Preloading

How Prison Time Sparked Hip-Hop Mogul T.I.'s Aha! Moment

Season 4 Episode 414
Aired on 11/23/2014 | CC
Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Clifford Harris Jr.—better known as T.I.—is a producer, author and star of VH1's hit reality show T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle. This multiplatinum artist has collaborated with everyone from Jay-Z and Rihanna to Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams, but his rise to stardom hasn't been without controversy.

In 2007, T.I. was arrested for trying to buy machine guns illegally. He was sentenced to one year in prison and 1,500 hours of community service.

Now, this family man says his mistakes help teach valuable lessons to his children. "We don't shy away from controversial subjects here in this house," he says. "If there's a part of my life that, you know, I guess that I have learned a lesson from, but I am not allowing them to learn the same lesson from it, I think that's doing the child a disservice."

Watch as T.I. reveals how a federal weapons charge led to his aha! moment. Plus, T.I. opens up about his blended family, parenting philosophy and personal evolution.

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