MC, finishing up prison sentence, also suggests that he might tour this summer.
By Shaheem Reid

T.I.'s "I'm Back"
Photo: Atlantic/Trap Muzik

On the day the hip-hop nation lost one of its beloved and prolific megastars, another one has returned.

Just hours after Lil Wayne was sentenced to one year in prison on weapons charges, T.I. gave the world notice that he's returning with a vengeance. The King of the South announced to a select group of DJs in a conference call that his new album is coming out on August 24 — and, as expected, he released his new single, "I'm Back."

"I ain't never let you down, I'mma shine on sight," Tip raps on the song. "Keep your mind on your grind and off of mine's, all right?/ Hard, I'mma ball on those squares, I flow/ A quarter million dollar cars everywhere I go ... No matter what they doin' they don't do it like me ... recognize I'm back."

Later in the first verse, Tip lays the fiery, brash delivery he's beloved for.

"You ain't got a pimp bone in your body," Tip chastises, throwing thunder at fraudulent MCs. "I can tell you ain't never bought a key or caught a body/ N---a probably just seen Wayne, Gucci Mane, me and Boosie all go to prison/ Now he flip his whole image/ N---a trippin'/ Listen, dude, for you that ain't in the cards." The song was helmed by new Grand Hustle producers the Trackslayerz, and is available for download at T.I.'s Web site.

An hour before the song hit the Internet, Tip held the conference call, for which he did not take questions but reflected on the song and announced his album's release date, according to audio of the call posted on DJ Judge Mental's Web site. There is a title for the LP, but he declined to reveal it.

"I appreciate the support and how hard I was going in during the brief hiatus," Tip said. "The support don't go unnoticed and I don't take it lightly. This marks a special day for us, because we putting out the first song off the album — not an official first single, just something to keep the streets warm. It's properly entitled 'I'm Back.' It's a lot of things that needed to be spoken on. In my absence, it was a lot of things that went down, a lot of matters that needed to be addressed. This was the greatest platform for me to do it. It was the first song I did when I came home. You get me fresh out the box going in. I'm sure you guys will enjoy it."

Tip spoke for a little over three minutes. He said that he should be traveling from city to city this summer.

"It ain't gonna be long before all this is behind me," he promised, referring to his prison sentence on weapons charges, which is expected to end within the next few weeks; he was released to a halfway house in December and last month made his first public appearance since heading to prison. "Middle of April, beginning of May. Y'all gonna start seeing me. Y'all already know, once again it's on. Like we always do this time."

The call ended with a final pledge of excellence from Tip.

"As long as there is air in my esophagus, champ, I'mma keep going," he said. "Nothing is gonna stop that. Nothing short of a 12 gauge is gonna stop me from doing what I do, champ. I just wanna say thank y'all and we gonna keep movin' on."

• T.I.

Record company announced imprisoned rapper's song will premiere next week.
By Jayson Rodriguez

T.I.
Photo: Grand Hustle

Taking a page out of Michael Jordan's book when the hoops legend returned from his first retirement, T.I.'s new song title is composed of just two words that say all anyone needs to know: "I'm Back."

The imprisoned rap star's promotional Twitter account posted a message saying T.I. would have a major announcement to make on Monday, March 8. (His fiancée, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, confirmed the Twitter account was not a personal account and that it was set up by the rapper's label, Atlantic Records.)

On Wednesday, his official Web site, TrapMuzik.com, posted the artwork for T.I.'s new single, "I'm Back," urging visitors to return next week for a special premiere.

"Next couple days gonna be nice to rap game," rapper DJ Drama tweeted about the new T.I. single. "Fab 2morro, Drake Friday, Tip Monday. Niiice."

T.I. recently made his first public appearance since he began his stint in federal prison. The rapper joined Cottle last month for her Alzheimer's research fundraiser "For the Love of Our Fathers" at Atlanta venue Opera. While Tip is in the midst of a 366-day sentence, in late December he was released to a halfway house to serve out the rest of his term, thus allowing him to move about more freely. And the Atlanta MC has been using his time to work on new music.

