‘This experience is truly a pain I have never felt before,’ rapper says in new prison-penned letter. By Mawuse Ziegbe T.I. Photo: Shareif Ziyadat/ FilmMagic T.I.’s latest prison bid is apparently changing the MC’s perspective on getting locked up. Tip was hauled back to jail earlier this month to kick off his second stint behind bars in a year after he violated his probation by getting arrested on a drug charge in Los Angeles in September. In a message posted on the Atlanta spitter’s website Thursday (November 18), the trap star, who has a litany of arrests and periods of incarceration that pre-date his chart-busting hip-hop career, described his current prison bid as a turning point in his history with the penal system. “This experience is truly a pain I have never felt before and that’s saying a lot for a n—a who’s been down locked up as many times as I have,” Tip wrote. “I see this as a real ass whoopin’. The kind you don’t just go back outside to play afterwards. You take ya ass to bed and don’t come out of your room until it’s time to go to school.” T.I. also said that switching between life as a free man and an inmate was getting old. “I don’t know what effect this will have on my life moving forward but I’m certainly sick and mother f—ing tired of going to jail, juve, prison, the pen, correctional facilities or whatever else you want to call it,” he said. “I’d have been better off doing a 5-10 year bid one time than going in time and time again for days, weeks and months for the last 15 years of my life.” Even though his legal run-ins have “been a long road,” T.I. maintained that “I’m still standing, barely, but nevertheless still standing.” He also said that instead of looking to others for inspiration and encouragement, he’s going to turn inward for a sense of purpose. “At one time I thought my motivation for continuing was for my fans, my partna Philant, my pops, my grandmama, even for the haters or the people I let down. But nah… I got to do this sh– for me!!!” he said. “I’ll be God damned if I’ve come all this way and made it through so much hell to let it go down like this! F— that! If an hour in the dark is worth a second in the sun then pass me my mother—-in’ shades cause I’m ready to cash my darkest hours in…ASAP!!!” The MC reflected on his lack of a consistent and positive father figure in his life as a factor in his development as a young man, saying, “My mother and grandparents did the best they could but I found my manhood in the trap and in prison systems.” The “Get Back Up” MC then promised that his children won’t follow in his footsteps as a felon. “[None] of mine will ever have to feel the cold tight grip of a handcuff or grace the presence of a jail cell if I can help it,” he wrote. “Over my dead body! So if you can’t respect that you ain’t rocking with my movement, then f— you dog!” T.I.’s album No Mercy is slated to hit shelves December 7. What do you think about T.I.’s latest letter? Let us know in the comments. Related Photos T.I.’s Career Highs And Lows Related Artists T.I.
