T.I. Tweets Farewell to Fans, Surrenders for Prison

Rap superstar surrenders to do his time for a probation violation

By Josh Grossberg, Soo Youn Nov 01, 2010 8:40 PMTags
T.I., Clifford HarrisAP Photo/David Kohl

The King of the South has some important decisions to make: like whether he'll be dining on the fried fish or the baked fish for lunch today.

T.I. is back in a minimum-security federal prison in Forrest City, Ark., after surrendering today to begin serving 11 months for violating probation.

His lawyer tells E! News that the Paper Trail MC, real name Clifford Harris, checked in this morning at the facility, which is the same complex where he logged seven months earlier this year for his illegal weapons conviction.

MORE: Read how T.I. screwed up the first time

"I can confirm he is in prison," attorney Steve Sadow tells E! News. "He reported before the due time, which I think was noon." 

Just before his surrender, T.I. tweeted: "Hey yall #teamTI will be holding me down on this front with updates until I return. Thx for your continued support. In a minute No Mercy."

No Mercy is the title of his next album. due out Dec. 7. He scrambled to put the finishing touches on the album before heading back to prison, including shooting a music video featuring Chris Brown for the album's second single, "Get Back Up."

A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons says that Harris won't be kept in isolation and will be treated just like any other prisoner.

"We try to assimilate all our inmates into our general population," she said.

That includes his meals, which today features a choice of the aforementioned fish dishes for lunch and chicken patty, chicken salad or cheese sammy for dinner tonight.

The 30-year-old Grammy winner got into this mess on Sept. 1 when he and wife Tameka "Tiny" Cottle were pulled over on the Sunset Strip and busted for Ecstasy possession.

A federal judge subsequently determined T.I. was in violation and revoked his probation, sending him back to the big house just six months after he was released.

Because of that sentence, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office last week rejected charging T.I., deciding it would have been redundant.

Tiny, however, didn't escape so easily. She was charged with a single count of drug possession and her attorney, Blair Berk, pleaded not guilty today on her behalf while Cottle was in Arkansas bidding goodbye to her beloved.

"Very somber day 4me..on da plane headed bck! I'm bout 2take a nap! Tlk soon cause u guys always seem 2mk me feel alil better..God Bless!" tweeted Tiny shortly after leaving T.I. to his new digs.