Singer Trey Songz told MTV News in January that he visited Tip in the studio. The "Say Aah" star described the material as "some amazing stuff."

T.I. was sentenced to one year and one day or prison in April of last year, following an October 2007 arrest for attempting to purchase firearms. As a previously convicted felon, he was facing serious jail time and his career was thought to be all but over. Prosecutors, however, struck a deal with the charismatic star where he would counsel troubled youth and be subjected to home confinement in order to avoid a lengthy jail sentence. The rapper served over 1,000 hours of community service as a part of his plea deal. Upon his release from the halfway house, he's expected to complete additional community service and serve out the rest of his home confinement, which is believed to be anywhere from 20 to 60 additional days.

T.I. began his sentence last May.

• MTV News RAW: T.I.

• T.I.

Rapper is set to be released March 26.
By Jayson Rodriguez

T.I.
Photo: Chelsea Lauren/WireImage

March is shaping up to be a big month for T.I.

The rapper announced new single "I'm Back" through a promotional Twitter account, and his lawyer confirmed to MTV News on Thursday (March 4) that Tip will be released from prison later this month. Federal Bureau of Prison records list the rapper's release date as March 26.

"That date is correct," lawyer Steve Sadow said via e-mail. "T.I. is now serving the remainder of his sentence in home confinement under the supervision of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons."

The rapper is in a halfway house, where he was transferred in late December. Upon his release from Dismas Charities Atlanta West later this month, he's still expected to complete anywhere from 20 to 60 additional days of home confinement, stemming from an arrangement he made with prosecutors before his prison stint began.

Originally, the rapper reached a deal that required him to complete 1,500 hours of community service, 1,000 of which had to be finished in a year before he would be formally sentenced. In return, the rapper secured a reduced jail sentence of one year and one day in prison. The length was significant, legal experts noted, because it allowed the rapper the chance for an early release; had he been sentenced to exactly one year, his options would have been less flexible.

Through a series of speeches to troubled youths, the rapper recorded well over 1,000 hours, though he still needs to complete the remaining time after his release to reach the full 1,500. Per his sentencing guidelines, T.I. also must submit to drug counseling and financial audits and maintain a curfew through the remaining home-confinement period.

After that, the rapper will be free to resume his normal schedule, which will presumably include finishing a new album. In total, the rapper — who began his sentence in May — will have served 10 months of a 366-day sentence.

• T.I.

These MCs and others have talked about their feelings as they faced prison.
By James Montgomery

T.I.
Photo: Moses Robinson/ Getty Images

On Tuesday, Lil Wayne is scheduled to surrender to New York authorities and is expected to begin serving a one-year prison sentence, stemming from a July 2007 attempted gun possession arrest.

Wayne is certainly not the first artist to go down this path, especially not in recent years. And, much like those before him, he's addressed the situation, in the form of a Web video last month (when he was originally expected to begin his term, before the sentencing was delayed due to dental surgery), in which he thanked his fans for their support and asked them not to forget about him while he serves his sentence, "because I will forever think about you. I cannot wait for you to see me again." More recently, he's been sending MTV News videos that document his activities leading up to his court date on Tuesday.

As in the past, MTV News has been following Wayne's legal situation every step of the way. And over the years, we've managed to speak to many of his fellow artists as they faced the prospects of jail time, or breathed a sigh of relief after being acquitted of very serious charges. Two of the most famous instances were a 1996 interview with Snoop Dogg, one day after he was found not guilty on a murder charge, and an in-depth conversation with Sean "Diddy" Combs, following his acquittal on bribery and gun-possession charges.

In our 1996 conversation with Snoop, he told us what was going through his mind as he stood waiting for his verdict to be read.

"I left it in God's hands. That's why I looked it, so stone-faced. I was just, I didn't have no expressions. You know what I'm sayin'? It was all inner. I prayed on it. My family prayed on it," Snoop said. "[My attorneys] did what they were supposed to do, and they gave the baton to the jury, and I couldn't do nothin' but just bank on them and worry about what the outcome was gonna be, as far as to just sit there and hold my position, and to keep my head up high. And just, you know, wait for the outcome."

