>> sources tell us that since coming back to the united states bryant neal vinas has undergone yet another transformation, moving way from his radical views. he's still helping authorities. even though he pleaded guilty more than a year ago, he's yet to be sentenced. the maximum penalty he faces is life in prison. i'm anderson cooper. thanks for watching this "360" special investigation. ♪ no matter what they doing they don't do it like me ♪ ♪ like a g i hold it down for the town ♪ >> larry: tonight -- ♪ recognize i'm back >> larry: t.i. exclusive. the rapper's first interview since he got out of prison. for buying machine guns and silencers. firepower even the law isn't authorized to use. how did a straight a student end up a dropout selling drugs and doing time? ♪ you can do whatever you like >> larry: he's open, honest, and

willing to talk about it. taking your calls, too, t.i. making a comeback next on "larry king live." ♪ cars everywhere i go ♪ i know >> larry: this was the scene a short while ago, as grammy-winning rapper t.i. arrived at "larry king live." his new album, "king uncaged," will be released in august. his new single very appropriately titled "i'm back." t.i. was arrested by federal agents in 2007 for buying three machine guns in the parking lot of an atlanta grocery store. in 2008 he was sentenced on charges of unlawfully possessing machine guns and silencers and possession of firearms by convicted felon. recently released after serving nine months in prison, three months in a halfway house. it is quite a story. and we're very pleased that he's here telling it for the first time. thanks for coming. >> thanks for having me.

>> larry: thanks for agreeing to talk about this. >> anytime. >> larry: what's t.i. stand for? >> it's not an acronym. it's more of an abbreviation. my childhood name that my father gave me, my mother, grandmother, grandfather, family friends, all called me tip. >> larry: well, how are you feeling now, now that you're free again? >> well, i'm just ready to put the bad things behind me and look forward to the future, and you know, and just move forward and evolve. continue to evolve. >> larry: how do you explain, before we get into some specifics, all of the trouble that you've gotten in? you were a straight "a" student. >> yeah, at one point in my life, yeah, i absolutely was. >> larry: how did you get in all of this trouble? >> well, this most recent incident, it came from an attempt that was made on my life. and my best friend died in my arms. and that kind of caused a state of depression, paranoia. and my judgment was jaded.

you know. and i just felt my life was in danger. >> larry: okay. on october 13th, 2007, you're arrested by federal agents after purchasing three machine guns, two silencers. they weren't registered to you. you were already a convicted felon. didn't you realize then, i could be in big trouble for this? >> oh, absolutely. absolutely. >> larry: so why risk it, t? >> well, to be perfectly honest with you, at the time when i felt the need to have all of these things i never took into consideration the legalities. i only took into consideration the protection of my life, my family's life, and my home. >> larry: all right. but you bought an ingram 9-millimeter machine gun capable of shooting almost 14ur7k rounds a minute. an swd-9 millimeter machine gun capable of shooting 1200 rounds a minute. an hnk machine gun capable of

shooting 990 rounds a minute. that kind of firepower isn't even used by police or federal agents. >> yes. >> larry: what kind of protection did you need? >> well, as i see you've done your research -- >> larry: i have a good staff. >> did you do the research on the incident that happened to me in cincinnati and how much firepower was used against me? >> larry: tell me about it. >> and how outgunned we were. i was pulled up on after an after-party. and to be quite frank with you, they opened fire and let off maybe from 50 to 100 rounds of ammunition very quick. >> larry: against you and others? >> against me and others in that van right there, as you see. and -- >> larry: why? >> why? i mean, you know, your guess ar is as good as mine -- >> larry: you didn't know who they were? >> no, i didn't know. i still don't know who they are. i know who they say they are. i know who the law say they are. but i never knew them before

