Once again, T.I. will have a chance to show the world he's a reformed man.
The self-proclaimed King of the South got out of an Arkansas federal prison one month early this morning after serving 10 months on a probation violation.
"Feels great to be back where I belong...Back in the arms of those who need me the most," tweeted T.I. shortly after leaving the Forrest City minimum-security facility.
He was originally due to be released Sept. 29. But Chris Burke, spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said it's normal for an inmate nearing the end of his sentence to be transferred to community confinement, which could be, for example, a halfway house. No immediate word yet where the artist is headed.
The 30-year-old T.I., real name Clifford Harris Jr., was sent back to the Big House last November to serve 11 months, which was his second stint in lockup, just six months after his first go-round for his 2008 illegal weapons conviction.
That's because the "Live Your Life" rapper violated his probation when he and his wife, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, were collared on Sept. 1, 2010, for possession of Ecstasy following a routine traffic stop in Hollywood.
T.I. got into this mess initially after he was busted by agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms and Explosives in October, 2007, attempting to purchase three machine guns and silencers in a shopping center parking lot in his hometown of Atlanta using his bodyguards as a go-between.
After copping to illegal weapons possession, the Grammy winner has since tried to make amends, speaking to youth about the dangers of gun violence as part of his community service.
Now that he's headed home again, T.I. hopes to get his career back on track, with plans to head into the studio as well as team up with VH1 for a new untitled reality show premiering Dec. 5.
The half-hour, 10-episode series will chronicle his life on the outside, including getting reacclimated, his relationship with Tiny, his attempts to jump-start his music career, maintain his ever-growing business empire and raise his children, all while fulfilling the terms of his strict probation.
Good luck to that, T.I. You're gonna need it.