In 2001, MTV News' Sway Calloway sat down with Combs, who had just been cleared of all charges after a six-week trial (and 15-month media firestorm) that stemmed from his then protégé Shyne firing a gun at a New York nightclub in 1999. And in our conversation, the rapper/producer made it clear that he relied on his faith to make it through the ordeal.

"Man, I just feel blessed. [That's] the first word that comes to mind. I was in a situation where the only way I could come out of it was by putting my faith in God. No matter how good my lawyers were, no matter how much celebrity I had, everything was just stacked up against me," Combs said. "I was innocent, but all the things that were coming out was just ... it just felt like ... oh, man, my worst nightmare. All the things personally [that] I was going through at the same time. God just really blessed me and got me sitting here with you today. ... It's been like a year and a half, life being on hold, just waiting to get this over with."

Of course, MTV News has also spoken with artists in prison, particularly Shyne, who was found guilty on two counts of assault for his involvement in the 1999 shooting in which Diddy was implicated before being cleared.

"You die in here, you know," Shyne told MTV News in 2004, three years into his sentence (he was released late last year and is currently in his native country of Belize). "Just like you could die on the [outside], you could die in here. They probably won't find your body for a couple days. This is just like the [outside], even worse. You got people that ain't going home ever, so their life is over. Being here is like being dead. And when you've got a dude who's got life, he don't care. He'll rip your heart out."

Of course, in 2008 MTV produced a series around T.I.'s then-impending prison sentence called "T.I.'s Road to Redemption," and we also spent time with the MC before he began his 366-day jail sentence following felony gun charges. As he did in the series, T.I. remained upbeat about his prospects.

"At the end of the day I'm not going to be gone long enough to have any long-lasting effects," he said. "Of course, the initial emotion will be one of somber grief. But by the time they get over it, I'll be getting home. Compared to how bad it could have been, I think I made out all right."

• Lil Wayne Goes To Jail
• MTV News RAW: T.I.

• Lil Wayne
• T.I.
• Shyne
• Snoop Dogg

Rapper attends fiancée's Alzheimer's fundraiser; label partner says Tip's next album is due this summer.
By Hillary Crosley

T.I. (file)
Photo: MTV News

On Monday night, T.I. made his first public appearance since prison, stepping out with fiancée Tameka "Tiny" Cottle in support of her Alzheimer's research fundraiser "For the Love of Our Fathers" at Atlanta's Opera venue. The event was also filmed for Cottle's BET reality show, "Tiny & Toya," which chronicles the lives of Cottle and Toya Carter, Lil Wayne's ex-wife and the mother of his first child.

"I am very well, very happy to be seen," said T.I., who joined Cottle onstage at the end of the benefit, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

T.I. is still serving the remainder of his sentence on a gun-possession charge in a Georgia halfway house. He's also recording tracks for his forthcoming album in a private studio. MTV News chatted with T.I.'s manager and Grand Hustle label partner Jason Geter to see when Tip's post-prison album is slated to hit shelves.

"We did a deal with the film studio Screen Gems for the movie 'Takers' with T.I. Both the album and the film are coming out at the end of the summer," Geter said. "So, yeah, we have a release date."

"Takers," a film about a bank heist interrupted by a detective, stars Zoe Saldana, T.I., Chris Brown and Hayden Christensen and hits theaters August 20.

"As for producers, we've been working with DJ Toomp and Lil Cee, who's one of our in-house Grand Hustle producers," Geter told MTV News. "We worked with Danja, the Runners, and we tried out some stuff with these new guys called the TrackSlayers. We're actually working with a lot of new guys. At this point, you don't really chase names. It's about the quality of the material. As for features, we did a track with The-Dream, and Trey Songz is on another hook."

The-Dream told MTV News that his collaboration with T.I. "sounds great. He's sounding beautiful. His spirit is really good. He's got the eye of the tiger."