that night. >> larry: who does the law say they are? >> citizens of cincinnati, ohio. >> larry: who wanted to shoot rounds of guns at a rapper and his friends? >> yeah. you know, jealousy is something, larry. >> larry: what were they jealous about? >> i guess -- >> larry: were they singers? were they -- >> no, not that i know of. i don't have a lot of information to share about them. my point is how many rounds of ammunition were used against me that night in such a short period of time and how outgunned and how re did not have significant enough manpower to fend off those kinds of attackers. >> larry: i got it. had you performed that night? >> yes, i did. >> larry: was it a successful performance? >> absolutely. phenomenal. >> larry: but then, in addition to machine guns, federal agents find in your car and in your house, a loaded .40 caliber pistol, next to the driver's seat of your car, a loaded .45-caliber pistol in the back passenger seat, a .45-caliber pistol in the luggage in the car, two rifles and a pistol with magazines in your bedroom closet, two more pistols and a

revolver -- i could run out of time here talking about it. >> yeah. >> larry: were you fearful at home? >> absolutely. absolutely. >> larry: well, who's after you? >> another thing, in atlanta, during that period of time, there was a rash of home invasions. now, i am not in any way trying to excuse my behavior. because it's unacceptable, and i do realize right now that that was very, very, very poor judgment on my behalf. i'm in the best of my ability just trying to explain where my mind was at the time. >> larry: you were afraid? >> i was concerned, extremely. >> larry: why you? >> why me? >> larry: yeah, why you? in other words, there are other rappers. there are other singers. why you? >> why tupac? why biggie? why jam master jay? i mean, and if you do more research, you will see that the death of a hip-hop star is the

least investigated. there have been no convictions on biggie, no convictions on pac, no convictions on jam master jay. they die and then life goes on. >> larry: what do you think the reason for that is? >> i can only speculate. i don't know. >> larry: what do you speculate? >> i speculate that some people just don't care, they feel it's not important enough. >> larry: did you get into trouble as a kid? does trouble surround you, in a sense? >> no. >> larry: some people find trouble. >> i don't think -- no, i don't think trouble surrounds me. you know, i think as a kid everything that i went through, all that i am today, my experience has made me that. you've got to understand me growing up in the environment that i did and the time that i did there was no instruction manual. i did not have a mentor. all i had was trial and error. >> larry: who raised you?

>> my grandparents and my mother and my uncles. one of which who did it from a federal prison facility. >> larry: did you get in trouble as a kid? >> i got into some trouble. i mean, i was mischievous. but i was still very, very respectful and intelligent. and i knew that i was better than my surroundings. i knew that i had potential and opportunity, all i had to do was execute. >> larry: you were also an "a" student. >> yes, i was. >> larry: shouldn't you have applied that? >> well, i did. i think i'm fairly intelligent. and i think -- >> larry: i know. so wouldn't you say a fairly intelligent person would try to shy away from this kind of trouble? >> sure. >> larry: it seems like a dichotomy. >> if a fairly intelligent person has been placed into very, very extreme circumstances where their life has been -- their life has been endangered, then they then begin to decide not with their intelligence but with their instincts. with their instincts. instinctively, when coming from the environment that i came

from, instinctively, that's the way you handle it. >> larry: survival of the fittest. we'll be right back with t.i. don't go away. a harsh laxative? phillips' caplets work naturally with your colon... for overnight relief without cramps. phillips' caplets.

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♪ part of me left yesterday ♪ the heart of me is strong today ♪ >> rap star t.i. was arrested by federal agents on saturday. ♪ oh >> what makes you stress out? >> federal court dates. ♪ just trying to find my way back home ♪ >> apologies to my family. ♪ dead and gone ♪ dead and gone ♪ and oh >> larry: he's worked with some of the major stars in the business like jay-z, wyclef, justin timberlake, rihanna, diddy, just did a movie with chris brown. talk about that later. his popular songs include "swagger," "like us," "he's t.i.,". he's out, and you say you're out for good, right? >> absolutely. >> larry: since you were attacked, shot at, many people who have had that happen can apply for a license legally to carry a weapon. did you?

