Federal probation office 'is in the process of determining what happened,' according to reports.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

T.I.
Photo: Moses Robinson/ Getty Images

With another album heading down the pike, a hit movie in theaters and a new bride on his arm, T.I.'s post-jail future was looking very bright. However, in the wake of his Wednesday night arrest for suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, the MC's lawyers said they are not sure whether the ATL rapper will head back to prison.

"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, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Thursday (September 2). "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."

Another member of T.I.'s legal team, Dwight Thomas, echoed Samuel's assertions and told The Associated Press that, "We don't have a full grasp of the facts, circumstances. We don't know the violation." Thomas added, "I will remain optimistic until this matter is favorably resolved."

"We're not making any observations at this time," said T.I.'s defense attorney Ed Garland. "This is an unfortunate occurrence, and we do not know what the outcome will be."

T.I. and his wife, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, were arrested Wednesday in Los Angeles after the Grammy-winning MC made an illegal U-turn. Officers searched the car and its passengers after smelling marijuana emanating from the vehicle. An unspecified number of pills "resembling ecstasy" were found and the couple were taken into custody. They were released early Thursday morning after posting ,000 bail each.

At press time, it was not clear whether the incident is a violation of T.I.'s (born Clifford Harris Jr.) three-year probation. The rapper has remained under supervised release after wrapping a prison stint for felony gun charges he picked up in 2007.

U.S. Attorney Sally Yates told the AP that officials were still reviewing the situation. "The probation office is in the process of determining what happened and will make a recommendation regarding Mr. Harris when they have all the facts," she said.

A former United Nations Ambassador and high-profile T.I. advocate, Andrew Young, expressed concern upon hearing of the rapper's latest brush with the law. "I assume that you're innocent until you're proven guilty," Young told the AP. "If he was driving and smoking marijuana, that is absolutely stupid. But why was he pulled over in the first place? Because he had a Maybach? Because he was black? Because they know who he is and resent his success?"

Young was one of many supporters present in Atlanta when T.I. was sentenced to one year and one day in 2009 for felony weapons charges. The length of the sentence was part of an exceptional plea deal that would have allowed the rapper the possibility to be released earlier for good behavior. T.I. ended up serving seven months before being transferred to a halfway house to ride out the remainder of his sentence. After entering the halfway house in December, Tip had his full-term release this past March.

The star is also obligated to complete approximately 400 hours of community service, meet with a probation officer regularly and obtain permission to travel. DNA testing, drug counseling and the agreement to submit to reasonable searches are also conditions of his probation.

• T.I. And Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle

• T.I.

Rapper and his wife were booked for felony alleged possession of a controlled substance Wednesday night.
By Gil Kaufman

T.I. and Tameka Cottle
Photo: Getty Images

Rapper T.I. and his wife Tameka "Tiny" Cottle were arrested in Los Angeles on Wednesday night for alleged possession of a controlled substance.

According to an arrest report on the incident from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, during the course of a traffic stop involving Tip (born Clifford Harris Jr.), 29, and Cottle, 36, on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood at 10:30 p.m., "deputies smelled a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle."

A narcotics investigation followed and both Tiny and T.I. were "found to be in possession of a controlled substance." At press time, there was no information on which drug the possession charge covered.

TMZ reported that the recently married couple were traveling in a Maybach when they were stopped by deputies.

Both T.I. and Tiny were booked at the West Hollywood sheriff's station on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance, and bail was set at ,000 each. Deputy Jeff Gordon confirmed on Thursday morning (September 2) that both had posted bail around 4 a.m. PT and were due back in court on the charges on September 3. A spokesperson for T.I.'s label could not be reached for comment early Thursday morning.

Tip, who celebrated the #1 debut of his film "Takers" last weekend, is on federal probation following a seven-month prison term he completed in March on weapons charges. At press time, Gordon said considering T.I. was allowed to post bail on the drug charge, it did not appear that the rapper's probation from the federal charge would be impacted by Wednesday night's arrest.

• T.I. And Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle

• T.I.

ATL rapper's spouse thanks supporters, as 50 Cent gives the couple his two cents on Twitter as well.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Tiny and T.I.
Photo: Eugene Gologursky/ Getty Images

After getting arrested with her husband, T.I., on Wednesday night for possession of a controlled substance, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle took to Twitter to thank fans for the e-support.

