Atlanta, GA. – T.I. has had a lot to think about over the
course of the past two years and the events between him and the law scattered
all over the media like wildfire has given him a sought of understanding within
himself. His legal timeline began in October of 2007 when he was caught
attempting to purchase firearms, fast forward, two weeks ago he pleaded guilty
to those weapons charges and faces a year in jail. While under house arrest,
T.I. has had time to calm his life down from how it was before. With an
interview with the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, he had a chance to reflect on everything that has
been occurring in his life through his trials and tribulations against, none
other, than himself.

These were his statements to Atlanta Journal-Constitution
when they interviewed on his situations:

When asked how he was coping with everything, T.I. gave a
straight response:

“Patience, just a lot
of patience, if I can sit at home all day and wait on people to bring me what I
need, wait on getting permission to be able to do this and do that, it’s not as
serious as I used to make it sometimes. Sometimes it was like, ‘If I don’t get
this right now I’m just going to lose it.’ When you’re going 350 mph, it tends
to be that way. But when you are stopped, halted, not slowed down, but halted,
you figure, ‘Well I could have just slowed down. I didn’t have to be stopped.’
I thought it was bad just to slow down. Now I see in me being stopped, I could
have done this, been this, myself, instead of being forced to do it.”

T.I.P. continues to add what these charges have cost him in
his career as an actor and a musician:

“GM (General Motors)
had to back up off of me. There are films that I missed out on. Not speaking
of, of course, the tours. Tons of business. I’ve probably lost about $10 to $12
million.” He gestured a little laugh and continued, “Sometimes you laugh to keep from crying. But you know, I’m blessed to
be able to be out here to make $10 to $12 million more. Especially
considering I brought this all on myself. So you know minimal injury. Maximum
lesson learned.”

He also adds that lately he’s had a chance to reflect his
circumstances by putting his faith in God:

“When you do the
amount of praying that anybody in a situation similar to mine spends the time
doing, and for that prayer to work, and for you to have other people praying
for you to get through the situation or to see the situation beginning to look
up and not acknowledge that’s what helped the situation, I think that’s
blasphemous.”

He begins to look back on everything and gives an analogy on
the whole situation putting blame on himself:

“It was sort of like
a, well, you remember the last Super Bowl, right? You know Jeremy Shockey? He
broke his leg. He had to sit up in the press box and watch. He couldn’t help
his team win. He couldn’t play. The greatest, most talked-about, most
publicized Super Bowl in our time and he’s sitting watching; instead of
actually being able to participate. Terrible. And I know, I know, I brought it
on myself.”

At press time, T.I. is continuing his work on his next album
Paper Trail and in the process of completion. He and the mother of his children,
Tameka “Tiny” Cottle are awaiting a new edition to the Harris family, a baby
boy.