>> no, i did not. >> larry: why not? >> wasn't thinking. wasn't thinking. >> larry: so you're not -- you can't legally have a gun? >> no. >> larry: you couldn't then? >> no, i lost my second amendment right. >> larry: and you don't get them back, right? >> not to my knowledge. not unless some things change in washington. >> larry: do you own a weapon now? >> absolutely not. >> larry: are you afraid now for your life? >> no, you know, in having time to sit and reflect -- if you actually take the time and use it to your advantage, you see, well, even though all of these rounds of ammunition were fired at you that night, you didn't have a firearm, you're still here. all the things that you've managed to make it through, you didn't have firearms in every situation under every circumstance. most of the times you had firearms you didn't even need to use them. so obviously, the firearms aren't what's keeping you alive. >> larry: correct. >> so i had the time to take that into consideration.

and acknowledge that and, you know, properly apply it to my daily -- my daily -- the way i live my life. >> larry: have you shot a weapon? >> have i ever before? >> larry: yeah. >> yeah. >> larry: at a range or at someone? come on. >> fifth amendment. i have to plead the fifth. at a range. >> larry: did you know how to shoot the weapons you bought? >> yeah. >> larry: so you had to learn that somewhere. >> absolutely. >> larry: that's pretty heavy armament. >> yeah. >> larry: i mean, when you look back at it, did you ever -- while you were in prison, did you ever say to yourself why did i do that? >> did i ever say to myself? >> larry: right. >> well, i didn't have to ask myself why i did it. i mean, there's -- i knew why i did it. i did it because i felt that i was in danger. >> larry: but you don't feel it now? >> no, i don't. now, that is the question, you know -- >> larry: that's why i asked you. >> why did you feel so in danger then and you don't feel in danger now? i think now because the story is out there for everybody to know.

everybody knows, okay, this is what happened to him. these are the approaches that he took to it, and these are the adjustments that he made. so now i may not be in as much danger as i -- >> larry: and you're safe by virtue of what you did? >> well, not really by the virtue. by the knowledge of what happened to me, you know, that's common knowledge. an attack was made on him. this is what he did. this is how he adjusted. this is how he's moving forward. >> larry: when you were 14, though, you bought a handgun, right? >> yes, i did. >> larry: for $115 after seeing a friend get shot? >> absolutely. >> larry: so guns have kind of surrounded you from an early age on? >> yes, guns have definitely been a part of my environment and my culture. >> larry: have you seen people shot? >> absolutely. >> larry: have you seen people killed? >> absolutely. >> larry: how do you ever adjust to that? >> i don't know. some people say you never do.

i'm doing the best i can right now, you know? i think it brings you closer to god. it brings you closer to god. if you're standing next to someone who's shot and died, the first thing is, why not me? now, of course, someone could say, well, obviously, it wasn't your time. but mentally, you kind of deal with things a lot differently when you've been placed in certain circumstances. >> larry: how old are you? >> 29. >> larry: we'll be back with t.i. we'll talk about growing up, lots of other things. we'll have twitters. your calls, too. don't go away.

♪ i'll never let you down ♪ i'm gonna shine ♪ i'm gonna ball ♪ million-dollar cars everywhere i go ♪ ♪ i know >> larry: we're back with t.i. we're getting twitters as we roll along. one twitter asked, did you get special treatment in jail? >> man, believe it or not, i might have gotten worse treatment as far as from the staff, just because i'm such a -- i was such a high-profile inmate that i couldn't -- i couldn't get anything special done -- >> larry: where did you serve your time? >> forest city, arkansas. >> larry: why there? >> ask the b.o.p. >> larry: federal prison? >> yeah. federal prison. >> larry: what was your sentence? >> a year and a day. >> larry: that doesn't sound like a lot for all that you were