"Jus wanted 2say thank u 2every1 dats been leaving encouraging msgs & prayers!" Tiny tweeted on Thursday (September 2). "We love u guys:) going 2bed now! So glad 2b n a nice clean bed."

Tiny and her new hubby were picked up in Los Angeles after police stopped T.I. (born Clifford Harris Jr.) around 10:30 p.m. for making an illegal U-turn in his Maybach, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. When the officers approached the vehicle, they apparently smelled the scent of marijuana wafting from the car and then searched the passengers and the automobile. Police said they found an unspecified number of pills that "resembled ecstasy."

T.I. and Tiny were not traveling alone but the Sheriff's Department spokesperson said the other passengers in the car were not charged with a crime. The duo posted ,000 bail each and were released early Thursday morning. They are due in court on Friday (September 3).

Other celebs have weighed in on the alleged drug bust as well. 50 Cent suggested that Tiny take the fall for Tip, who was released from prison earlier this year after completing a jail bid stemming from weapons charges.

"Man TI and tiny done got picked up agin for methamphetmines and ecstacy dam man," 50 tweeted. "Tiny gotta take that charge. Say it was yours, Baby."

Frequent T.I. collaborator DJ Drama did not directly reference the arrests, but did tweet, "So I wake up to the news .... damn..."

The incident comes just days after T.I. kicked off the week with the #1 movie in the country, "Takers," a film he worked on as both a star and a producer. In addition, the ATL MC's latest single, "Pledge Allegiance to the Swag," surfaced on the Web on Wednesday.

• T.I. And Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle

• T.I.

Rapper and wife were pulled over after making an illegal U-turn on Sunset Boulevard on Wednesday night.
By Gil Kaufman

T.I.
Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

Details are beginning to emerge about the Los Angeles traffic stop that resulted in rapper T.I.'s and wife Tameka "Tiny" Cottle's arrests on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance Wednesday night.

According to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Tip (born Clifford Harris Jr.), 29, was pulled over by police when he made an illegal U-turn in his Maybach on Sunset Boulevard around 10:30 p.m. Once officers approached the car on the traffic violation, they reported smelling the odor of marijuana from inside the vehicle, which prompted a search of the car and its passengers.

Sheriff's Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida confirmed that police found a controlled substance in the vehicle described as an unspecified amount of pills that "resembled ecstasy." Police are currently testing the pills and Nishida said she could not confirm where the pills were found. She also confirmed that there were other passengers in the car who were not charged with any crimes.

TMZ has posted pictures of the black-and-gray vehicle T.I. was reportedly driving at the time that show tall white Styrofoam cups in the front and back cup holders. The site speculated that the cups could also point to the presence of codeine syrup, a.k.a. sizzurp, a popular concoction made up of narcotic cough medicine and sometimes consumed in Styrofoam cups. Police have made no mention of codeine so far.

T.I. is on probation following a seven-month prison stint for a felony gun charge, itself a violation of his probation from a previous felony arrest. As part of his release in March, T.I.'s new probation conditions included supervised release for three years, DNA testing and drug counseling, as well as a ban on owning firearms and an agreement to submit to reasonable searches.

An assistant to T.I.'s attorney in the federal gun case told MTV News on Thursday morning (September 2) that a statement would be released later in the day on the matter, but that no details were available before that time on how, or if, the arrest could impact Tip's probation in the previous case. A spokesperson for the probation office handling Tip's case in Atlanta could not be reached for comment at press time.

T.I. and Tiny were released on ,000 bail early Thursday morning and are due back in court on Friday (September 3).

• T.I. And Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle

• T.I.

Rapper's Wednesday arrest for drug possession was just the latest of several offenses.
By Jayson Rodriguez

T.I.
Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

T.I.'s brilliant career has seen its fair share of interruptions, primarily due to legal troubles that have forced the rapper to take time away from the stage in order to sit behind bars.

On Wednesday night, T.I. and his wife, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, were arrested for alleged drug possession in Los Angeles.

The arrest is the latest in a series of offenses T.I. has been involved in during his lifetime.

He was released from prison earlier this year stemming from an October 2007 arrest after he was busted attempting to illegally purchase firearms.

