Posted: Wednesday – February 10, 2010

The case of the fatal shooting of T.I.’s assistant and best friend Philant Johnson has officially come to a close.

Prosecutors have sentenced the last man responsible for the shooting, 41-year-old Padron Thomas.

As previously reported Thomas pled guilty to manslaughter after receiving a lesser sentence for testifying against his brother.

He appeared in federal court Friday where has was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

In 2006 T.I. and his entourage left a club in Cincinnati after getting into a fight inside. While trying to leave T.I. and his camp were chased down and their cars were sprayed with bullets at the hands of Thomas’ brother Hosea Thomas while Padron drove a getaway car . Three people were injured and Philant Johnson was killed.
Hosea Thomas received 66 years in jail and will not be eligible for parole until 2074 when he’s 100 years old.

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Posted: Wednesday – December 16, 2009

Just when you thought you’d have to wait till March of 2010 for the ‘King of the South’ to make his return, think again.

T.I.’s release date from prison is March 23 but rumors were swirling Tuesday that the king was already out of the bing and had quietly retreated to his Atlanta home.

The speculation was cleared up, however, after a prison official told The Atlanta Journal Constitution that while TIP is still locked up, he could be out very shortly.

Bureau of Prisons spokesman Edmond Ross told the AJC that it was customary for an inmate to transition from prison to freedom by spending time in a halfway house if there is no danger to the community and if there is space at a facility near where he lives.

He also told the publication,

“Usually that process begins when there are 18 months remaining on a sentence, but in this case it would have to start sooner. It’s not uncommon for inmates to be placed in community corrections for the last portion of their confinement to help with his transition.”

Ross also mentioned to the AJC that TIP could serve the final month of his sentence out of the halfway house and in his home in Atlanta.

Wow! Talk about good lawyers….or maybe it’s just good behavior…..or maybe it’s just good money.

Either way, get ready…The king’s baaack!

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Posted: Saturday – November 21, 2009

Just yesterday, T.I.’s Grand Hustle record label was the victim of a bomb scare. As previously reported, police were called to the scene after two Molotov cocktails were found near the label’s office. Now the CEO of the company Jason Geter is speaking out in his co-founder’s absence about the incident. Geter spoke with reps for MTV News about what occurred.

According to him, an alarm went off around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday. When Grand Hustle staff went to investigate the situation, they discovered that one of the windows had been broken by a 40 oz. bottle. No suspects have been named as of yet, but Geter did tell the news network that he has someone in mind.

“A kid came over there a couple of days ago that acted kind of crazy, I wasn’t there, but some kid that was a little off was pretty much asking for somebody to come to his party. He got a little irate when he was in the office. We’re kind of assuming it was him. He made a couple of threats when he was in the office. Two days later, this happens. You can’t help but say, ‘It must have been this idiot.’”

The record label is moving on from the incident and preparing for Young Dro’s release, P.O.L.O. a.k.a. Players Only Live Once.

Source

Posted: Thursday – November 19, 2009

T.I.’s Grand Hustle studios are currently being investigated after explosives were found in front of the building.

Atlanta police and a SWAT team were called to the scene after two Molotov cocktails were discovered.
Atlanta police officer Otis Redmond told Fox 5 Atlanta that the suspicious packages were reported by someone leaving the building.

“One of the occupants came out early this morning to start his car up and noticed two suspicious bottles sitting on the front portion of the walkway.”

Sources for Grand Hustle dispute the reports however and told HipHopWired that the explosives were near the office and not in front of the building.

HipHopWired will keep you posted as the story develops….

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Posted: Thursday – October 22, 2009

Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a weapon in the second degree this morning in a New York courtroom; the plea bargain carries a sentence of up to a year in prison. Wayne had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were filed after the NYPD found a .40 caliber handgun on Wayne’s tour bus in July 2007. But after the court ruled that DNA evidence found on the gun would be admissible — evidence obtained by techniques Wayne’s lawyer Stacey Richman has called problematic — Wayne opted to take the plea bargain, AllHipHop reports. If Wayne was found guilty following the trial, which was set for January 2010, the charges carried a three-and-a-half year sentence.

Neither Lil Wayne nor his representatives have released any statements as of press time, and when the Grammy winner left court this morning he said only “What’s up?” to waiting reporters. According to TMZ, cops searched Wayne’s tour bus after they detected the aroma of marijuana following his show at the Beacon Theatre. When police approached the bus, Wayne allegedly tossed a Louis Vuitton bag with the gun inside. It’s expected that Wayne will serve a sentence of eight months to a year, as the New York judicial system is usually tough on firearm violators, regardless of fame. Case in point: Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in September 2009 for possessing a gun at a nightclub.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Wayne is also facing a trial for felony drug possession and weapons charges in Arizona as the result of another tour bus search in 2008. In that case, Wayne’s bus was reportedly holding 105 grams of marijuana, 29 grams of cocaine, 41 grams of ecstasy, drug paraphernalia and a handgun.

Lil Wayne is now the second major rapper in the span of a year to be found guilty of weapons charges. T.I. is currently serving time after being sentenced to a year and a day in prison in March 2009 after pleading guilty to weapons charges. Wayne will officially be sentenced in February; it’s unclear whether the guilty plea will effect the planned December 15th release of the rapper’s oft-delayed Rebirth.

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Posted: Sunday – October 11, 2009

T.I. didn’t need to attend the BET Hip-Hop Awards to win two trophies on Saturday.

The rapper, who is locked up in an Arkansas penitentiary on a federal weapons conviction, won the best collaboration award with Rhianna for the song “Live Your Life” and the album of the year award for “Paper Trail.” His fiancee Tameka “Tiny” Cottle accepted his awards at the ceremony in Atlanta and read a letter by the rapper, who began serving a yearlong sentence in late May.

“Although I’m not there with you all, I’m there in spirit,” Cottle quoted the rapper as writing. “My road to redemption is almost over. … Thanks for the support.”

Jay-Z was honored as the “MVP of the Year,” while Drake took home “Rookie of the Year,” and Ice Cube received the “I Am Hip-Hop” icon award.

Ice Cube said he was humbled by the award, and he believes his career as filmmaker could earn him more honors in the future. He helped launch the gangsta rap genre with the group NWA, and he starred in “Barbershop” and “Friday,” which he also co-wrote.

“When you get recognized by your peers for a life of work, you got to be humbled,” the rap veteran said. “I’m honored by this. I have 20 more years of work left in me. I hope (BET) is ready to give out two of these awards.”

Rapper Busta Rhymes presented the award for “DJ of the Year” to DJ AM, the celebrity spinner who died of an accidental drug overdose in August.

Kanye West, meanwhile, couldn’t hijack the stage, because the rapper was a no-show. West had been expected to attend the fourth annual awards show. He fell under scrutiny for interrupting Taylor Swift’s award-winning moment at last month’s MTV Video Music Awards.

Jay-Z took the stage with Young Jeezy to perform “Real as It Gets” and rap group Goodie Mob performed its 1995 song “Cell Therapy.”

The award show will air on Oct. 27.

Source: DailyPress