carrying. >> well, through the blessings of god and also the unconventional methods of this agreement, based on work that i had been doing in the community prior to my arrest and my conviction, the u.s. attorney in the district that i was arrested in at the time, along with the judge and along with their colleagues, they came up with a special agreement for me to perform "x" amount of hours to help at-risk kids in the community in atlanta and abroad, using my experience to kind of keep them from going through the same thing. >> larry: how long do you have to do that for? >> it's a number of hours. i have 1,500 hours to serve. 1,000 before i started my sentence. five after i was released. >> larry: you've got to stay straight? >> absolutely. without question. >> larry: another twitter question, do you think the sentence was fair? >> do i think the sentence was

fair? i mean, asking me -- that's like asking me did i want to spend more time in jail? >> larry: no, but it sounds fair for all of the things that you did. it's certainly a great thing that you're doing. >> well, see, i think most times when people think about this situation they only think about a year and a day. okay, mind you, i had one year of home confinement where i could not leave my house. i was in my house for an entire year. i could not leave. i could not work. i could not -- you know, it definitely affected my livelihood. i also had the year and a day prison sentence. i also had the 1,500 hours of community service. i also have three years of probation. it's just a creative way to extend the sentence to where society can benefit from me. where i could -- i'm more useful to society in using my life story, in using my life influence to be able to affect the lives of kids in america

today. i'm no good behind a cell. i help nobody then. >> larry: how much of your life was spent around drugs? >> how much of my life was spent around drugs? >> larry: did you get into it early? >> selling it, yeah. yeah. >> larry: using it? >> using it? not that much earlier than anyone else. i'd say about 16. 15:0016. >> larry: how did you come to sell? >> how'd i come to sell? i was poor, larry. >> larry: was this in atlanta? >> yeah, this is in atlanta, man. basically, my mom sent me to the store one day to buy a loaf of bread. i had maybe $30, $40, $50 in my pocket. i was approached -- well, actually, i inquired. what a guy i knew was standing outside. and he said that, you know, he was working. and i said, how? and he then introduced the method of purchasing and

distributing crack cocaine on a small scale, of course. >> larry: you were arrested for that? >> before i made it back home, i had $50 in my pocket. that was the beginning of my career. i was arrested for that in 1997. i was 17 years old. and possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine. >> larry: how much time did do you? >> i did about six, seven months county time and got seven years probation. >> larry: so jail's been a part of your life? drugs part of your life. weapons part of your life. >> yeah. >> larry: and you have -- >> my past life. >> larry: i understand. you have five children. >> i have five children, but i really have six. >> larry: the sixth is what? >> the sixth, she's my daughter through my relationship with a very special young lady. >> larry: all right. do you have a fiancee now? >> yes, i do. >> larry: how old are the kids? >> monique is 14. messiah is 10. demani is 9. deja is 8. she'll be 9 soon.

king is 5. and major turns 2 on sunday. >> larry: are they all with you? >> yeah. well, i mean, you know, they all come to my house and stay with me. of course the ones who are not -- who are with previous relationships, they live with their mothers. >> larry: how many children are with you? >> three. >> larry: isn't it hard with all you've been through to be a father? >> is it hard? well -- >> larry: a lot of responsibility? >> it is a lot of responsibility. but i enjoy being a father. that's one of the best parts of my life. i feel like, man, that's one of the greatest things that i've got going on, being a father. being able to make a difference in the lives of not only at-risk youth but my children. i think that's the greatest way for me to affect the world. bring children up who can, you know, contribute some way to the future of america and abroad. >> larry: you say you're a good father? >> absolutely. i love my kids. >> larry: how do they deal with

what their father's been through? >> well, first, man, i let them know that they will never go through what i've been through. and i just -- i'm honest and open. and i just try to explain to them the best i can the difference between the way they grew up and the way that i grew up. >> larry: you grew up hard? >> yeah, rougher than most. but then again, not as rough as others. >> larry: you had a relative -- you said a close relative who was in prison? >> yeah, my uncle. my uncle did ten years. >> larry: what about your dad? >> my pops? no, my pops never -- i don't think he ever been in prison. no, not that i know of. >> larry: are you close with him? >> my father passed away in 2002. but yeah, we were pretty close. i loved him a lot. >> larry: was he young? >> he was not young. he was 50 years older than me. he was 72 when he passed. >> larry: close with your mom? >> absolutely, i'm very close with my mom. >> larry: your grandmother living? >> my grandmother passed last year before i went to prison. >> larry: was she a big influence?