T.I.'s 366-day sentence was his most infamous to date. Although he served less than a year in prison and finished his sentence at a halfway house, the case not only threatened to derail his career but, because he initially faced a lengthy sentence, could have seen him spend a large portion of his life incarcerated.

Prior to his most recent prison term, T.I. found himself on the wrong side of the law on more than one occasion. He's often referred to himself as a multiple felon in his rhymes.

But T.I. has rarely been arrested on drug-related offenses; most of his troubles stem from gun busts.

In fact, prosecutors in T.I.'s 2007 weapons case argued that the rapper had not faced the full-on consequences for a number of past offenses.

They cited a December 2001 arrest for gun possession, a November 2002 instance where he was carrying a 10mm pistol and a 2004 bust during which authorities found a silencer-enhanced weapon, loads of ammunition and photos of T.I. handling guns.

In 2004, T.I.'s pre-rap dealings finally caught up with him when he was busted on a parole violation just as his career was taking off on the heels of his breakout number, "Rubber Band Man."

The violation was in relation to a 1998 arrest and conviction in Georgia for distribution of cocaine, manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance and giving authorities a false name. T.I. was sentenced in that case to three years in prison and was released after serving one year.

Before his most recent stint in jail, T.I. seemed to place his past in the context of his bright future in hip-hop.

He told a group of reporters, fans and family members gathered at the Atlanta courthouse where he was sentenced that he was ready to begin the next phase of his life as a responsible adult.

"Although I am not thrilled about my next year and a day, I am pleased that I am beginning the process of putting this all behind me," he said. "Thank you, and I apologize to my family, to the young men, young women that I mentor. I hope that I can keep at least one, if not a million or more, from going down a similar path. I just want to say thank you."

Since he's been free, the rapper has repeatedly owned up to his mistakes and vowed to stay on the straight-and-narrow path.

Just last month while appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to promote his movie "Takers," T.I. opened up about his time behind bars.

The rapper said he mentored other inmates in an effort to get them to make smarter choices upon their releases.

"In my stay there, while I was there, I just noticed that so many cats that I was around was like, 'When I get out I don't know what I'm gonna do,' " he explained.

T.I. then said he went to the warden and proposed a class that hoped would "change criminal ways of thinking."

• T.I. And Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle

• T.I.

'Don't look for it on radio, but online and in the streets and in the clubs,' rapper says.
By Shaheem Reid

T.I.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/ Getty Images

T.I. has only gone Hollywood when it comes to films, not his music. Tinseltown's current box-office champ says we can expect a brand-new record from his King Uncaged LP this week. He's going to growing it from the ground up.

"My next song ... I'm not even sending it to radio first," he explained Monday. "I'm going to work it from the streets to the clubs. Then as DJs ask about it, I'll deliver it to them. I'm gonna go all the way back to grassroots. I feel that people right now feel I'm going so far over their heads, given my prior success with Paper Trail. They feel like I'm trying to leave my foundation and my demographic behind, which is far from my intention."

The King of the South's new song should land in the next couple of days or so.

"Probably this week — don't look for it on radio, but online and in the streets and in the clubs, you can look forward to a record. A record called 'Pledge Allegiance to the Swag,' he added. "I'm just trying to feed the streets right now."

And the Net. Tip has a slew of viral videos dropping soon with his various Grand Hustle acts.

"We just shot three videos," T.I. said. "We just shot the Young Dro 'Freeze Me' video with me, him and Gucci Mane. We shot the 'Get Your Girl' video with me and my artist and lil' cousin, Rich Kid Shawty [Rashad]. We shot that in Atlanta. We also shot the video for 'Ya Hear Me?' Those videos will be completed and surfacing online within the next week or so."

Over the weekend, T.I.'s latest film, "Takers," grabbed the top spot in a tooth-and-nail dogfight for number one with "The Last Exorcism." As he told us a few weeks ago, with the film being a success, a prequel to the action thriller is very likely.

"I just got off the phone with the director and the writer of 'Takers,' he revealed. "Also with the heads of Screen Gems. We're working on not a sequel, but the prequel to 'Takers,' telling how the guys came to meet one another and how the relationships developed. Pretty much telling the story before [my character] went [to jail]."

• T.I.

