T.I.‘s no longer a free man. Yesterday the rapper reported to Forrest City, Arkansas, to serve a 366-day sentence for federal weapons conviction. But before he said good-bye to his freedom, he rocked crowds at farewell concerts, gave back to the community through service and, oh yeah, married his longtime girlfriend Tameka "Tiny Cottle. Keep clicking for all the lowdown on T.I.’s last days.
As we reported yesterday, before heading to the slammer, T.I. put a ring on the finger of his longtime girlfriend Tameka “Tiny” Cottle.
“All I am allowed to say is that T.I. and Tiny are officially husband and wife,” revealed a source close to the bride. The couple wed in a small ceremony in Miami a few weeks ago.
This is the first marriage for the newlyweds who have two kids together and three from T.I.’s previous relationships. Tiny, a member of the defunct R&B quartet Xscape, suffered a miscarriage in 2007.
T.I. and Tiny have been together for years but decided to make it official before the MC paid his debt to society.
T.I. brings down the house in Atlanta on May 24. The show was his last before the Grammy-winning rapper reported to a federal prison in Forrest City, Arkansas, to serve a 366-day sentence for federal weapons conviction.
T.I. spends QT with his boys at an NBA Playoff game in Atlanta, his hometown. The rapper says being away from his family will be the hardest part of his sentence.
In between mentoring at-risk youth in his uplifting MTV reality series “Road to Redemption” and performing other acts of kindness, T.I. found time to accompany several girls from the It’s Cool To Be Smart organization to a basketball game.
T.I. also squeezed in a little fun before doing his bid, as he’s seen here watching the Lakers and Nuggets scrap during the Western Conference Playoff series in Los Angeles.
Tiny is now adjusting to life without her best friend. “Although I know our family is going to be straight [financially], I’m still going to miss him like crazy because I got used to spending time with him when he had to be home,” she told ESSENCE.com earlier this year.
T.I. kicked back from coast to coast. While in New York earlier this month the ATL MC hung out with Jay-Z at Audi’s TDI Clean Diesel Technology dinner.
As T.I. reported to prison yesterday, fans gathered down the road from the facility and screamed, “We love you, T.I.!” when the black van pulled up at the prison, reports the Associated Press. Afterward, they shouted at television cameras that “T.I. is the greatest!”
Seattle Seahawks hoops star Deon Grant, left, T.I. and producer Sean Garrett share camera time with a fan at a Saving Our Daughters event at a local radio station in Atlanta.
T.I. and Atlanta Hawks baller Josh Smith catch up backstage at the Philips Arena on May 24 in the ATL.
T.I. was part of a celeb fest when he stepped out in NYC in early May for Audi’s TDI Clean Diesel Technology dinner at the Audi Forum on May 12 in New York City. Estelle, Santigold, T.I., Lyor Cohen, Jay-Z, Kevin Liles, Mike Kyser and more were in the building.
Tiny knows being apart from T.I. will be hard, but the new bride is down for the sacrifice: “Yes, he’s made mistakes, but so have I. If your man stands up for you and is there whenever you need him, then doesn’t he deserve your unconditional love and support?”
Sitting courtside, T.I. cheers on his team during the Eastern Conference NBA Playoffs in Atlanta on April 28.
Since his arrest, T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, Jr., has made it a point to impress upon youngsters the seriousness of disobeying the law.
Keep clicking for more photos from T.I.’s career thus far.
T.I. and pop star Rihanna performed their hit “Live Your Life” at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.
In 2007, “The King of the South” took home awards for Best Rap Solo Performance for “What You Know” and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “My Love” at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.
T.I., one of the industry’s best-dressed rappers, walks the red carpet for an MTV Video Music Awards after party.
The “ATL” star gives insight on financial empowerment at the 2006 Hip Hop Summit in New York City.
T.I. has some fun onstage with singers Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake during the nominations news conference for the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.
Actress Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon mingles with T.I. at an after party for the California premiere of the film “Miami Vice” in 2006.
The dapper-looking rapper gives the cameras a show at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2007.
