s freedom, apparently it was what happened ON the bus.

According to SandraRose:

…an industry veteran reached out to Sandrarose.com and asked, “Does it make sense that VH1 put out a press release about a reality show before T.I. was even back in Atlanta?” No, it didn’t make any sense. Apparently, it didn’t make sense to the feds either.

According to a well-connected source within the legal community in Atlanta, the feds “had no idea” that T.I. was the subject of a reality show.

As you know, just hours prior to his release the word hit the net that Tip’s reality show was filming and while camera’s were reportedly NOT ALLOWED in the halfway house, they were said to be on board that luxury tour bus along with T.I. and his Grand Hustle entourage.

“Cameras were rolling from the minute T.I. was released from an Arkansas prison Wednesday, capturing his journey from AR to the Dismas Charities halfway house in Atlanta.” [MORE]

As T.I. awaits his fate in Atlanta’s federal penitentiary, he may be forced to serve the remainder of his sentence back in Arkansas. 

Stay tuned…