>> she was. a very big influence. >> larry: now, in the middle of all of this, how did you get a singing career? there ain't no time for this. >> you're right. actually, man, believe it or not, i was challenged by my manager right now. a producer, dj toomp. and my cousin who passed away. they challenged me. >> larry: how long ago? >> this was about 12:0013 years ago. '98. >> larry: you were 17? >> 1r7x 18. and they challenged me to stop selling drugs, stop selling crack. they said you want to be a rapper? this is what you want to do? you've already been arrested. you've did this little bit of time, you got probation, if you get arrested again you blow it all. i then said, okay, take me somewhere where i can create a way for myself. if you want me to leave this behind, then make -- show me an opportunity. they then took me to a studio

with a group named p.a. p.a. then put me on the spot, asked me if i could rap on a certain beat. i walked in the booth, did my thing, and they signed me to laface records. >> larry: did you have a hit early? >> no. >> larry: took a while? >> no, i think my first hit was probably "24s" or "rubber band man," my second album. my first project, it was very well received in the southeast region. all throughout the south and some parts of the midwest. it was very well received, but i didn't get national exposure until my second album. >> larry: we'll be back with "larry king live." speaking of national or international exposure, mick jagger, tuesday night. we'll be right back. that helplessness again.to l [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. talk to your doctor, and take care of what you have to take care of. ♪ ♪ ay, yay, yay, yay

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♪ patron no ice ♪ we could pop bottles all night ♪ ♪ baby, you could have whatever you like ♪ ♪ i said you could have whatever you like ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ baby i can treat you so special ♪ ♪ so nice ♪ jet for you tonight ♪ and baby, you can go wherever you like ♪ ♪ i say you can go wherever you like ♪ >> larry: one of his biggest if not his biggest hits "whatever you like." our guest is t.i. by the way, he has an extraordinary record. his record "live your life," recorded with rihanna. we all know rihanna. broke the record for the biggest jump on the billboard charts in history. it went from 80 to 1. >> yeah. >> larry: are you friendly with

rihanna? >> yeah, yeah, man i have a lot of respect and admiration for her as an artist and, you know, what she has done for women. >> larry: what did you make of what happened to her? >> i mean, it was unfortunate for both parties, man. >> larry: do you know him? >> yeah, i do. i do. and i mean, you know, i think that he's paying a huge price for something that he did. and he has to accept that and make adjustments to his own life and pick up the pieces. >> larry: have you ever been violent? >> have i been violent? no, i mean -- not without being approached with violence. >> larry: you never, like, hit a woman? >> nah. >> larry: asked -- someone -- one of our people on twitter want to know why black rappers shoot each other. no one guns for white rockers or country singers. >> i mean, i can't answer that question. >> larry: is there a reason for that? >> i can only speculate, just

off the top of my head, i mean, our music was born in an environment -- >> larry: of turbulence? >> -- and neighborhoods where this is the common activity. you know, that's kind of like asking, you know, why certain rockers all behave this way. why do they all have to use this, that and the other and do things -- >> larry: product of the environment? >> exactly. it's just the way. it's like a common thread. >> larry: wasn't it hard to adjust to prison, especially when you're famous? >> yeah, absolutely. i think time was a lot more difficult for me. and i mean, you know, it was just a lot more meticulous. it was just a lot more mental adjusting. you know what i'm saying? physically, you know, everybody -- everybody -- i approached prison as a normal guy. everybody treated me as a normal