'I appreciate the people for showing up and judging for themselves,' he tells MTV News.
By Shaheem Reid

T.I. in "Takers"
Photo: Columbia Pictures

While early estimates had "The Last Exorcism" edging out "Takers" at the box office this weekend, T.I. says not so fast. According to a recalculated tally on BoxOfficeMojo.com, his heist film, also starring Idris Elba and Chris Brown, came out on top, grossing .5 million vs. the horror movie's .3 million.

"It was so tight, they kinda misinformed people prematurely and gave out the wrong information," Tip said about the initial numbers. "But officially, as it stands right now, 'Takers' is the #1 movie in the country, contrary to popular belief. In my heart, I felt it would be.

"Its kinda like the Obama election," Tip continued. "Not at all as important, but you felt like it was supposed to happen ... unless it was some bullsh-- in the game, it would likely happen. I'm not in any way trying to compare the magnitude of importance [of the presidential election] to this [box-office] situation, but I'm just trying to somewhat rate my anticipation. Thanks to everyone that supported. Critics were very quick to sign up and criticize the film. I appreciate the people for showing up and judging for themselves. And tweeting and putting out the word of mouth that this really was a good film."

Tip did more than his share to promote the film this weekend. On Friday, he was in Atlanta treating his hometown fans to the flick, and then he headed to the Midwest on Sunday to do the same.

"All weekend I been out," he said. "If I went and the line was packed, I bought all the tickets. Everybody inside who had already bought the tickets, I bought the concessions — popcorn, candy, slushees, sodas. I did that in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday. Sunday, I was in Mount Pleasant [Michigan] with [Ludacris for a concert]. ... I went before the concert and took pictures and signed autographs for everyone who bought tickets. And after the show, I went in after the movie theater had closed. They remained open so they could show the film, man. At 11:30 or 11:55. That allowed us to have two more sold-out shows. I appreciate all the people who supported. It was really the energy. The energy surrounding the project was unmatched.

"We were in less theaters, we were in smaller theaters [than 'The Last Exorcism']," Tip said about the obstacles for "Takers." "They were in theaters that held 350 and 400. We were in theaters that held 150 and 185, 225. We had a stronger per-screen average, which means all of the screens that we were viewed on and showed on, we had more sold-out shows than they did. It was more people in line for 'Takers' than it was for that movie. It didn't matter how many more screens than us they were on. It kept it close, but they couldn't bring out the victory, simply because the people demanded it. The quality of ['Takers'] spoke volumes of what the people wanted to have in the #1 slot."

After the film's successful debut weekend, Tip was on the phone Monday morning (August 30) with the filmmakers about getting a "Takers" prequel greenlit. Musically, he's dropping a song in the next few days called "I Pledge Allegiance to the Swag."

Did you check out "Takers" this weekend? Share your reviews in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Takers."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

• MTV Rough Cut: 'Takers'

• T.I.

Tip delivers his hits, performs poignant tracks live for the first time during show set to air in December.
By Shaheem Reid

T.I. on "VH1 Storytellers"
Photo: VH1

The words are still as meaningful and penetrating as they were in 2001. T.I. took the stage on Tuesday night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City and led the audience back to album number one, track 2.

"They sendin' letters home from school, nobody read mines," Tip rapped from "Still Ain't Forgave Myself." "And plus, my uncle's doin' 10 years F.E.D. time/ Then I started rebellin', began crack sellin' / The littlest thang on the corner with a Mac 11 / After school, I hear my mama holla homework / I say, 'aiiiight ma,' but look, I got my own work / Started interacting with fiends at the age of 13 / Now my mama findin' rocks in my socks, glocks in my toy box."

Onstage to tape his episode of "VH1 Storytellers: T.I," the Atlanta MC delivered what was arguably his most intimate performance ever. (The show airs Friday, December 10 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on VH1.)

"I never performed [that song] since it was recorded," Tip told the crowd of track, a standout from his 2001 debut, I'm Serious. The King of the South said it just felt "too personal" to perform before.

"It took years to find the proper stage and proper crowd to present it to you guys," he explained. "Now I think the time is right. Glad to be presenting it to you."

Tip also said that although he would be performing what his fans saw as songs, hits even, for him it was altogether different. "To me, this is my life, my story," he said. "I've lived these things, endured these circumstances."