Regarding the direction of the album, Geter said the Atlanta MC is still figuring that out. "There's no theme as of yet," Geter said. "The sound is definitely not a bunch of samples."

In May 2009, Tip started a 366-day jail term stemming from his October 2007 firearms-possession arrest. For much of 2008 and early 2009, Tip performed more than 1,000 hours of community service. Tip has 500 more hours of community service to perform once he is released from the halfway house in the coming months.

• T.I.

Trey Songz and producer Jim Jonsin say they've heard Tip's 'amazing' new material.
By Shaheem Reid

T.I.
Photo: Chelsea Lauren/ WireImage

Apparently T.I. — serving out the remainder of his year-and-one-day sentence on a gun possession charge in a halfway house — is back in the lab making music. In late December, former Warner Music Group executive Kevin Liles tweeted on his page @Kevinliles1, "My right hand went home to visit his family and found his way to the studio. He said 'why wait for 2010, get it now.' Love the attitude!"

On Thursday, during an interview with MTV News, Trey Songz was mentioning people he might collaborate with soon, and the popular singer hinted that he and the fiery leader of Grand Hustle may jump on a track together.

"Shout to the King back home, Tip," Songz said. "He played me some stuff. I stopped by to holla at him in the studio. He played me some amazing stuff."

On Tuesday, Tip's "Whatever You Like" producer, Jim Jonsin, elaborated on the King of the South's new musical endeavors. "It doesn't seem like he missed a beat," Jonsin told Rap-Up.com. "He was so upbeat, his spirits were up, and he's excited to be out and working. He hasn't changed, he sounded exactly like he did when I talked to him months before he went in.

"He's back in the studio," Jonsin added. "I sent him some music via e-mail. He can work during the week and not on the weekend, I believe. He's definitely working on an album for this year right now." T.I.'s representatives did not respond to requests for confirmation.

In May 2009, Tip started a 366-day jail term stemming from his October 2007 firearms possession arrest. For much of 2008 and early 2009, Tip performed more than 1000 hours of community service, helping wayward youths get on the right track. Tip has 500 more hours of community service to perform once he is released from the halfway house in the coming months.

• T.I.

Rapper's lawyer says he was released from federal custody Tuesday afternoon.
By Jayson Rodriguez

T.I. (file)
Photo: Moses Robinson/ Getty Images

T.I. isn't home yet, but the rapper appears to be on the road to freedom as he was released from prison custody on Tuesday (December 22) and is on the way to a halfway house to serve out the remainder of his sentence, his attorney told MTV News. Tip was serving a year-long sentence for felony weapons charges at a low-security federal prison in Forest City, Arkansas.

A report from XXL magazine on Tuesday morning first indicated that that rapper had been released. Steve Sadow, a lawyer who represented T.I. in the case, confirmed the information to MTV News, but as of press time, he wasn't sure if his client had arrived at the halfway house.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the rapper will be serving out the remainder of his sentence at Dismas Charities Atlanta West in Georgia. A spokesperson for Dismas could not be reached at press time.

Last week, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told MTV News that T.I. could be sent to a halfway house in January.

"If his full-term release date is in March, it's not uncommon for an individual to be released to a halfway house to serve out the last portion of their federal sentence," Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Edmond Ross explained. "There are a number of factors that need to be considered: if the person is not a danger to the community, the current offense, the individual's prior criminal history, the availability of programs and space availability."

According to a representative for the agency who spoke with MTV news on Tuesday, however, prison records indicated that T.I. was still in custody at Forest City. A rep for the rapper's label had no comment on the matter, but multiple sources close to the rapper's camp suggested that he was in fact released to the home on Tuesday.

T.I. was originally sentenced in April of this year to serve 366 days in prison following an October 2007 arrest for illegally attempting to purchase firearms. He began his prison stint in May, after serving over 1000 hours of community service as a part of a plea deal he struck with prosecutors to avoid a lengthy jail sentence. When he is released from the halfway home, he will have to complete 500 more hours of community service and serve out the rest of his home confinement, which could be upwards of 20 to 60 days.