guy as much as -- you know, as much as they could. >> larry: but you said you think you had it worse? >> i did, because, you know, there were other things that other people would approach staff and say, hey, can i do this? they might have been like sure, no problem. but me, can i do this? absolutely not. you know, the rules clearly state. it was a lot tighter, stricter on me. >> larry: did you have a job in prison? >> yeah, i had a little gig. >> larry: what was your job? >> i had a little gig. i kept the compound clean from about 8:30 to 9:30 in the morning. >> larry: that was your job? >> yeah, i just stood and made sure there wasn't no -- wasn't no filth around the compound. >> larry: let's take a call for t.i. detroit, hello. >> caller: hello, t.i., so good to talk to you. i'm a big fan of you and lovely toya. yes. >> actually, you mean tamika. toya's not my significant other. >> caller: i'm sorry, tiny. i'm so nervous.

real quickly, to avoid breaking the law in the future and also i think you should mention that when you're incarcerated you do live on a day by day. it's not just the year. it's day by day, minute by minute. >> yeah. >> caller: but how do you plan on protecting yourself and your family now? you know, you make a valid point when it comes to tupac and biggie's deaths. >> well, i think that the biggest -- the main thing that i can do to protect myself moving forward in the future is understand my position. understand that, you know, i can't put myself in an environment where it requires for me -- where it may require for me to have a handgun or artillery of that nature. >> larry: you can't do that. >> i'm instantly at a disadvantage right there. if i put myself in that environment, i'm in a disadvantage. so i just stay places where, you

know, i can just be cool, and i have security now. >> larry: do you take responsibility for a lot of what happened to you? >> i do. i take full responsibility for everything that happened to me. i'm not -- you know, even though in certain circumstances i was put in i was considered a victim, but i don't feel like i'm a victim of society or anything else. i'm the first one to say, man, you know, your life is what you make of it. society don't owe me anything, you know. i feel like for me to learn from my experiences, make necessary adjustments and move forward is what's required. >> larry: do you ever wonder why you were shot at? >> i mean, you know -- >> larry: do you ever wonder? >> man, to be perfectly honest, i have a pretty good idea. i think it stems from -- it all stems from me being in a certain section of the club that everybody else couldn't get to. and when some patrons of the club were told that they could not get in that section they became hostile. and then, you know, kind of just -- >> larry: it was like a vip

section? >> yeah. you know, kind of like i live here there, i got money. why i can't be up there? yada, yada, yada. you know, things -- one thing led to another. and so we have what happened. >> larry: well, we'll be right back with t.i. on this edition of "larry king live." don't go away. hi, ellen! hi, ellen! hi, ellen! hi, ellen! we're going on a field trip to china! wow. [ chuckles ] when i was a kid, we -- we would just go to the -- the farm. [ cow moos ] [ laughter ] no, seriously, where are you guys going? ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! [ female announcer ] the new classroom. see it. live it. share it. on the human network. cisco. we believe you're at your best when you can truly be yourself.

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♪ what up ♪ what's happening ♪ are you haters to get at me ♪ i hear ya ♪ and i'm watching ♪ but i'm serious ♪ haters so all i've got to say is what up ♪ ♪ and i promise that i put you >> larry: reminder, we're on facebook. check us out. see who's coming up on the show. send questions for our guests. tell us what you think about tonight's show with t.i. by the way, we followed t.i. recently to a juvenile detention center in atlanta, where he's doing work with kids. let's take a look at what you told them. watch. ♪ anytime you want to pick up the telephone ♪

