T.I. has disappointed a lot of people with his recent arrest, especially the man who had heart to hearts with him about turning his life around.
Ambassador Andrew Young took T.I. under his wing following his federal arrest for gun possession last year. He became a mentor to the rapper and also officiated T.I.’s South Beach wedding back in July.
When news of the Tip’s arrest reached him, Young, the former mayor of Atlanta, spoke out and said that it “hurts his heart” to hear that Tip could be involved in trouble yet again.
?He not only has a successful marriage going for him and some wonderful children but his new movie is a big hit.? Young told the AJC.
T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., and his new wife, Tameka Cottle, were arrested Wednesday night in West Hollywood when T.I.? made an illegal U-turn.? A Los Angeles deputy said he smelled marijuana coming from inside his luxury Maybach automobile and a search yielded drugs, reportedly methamphetamines and ecstasy.
?There?s another culture in L.A. that I don?t understand,? Young said. ?Most people in Los Angeles would wonder why he was stopped ?? I don?t know why they should have been stopped … When a black man is stopped and not speeding ? you call that driving while black.?
Young also notes the similarities between T.I.’s life and the role he plays in his just-released movie, “Takers.”
?I didn?t particularly like him doing the movie,? Young said, explaining that the message was wrong. ?Part of my hope was he would have a cultural shift as well as a personal shift.”
I developed a great deal of respect for his intelligence and his sensitivity for his children and his family,? Young said. ?He wanted to do right but he had grown up in an environment where it was hard to define right according to American middle class values. We never talked about drugs. We talked about violence and we talked about guns. We talked about family and we talked about community.?
T.I. and Tiny have since been released from jail and Tiny even it up Twitter to thank fans for supporting them during this trying time:
The arrest is weighing heavily on the hearts of fans. Especially those who looked up to T.I. as a changed man.
Being that Tip is currently on probation, it’s being reported that he’s headed back to Atlanta now to face a federal judge who may send him to jail.
“T.I. is going to be back on his way to Atlanta in the next 24 hours,” Don Samuel, one of T.I.’s lawyers, said Thursday. “It’s almost certain he’ll end up appearing before the court here. But without knowing all the facts, it’s premature to speculate what the court is likely to do.”
According to the AJC, the terms of T.I.’s probation say he cannot possess or use any narcotic or controlled substance or frequent places where drugs are “illegally sold, used, distributed or administered.” He also cannot associate with anyone engaged in criminal activity, the terms of his sentence dictate.
Atlanta lawyer Tim Saviello, a former federal defender, said T.I.’s probation officer has two choices. First, he can ask T.I. to agree to modify the terms of his probation by requiring him to take drug counseling, such as attending Narcotics Anonymous classes. He may also be required to take more frequent drug tests. Pannell would have to sign off on such an arrangement.
This is what typically happens in a run-of-the-mill case in which a probationer tests positive for drugs or is found to possess a small quantity of marijuana, Saviello said. “But this is not your run-of-the-mill case,” he added.
The probation officer also has the option of filing a notice to revoke some or all of T.I.’s probation, which expires in 2013. This will require a court hearing, with Pannell deciding on whether to send the rapper to prison.
The big question is… Will Tiny take the fall for her man? All we’re hearing is T.I. this and T.I. that, but Tiny is also involved in the situation. If it’s determined that the “unidentified” pills are actually ecstasy… who’s gonna take the blame?