TI goes to jail
2009-05-25 12:00
Atlanta - Rapper TI gave his fans a rousing send-off before he heads to prison on a federal weapons conviction.
The Grammy-winning rapper told the audience at a concert on Sunday
night in Atlanta's Philips Arena that he would stay optimistic while
serving his sentence for a year and a day.
"I'm going to stand up tall, head up high," he said. "Thank you for all of your support."
Many in the packed crowd of about 16 000 people held up encouraging signs, like one reading "TI We Will Miss U!".
The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford J Harris jnr, must
report by noon on Tuesday to the Federal Correction Institution at
Forrest City, Arkansas.
Learned from his mistakes
He was arrested after prosecutors said he tried to buy
unregistered machine guns and silencers from undercover federal agents
in 2007.
During the concert, TI said he hoped that everyone learned from his
mistakes. He brought his five children on stage to stand next to him,
often holding one of them while he performed No Matter What - a single off the almost double-platinum album Paper Trail.
TI, who won a Grammy for Swagga Like Us, also performed all his hits from What You Know to his recent chart-topping singles What Ever You Like. Teenage rapper Soulja Boy also joined him on stage.
"What I need y'all to do is pray for me while I'm gone," he said. "I'll see y'all in 366 days."
- AP