>> right now, man, i'm at a juvenile detention center in atlanta. i'm about to go in here and holler at them about why it isn't cool to join gangs and why they should be taking education seriously. >> you probably expect t.i. to come here, really kick the bo bo with you, but to be honest with you, man, i got some real talk for you. you can't expect to stay right here in the same spot that you in and in. you got to be able to change. you got to be willing to grow. you got to be willing to learn. they don't make you no sucker. it don't make you no sucker. it don't make you lame, it don't make you no chump because you want to grow and you want to make something out of yourself, man. it ain't too late. it ain't no mistake that you make that's too great for you to bounce back from. if you can put all of this effort, all of this energy, if you could put all of this

thought into doing the wrong thing, you could put just as much effort, just as much energy, just as much thought into doing the right thing. you actually have somebody who you know been through it, telling you how not to go through it. but how you receive it is up to you. do i consider myself a gangster to this day? i'm retired. i'm retired. [ applause ] ♪ you can have whatever you like i say you can have whatever you like ♪ >> larry: our guest is the retired gangster, t.i., doing a lot of good work. making amends, as they say. birmingham, alabama. another call for t.i. hello. >> caller: t.i., i really love your music. but more so, i love tamika and what she stands for as a woman. can you express how proud you are of her and can we look for any appearances from you on her

show "tiny & toya"? >> well, i mean, to be perfectly honest with you, man, how proud i am of her exceeds, you know, any professional accomplishment. you know, i'm proud of her of being -- for being the mother of my children, for being the love of my life. you know, what she does professionally, that's just icing on the cake. you know, that's wonderful. i love that she was able to, you know, in a lot of ways use her experiences and the things she's going through to shed light on situations and kind of inspire others. you know what i'm saying. but i'm not going to say that because she did a great show i'm proud of her. i'm proud of her because she is the woman that she is. >> larry: are you getting married? >> you know, larry, i definitely plan, intend on doing that. in my eyes, i'm already married. but i do understand. i do understand. >> larry: for the kids.

>> absolutely. i mean, you know, the specifics of that, though -- although i live a very public life, there are some slices of my life i like to keep personal. >> larry: was she very supportive of what you went through? >> absolutely. absolutely. very, very, very supportive. >> larry: you needed that, didn't you? >> yeah. yeah. i did. >> larry: do you ever fear you'd go back? >> do i fear i'd go back where? >> larry: to bad things. >> no, i don't fear that. absolutely not. there's not a chance of that. i mean, after you've gone through -- although on paper you can say this person has been through jail and guns all his life, yada, yada, yada, but when you actually -- this is the most severe, the most severe -- just the most severe encounter with the law that i've ever had, and

i'm not -- i'm in a position right now where me being gone a day causes me what me being gone a year or ten years before in my life would have caused me. like being away from my children at this point, being away from my mom, my cousins, my uncles, my grandparents, my business, businesses, you know, me being gone, like right now, it's just -- it's just not -- there's no place in my life for anything like that right now. >> larry: his seventh album is coming in august. it's called "king uncaged." >> yeah. >> larry: what about me, huh? anyway. weird. a sneak peek at t.i.'s new movie. coming up. ♪ ♪ oh yeah >> larry: an iconic figure. he doesn't do a lot of interviews. one of our top requests of all time's finally made it. ♪ when i'm on the street

♪ i'm a bad man ♪ wild ♪ than the taliban ♪ .45 in my other hand ♪ i'm in trouble man ♪ i'm always in trouble man ♪ worth a couple hundred grand >> larry: let's take another call for t.i. atlanta, hello. >> caller: hi, t.i. i am one of your biggest fans. i need a little advice from you because i have a cousin in chicago who is a 20-year-old male, and he's accused of murder. looking at, you know, possibly about four years. what advice can you give him? because you know, his faith is a little jaded and you know, he's going through a lot of different things right now. what advice can you give him? >> man, i -- that's tough.