He went on to reveal the backstory for another early record that he hadn't performed live until that night. "I Still Luv You," Tip explained, was inspired by the mother of his two sons, with whom he started a family as a teenager. The daughter he had by another woman and whom he had kept secret from his family for a while, as well as his relationship with his father also inspired the song, he revealed.

"Motivation," from T.I.'s 2004 Urban Legend, was written in jail. Tip said that stint behind bars was a result of some criminals wrongly implicating him in a crime. As the police searched his house, they found a gun.

"Who would have thought?" he joked. Tip said that the gun was registered to someone else, and he wound up going to jail for a short time. "Oddly enough for me," he laughed. The record itself was inspired by "a rapper who used my dark moment as his bright moment. ... It didn't rub me the right way."

Tip gave us plenty of bright moments, too, during the taping, with performances, in particular, of the smashes "Live Your Life" and "Bring Em Out."

What songs do most want to hear T.I. perform live? Share with us in the comments!

• T.I.

'There are definitely whispers around the studio about that,' Tip tells MTV News of the heist flick.
By Shaheem Reid

T.I. in "Takers"
Photo: Columbia Pictures

The advance hype for the action-thriller "Takers" will be answered on Friday when the ensemble-powered picture opens in theaters. But the early reaction from fans during preliminary screenings of the movie this summer has been so positive, that a follow-up is already being discussed among the castmembers and the film studio. And if the Takers do get a green light for another adventure, it looks like it would be a prequel rather than a sequel.

"There are definitely whispers around the studio about that," T.I., a star of and producer on the movie, told MTV News recently in LA. "Some phone calls have been made about that. But ultimately, it depends on what happens on August the 27th."

MC thinking about lending his voice to the cartoon, which he is producing.
By James Montgomery

T.I.
Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images

T.I. is still deciding on the final track list for his upcoming album King Uncaged — a rather daunting process, considering he recorded some 80 songs (including a track featuring Lady Gaga) for the project. But that doesn't mean he's not working on other endeavors — like, for example, a cartoon.

In an interview last week on Sirius' Shade 45, Tip confirmed that he's developing an animated series called "Lil Homies." He'll serve as a producer on the show, and he's also considering lending his vocal talents to the project.

"I'm actually working on a TV show right now as a producer," he told Shade 45's Angela Yee. "[It's] a cartoon ... called 'Lil Homies.' I may do, like, voice over [work] ... like a narrator."

T.I. said that "Homies" still is without a network, but he's pushing ahead with the series regardless, even saying that he'd use his producer clout to cast Yee as "a neighborhood freak."

If and when the series hits TV, Tip will join a long list of rappers who have crossed over to the animated world: Outkast's Andre 3000, whose series "Class of 3000" ran on the Cartoon Network in 2006; T-Pain, who served as executive producer of (and lent his voice to) "Freaknik: The Musical" earlier this year; and Danger Mouse and MF Doom, who released an album and an EP (2005's The Mouse and the Mask and '06's Occult Hymn) that featured beats taken from Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" programming, and more than a few cameos by "Adult Swim" stars.

• T.I.

Got Your Back

• Artist: T.I.
• Label: Atlantic Records, Grand Hustle

2010 BET Awards Red Carpet

• Diddy
• T.I.
• N.E.R.D.
• Ciara
• Ashanti

I'm Back

• Artist: T.I.
• Label: Atlantic Records, Grand Hustle
• Director: Kai Regan

2009 American Music Award Nominees

• Michael Jackson
• Lady Gaga
• Jay-Z
• Taylor Swift
• Beyoncé

Hell of a Life

• Artist: T.I.
• Label: Grand Hustle
• Director: Erik White

Who Are The Landmarks Of The VMAs?

• Britney Spears
• Lady Gaga
• Jay-Z
• Lil Wayne
• Beyoncé

Remember Me

• Artist: T.I.
• Label: Grand Hustle
• Director: Jessy Terrero

T.I. Performs At His Final Countdown Concert In Atlanta, GA

• T.I.
• Rich Kids
• 8Ball and MJG

T.I.'s "Hell Of A Life" Video Shoot

• T.I.

T.I. Holds A Press Conference After His Sentencing In Atlanta

• T.I.