• MTV News RAW: T.I.

• T.I.

Rapper could be released as early as March 23.
By Gil Kaufman

T.I.
Photo: Moses Robinson/ WireImage

T.I.'s fiancée, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, said she expected her man home at the top of the year, and it appears she wasn't far off.

Tip (born Clifford Harris Jr.) is in the midst of a 366-day prison term following a guilty plea for illegal firearms possession and possessing a gun as a convicted felon. According to a Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson, the rapper could be eligible for release to a halfway house, where he could serve out the rest of his term, as early as January.

"If his full-term release date is in March, it's not uncommon for an individual to be released to a halfway house to serve out the last portion of their federal sentence," Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Edmond Ross told MTV News. "There are a number of factors that need to be considered: if the person is not a danger to the community, the current offense, the individual's prior criminal history, the availability of programs and space availability."

Ross, who does not have specific knowledge of T.I.'s case, said the decision on the halfway-house release would be made by the unit team at the Forrest City Low facility in Forrest City, Arkansas, where Tip is being held, with that recommendation sent up to the warden of the facility for a final decision. Ross said it is not unusual for inmates to serve out the last part of their sentence in community corrections to help ease their transition back into society.

A spokesperson for the Forrest City facility could not be reached for comment at press time.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that T.I., who began his sentence in May, could be released as early as March 23, after serving 85 percent of his sentence. The paper also noted that T.I. could spend the final month of his sentence on home confinement.

T.I. was arrested in October 2007 on the eve of the BET Hip-Hop Awards after attempting to receive machine guns and silencers from his bodyguard, who had illegally purchased the weapons from undercover officers. He pleaded guilty in March 2008 to federal weapons charges as part of a plea deal that included 1,500 hours of community service speaking to at-risk children and teens, a 0,000 fine and another year on house arrest after his release, as well as two years of probation.

• T.I.

Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle expects Tip home in early 2010.
By Gil Kaufman

T.I. and Tiny
Photo: BET

Before T.I. reported to an Arkansas federal prison in May to his 366-day term for attempting to illegally purchase firearms, he made a point of saying that he didn't want to do any talking from behind bars and preferred to stay quiet as he did his time.

But one person he has been speaking to frequently is fiancée Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, who told MTV News that Tip (born Clifford Harris Jr.) is keeping his head up while he bides his time in lockup.

"I talk to him every day, sometimes a couple times a day," said Tiny. "And I see him every weekend on Sundays, sometimes on Monday."

Though he was sentenced to a year and a day, authorities said before his incarceration that he is eligible for a 15 percent "good time" credit, which could shave almost 55 days off his sentence. In that best-case scenario, he could be released in early April.

"He's doing real good and he's ready to come on home," said Tiny, who expected that T.I. would be home "somewhere in the top of the year." The rapper's lawyer could not be reached at press time for comment on when he thought T.I. might be released.

Tiny didn't discuss how T.I. was passing his time in prison, but said she believes he's been working on new songs. "I'm sure he has [been writing]," said Tiny, who recently revealed that the couple plan to get married after Tip, her longtime boyfriend, is released.

T.I. also spoke to Ludacris recently. Luda tweeted in October that he spoke to his fellow A-Town legend and that he's been monitoring the court cases of Lil Wayne and Lil Boosie.

"Talking to TIP," Luda tweeted. "He says to tell [Lil] Wayne and [Lil] Boosie he hates the situations y'all are in, but he's ridin' with the both of you." Luda was referring to the two MCs' recent prison sentences.

Tip also had a chance to speak out publicly through Cottle at October's BET Hip-Hop Awards, where the King of the South reassured fans he would be home soon.

• MTV News RAW: T.I.

• T.I.

Mentored by one of the bandmate's mothers, T.I.'s fiancée, Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle, the group have already recorded a single, 'Ain't Nobody.'
By Gil Kaufman

OMG Girlz
Photo: Major Productions

Taking a break on Monday from a shoot for the second season of her BET reality show, "Tiny & Toya," T.I.'s fiancée, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, talked up her latest project, a girl group called OMG Girlz.

