Rapper T.I. released from prison 1 month early

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta-based rapper T.I. was released Wednesday one month early from a federal prison in Arkansas where he was serving a weapons violation sentence.

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta-based rapper T.I. was released Wednesday one month early from a federal prison in Arkansas where he was serving a weapons violation sentence.

The artist, whose real name is Clifford Harris, was released Wednesday morning from the Forrest City low-security prison, said Bureau of Prisons spokesman Chris Burke. His attorney Jonathan Leonard confirmed T.I. was released but did not immediately say where his client was going.

The rapper had been sentenced to 11 months in prison in October for breaking his federal probation after he was arrested in Los Angeles on drug charges. He had been set for release at the end of September.

It was T.I.’s second stint in the Arkansas prison. He served about seven months there in 2009 after he was arrested in 2007 for trying to buy unregistered guns and silencers from undercover federal agents. That came after Harris’ best friend was killed following a post-performance party in Cincinnati in 2006. The rapper has said the bullets that killed his friend were meant for him.

When he was released from that sentence, he was required to perform 1,000 hours of community service, which he spent mostly talking with schoolchildren about the dangers of drugs, gangs and violence. He was also ordered not to commit another crime while on supervised release, or to illegally possess a controlled substance.

But a federal judge said that "experiment" failed when Los Angeles deputies found four ecstasy pills on the rapper.

It’s unclear where T.I. is going next, but it appears a flock of cameras will follow. VH1 said Wednesday that the network will film T.I.’s journey home from jail and debut the show in December. MTV aired a similar reality show on the rapper in 2009 called "T.I.’s Road to Redemption: 45 Days to Go," which chronicled his attempts to help others avoid his mistakes.

Associated Press Mesfin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

(AP Photo/John Amis, File)

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