Late Thursday afternoon Atlanta rapper-actor T.I. granted his first sit-down interview since the convicted felon was arrested for, and pled guilty to, three firearms charges last month.
T.I. has admitted he bought the machine guns and silencers, has 1,000-plus hours of community service to complete, and has been sentenced to an expected 366 days in prison in March 2009. And while the events of Oct. 13, 2007, were off limits, the 27-year-old born Clifford Harris Jr. talked openly about a number of things: from the son he’s expecting to the 24 hours before his life changed.
Here are excerpts from the 30-plus minute conversation the AJC had with him at the Villages at Carver YMCA, right after he spoke to a handful of aspiring teen producers at a FOR ME Inc. workshop:
Q. Who is T.I. — or Clifford Harris, Jr., now?
A. It’s hard to say because a lot of things are the same and a lot of things have changed. I still have a huge amount of passion for what I do. I still have a huge amount of passion for doing what I can for the community. I still have my foundation — remembering where I came from and principles that have been instilled in me. But at the same time I also have an acknowledgement of things that need to be left behind, let go. And also an acknowledgment that there has to be an about-face. A 180-degree turn, in order for us to continue on the path to success.
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