but, well, the advice that i would give him is always stay positive. always continue to keep your mind working. never give up. don't ever give up. no matter what, you know. you never know what's going to happen in the future. you never know what new developments in your case may present themselves. you never know what -- you never know. you know, the only way you lose for sure is if you quit. >> larry: our guest is t.i. we're going to see a preview of his new movie in a couple of minutes. it's time to meet another terrific hero. we do it every thursday. some might think that losing a limb, suffering a major spinal cord injury is the end of the world. for others overcoming such a loss is what living's all about. and that's exactly what happened to this week's cnn hero, when a car accident claimed his leg. now he's doing with one leg what he never could do with two. and he's bringing others along for the ride. watch. >> when i learned to surf, it

was amazing. you feel such a powerful connection with the earth and the water. when you become disabled, you feel trapped. and when i felt that first breath of freedom of riding that wave, i was like this is so good. it was so inspiring. i wanted to share that feeling that i had with others. i'm dana cummings, and i started an organization to help people focus on their abilities, not their disabilities through surfing. >> okay, everybody, let's head for the pop-ups. >> we work with people with disabilities. a lot are veterans. we just want you to feel the rehabilitative power of the ocean and surfing. >> catch this wave, buddy. >> i actually got up on the first wave. definitely coming back to do this again. it's awesome. >> we always want to give our participants the power and the passion for life that we have. they're going to push themselves to the best of their ability. and if we can give them that self-confidence, that is a gift that no one could ever take that away from them.

>> larry: since 2003 dana cummings and his organization have taught over 300 disabled people how to surf. to nominate someone you think is changing the world go to cnn.com/heroes. back with more of t.i. after this. [ female announcer ] instead of drinking old office coffee, "know it all" made a cup of premium starbucks via. "know it all" shared it with "single and loving it!" who made a cup the next morning for "ladies man" as he was rushing out the back door. he shared it with "blondes have more fun" and "fiery redhead," who, after finding out about each other, shared starbucks via with their new boyfriends, "firemen keep it hot" and "drummers rock,"

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♪ what do you want? >> i want what you got, uncle frank. i want to be you.

>> same plan as before, gentlemen. 25 to 30 mill. all the cash we can carry. got to move fast, though. >> when you say fast, how fast? >> next tuesday. >> hey, i believe in you even when you too stupid to believe in your damn self. >> larry: t.i.'s got a new movie coming this summer. it's called "takers." it stars haydn christensen, chris brown, and paul walker. watch a little. >> i got in good with this russian. he had his comrades on the outside put the arm down in the dispatch room. so the dispatcher do anything to screw the job up, they wiping out his whole family back at the ukraine. down to the sheepdog. >> why should we trust the russians? >> they love their sheep dogs. >> larry: who do you play there? what are you? >> my character's name is ghost. yeah, my character's name is ghost, and he's a part of a very, very upscale, extravagant

band of bank robbers. >> larry: you can't escape it, can you? >> hey, experience. you know, experience. >> larry: by the way, youyou haa parole officer, satellite. >> probation. >> larry: how often do you to report to him or her? >> the specifics of had i probation aprmy probation i'd rather keep personal. >> larry: did you need permission to come here? >> yeah. >> larry: to leave atlanta you need permission to leave and you have to report when you get back? >> i said that the specifics of my probation i would rather keep -- >> larry: but you did need permission? >> i did. >> larry: as you look at your life now, we only have about a minute left. >> okay. >> larry: are you on your way? are you a happy man? >> am i a happy man? man, they say when you are

completely happy you die. i'm happier than -- i'm the happiest that i've ever been. i think that right now since i have gotten out of this situation this is the first time i have actually taken advantage of and actually been able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. >> larry: want to rap a little? >> rap a little. >> larry: you've got 45 seconds. do something. >> we've been rapping for an hour. >> larry: ♪ we've been rapping for an hour ♪ say something. >> no. i don't do that. >> larry: i'm trying to do rap. aging jewish guy writes rap songs. >> how about this, though? whenever you want something wrote come holler at me. >> larry: whenever i what? >> whenever you would like a song to be written for you come holler at me. >> larry: i'm hollering. >> okay. right after this we're going to go to the studio and knock something out. >> larry: knock something out. it could be a companion to "king uncaged." >> absolutely. it could be the sequel. take it