Jailhouse Rap

This past Saturday night, Atlanta rapper Clifford Harris, better known as T.I., was arrested on multiple weapon charges, after federal investigators said he had a bodyguard purchase machine guns and silencers. Needless to say, T.I. didn't make it to the BET Awards that night to accept his two awards. He received nine nominations.

Now here's what you may not know: T.I.'s history is riddled with drug charges, probation violations and previous gun charges - the man is a convicted felon with warrants out for his arrest in several different counties in Georgia.

According to accessatlanta.com, he is charged with two felonies - possession of three unregistered machine guns and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. T.I., a felon, is not allowed to purchase firearms and had a bodyguard do it instead. The bodyguard was then arrested on Wednesday on charges of trying to purchase guns from a federal agent and had been cooperating with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives since. If convicted of both felonies, T.I. faces ten years in prison.

Now my quip revolves around the question of "why?"

Why do rappers feel the need to arm themselves with guns, "gats," "semi-autos," etc. when they have all kinds of money, live in big houses away from danger and then have entourages and body guards on top of that? I understand that most of these men - and some women - have reputations to uphold and street cred to maintain, but didn't their music help them get out of that world and into the cushy world of celebrities?

Rap music today as a genre requires the least amount of talent, less than any other type of music. You make one song with a catchy hook and a repetitive beat, and you can be sure that every suburban teenager will buy your album to play at an unnecessary volume in their SUV. Artists like Soulja Boy and Jibbs are great examples of this, and for some odd reason, rappers think its necessary to act up. I can see this happening if the rapper isn't very successful, but a lot more big names are ending up in the police reports than needed.

T.I. isn't the only rapper currently in legal trouble - Busta Rhymes, Lil' Wayne, The Game and DMX are all in hot water as well for various unnecessary crimes.

Rhymes is constantly on the hot seat for assault charges, most notably one incident in which a young man spit on his SUV and Rhymes and his entourage beat him.

The Game, whose real name is Jayceon Taylor, was involved in a confrontation during a game of basketball in Los Angeles earlier this year in which he allegedly punched another player, went to his car and threatened the man with a gun.

Earl Simmons, or DMX to his fans, has quite a long criminal record. It is filled with charges that ranges from driving without a license, assault and battery, DUI and a bizarre case of impersonating a federal official. Most recently, DMX, who has pulled a disappearing act of sorts, could face a Michael Vick-like trial due to an Aug. 24 raid of his home by Maricopa County, Arizona sheriffs acting upon an animal cruelty tip. The deputies have reportedly removed 12 caged pit bulls, none of which had access to food or water. Deputies also found the bodies of three dead dogs.

It appears as if rappers cannot escape the world they paint with their own words, despite how well off they are. I understand that we the consumers do not have the whole story - but you would think they acquired some sort of common sense since becoming the person they always dreamed to be.

On the track "Help Is Coming" from his latest album, "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," T.I. raps, "Say hello to the man who can save hip-hop," a common ego-driven lyric used by many rappers, but coming from him, I felt it was truthful. T.I. is what I consider one of the best lyricists of this new era of hip-hop along with the likes of Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Ludacris. But now, it seems as if it's just another empty statement. That is, of course, unless he can figure out a way of following through from a jail cell.

Contact Stephen Ortiz at Stephen.Ortiz@UConn.edu.