Tiny, who knows a bit about being in a girl group thanks to her 1990s run in Xscape (not to mention her hand in penning TLC's mega-hit "No Scrubs"), said she's helping to shepherd the debut by the group, which features her daughter, Zonnique (a.k.a. Star) as well as the offspring of Lil Wayne and his ex-wife, Antonia "Toya" Carter, Reginae (a.k.a. Baby Carter).

The preteen/teen quartet (ages 11 to 13) also includes members Basha (a.k.a. Beauty) and Lourdes (a.k.a. Lolo). They got their start last year when Tiny and her production partner, Kiesha Babi, began talking to Zonnique about her singing ability and encouraging her to form a group. (You can check out the OMZ Girlz's music here.)

Zonnique was actually already a veteran of one short-lived two-girl act, QT Posse, and Tiny suggested she hook up with Reginae to see if they could get something going. When Baby Carter proved her inherited rhyming skills to Tiny, the music industry vet knew she was on to something. "She started rapping for me and I thought this would be great," Tiny said.

As a mother and a survivor of the girl-group mill, Tiny's making sure her daughter's crew doesn't fall into the usual music industry traps that are typical for young acts. "I'm definitely using my experience and telling them the things I've been through," she said. "I don't want them to go through things I went through, so I tell them stories so we can avoid going in that direction."

OMG has played a few shows here and there, appearing at the SoulCircus in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently and at a charity event in Chicago, where they performed their first single, "Ain't Nobody," snippets of some of the other songs Tiny has helped write for them, and a few covers that they dance over.

"We're getting calls all the time and we have shows booked through March," said Tiny. So far, she's co-written seven or eight songs for the group's debut along with Babi, and the women have been encouraging the girls to get their feet wet with songwriting, since, as Tiny knows, that's where the real money is. "Kiesha and I wrote 'Ain't Nobody,' but Reginae wrote on that one too," she said. "We're trying to coach them to write, and they've come up with good stuff."

The Timbaland-style "Ain't Nobody," which sounds like TLC-meets-Rihanna, is a teen love lament, with the girls complaining about boys they're no longer interested in who won't take a hint: "Ain't nobody thinking bout you/ I ain't never had a boy that be sweatin' me bad as you do/ But I'm just not that into you/ I know it's hard but you should try forgetting me," they sing over a futuristic keyboard squiggle.

Baby Carter breaks in midway with a few bars in which she does Daddy proud, rapping, "My name is Reginae/ But you can call me Baby Carter/ They love me and they hate me cuz I'm Weezy F's daughter/ Yeah, I'm a brat and I think it's my world/ And I'm stuntin' like my daddy, cuz I'm daddy's little girl/ When I walk up in the spot, upgrades the room/ And if you standin' next to me, I will upgrade you too."

Despite some conspicuous-consumption lyrics (Baby says she wants a laptop and a Benz for her birthday), Tiny said the idea with OMG was to keep it clean and wholesome and provide some fun party music for younger fans. "It's definitely music that's OK for kids," she said. The focus now is on finishing the album and getting a record deal, as "Ain't Nobody" hits radio before the end of the year.

As for the girls' famous fathers, Tiny said Weezy has already promised he's working on a song for them that he's going to finish before he goes to prison next year. "Tip, you know it! He already told Star he's going to do a song with them," Tiny said. "They're excited."

"Jerkin' " stars the New Boyz also want to get in on the OMG album, and one of Wayne's protégé's, Lil Chuckee, has already jumped on the remix of "Ain't Nobody."

• T.I.
• Lil Wayne

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

2009 VMA Nominees

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Green Day
• Kings Of Leon
• Paramore
• Fall Out Boy

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.

Day Dreaming

• Artist: T.I.
• Label: Atlantic Records, Grand Hustle
• Director: RAGE
• Album: Gangsta Grillz: The Album, Vol 2

Dead and Gone

• Artist: T.I.
• Label: Atlantic Records, Grand Hustle
• Director: Chris Robinson
• Album: Paper Trail [Clean]