AllRespect.com // T.I. Says Critical Georgia Parents Ignored His 'Message'

Posted on 2010-06-02 03:00:14
Artist/band(s): T.I. [FB]

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1640499/20100601/t_i_.jhtml

'I think the message is more important than who's giving it,' Tip says of his middle school visit, on 'The Wendy Williams Show.'By Jayson Rodriguez

T.I.Photo: Moses Robinson/ Getty Images

T.I. won over fans and court officials alike last year when he starred in the MTV show "Road to Redemption." In the series, viewers followed the Atlanta MC as he counseled troubled kids about avoiding the mistakes he'd made. Filmed before he went to prison on weapons charges in June 2009, "Redemption" also helped satisfy the requirements of Tip's reduced sentencing deal, which included 1,000 hours of community service.

But not everyone was moved by the rapper's progression. In April, some parents of students at a Georgia middle school were upset after learning that T.I. visited as a featured speaker. Parents were not notified before the rapper's appearance.

T.I. responded to the criticism in an interview with talk show host Wendy Williams. He told Williams that before lashing out against him — parents should ask their kids what they'd learned.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, speaking freely if I may, I honestly believe that they should more concerned with the message than the guy giving the message," the rapper said during Friday's episode.

"I think they should have asked their children, 'What did you hear? What did he say?' The complaints came after the fact. I think they should have asked, 'What did this guy tell you?' I think the message is more important than who's giving it. Because if it had been an accountant, a dentist, someone else coming in giving the same message, the message wouldn't have been received."

Last year, in an interview with MTV News, Tip opened up about the heart-to-heart conversations he was having with children, and said he would continue to give the talks ever after his release from prison. He addressed specifically the kids he had mentored on "Road to Redemption."

"[I know] they desire to," Tip said of his impression that the at-risk youth wanted to do good. "Of course, they don't ride around with T.I. every moment of every day of their life — when they're not with me, they're back in their environment that they were in before they met me," he explained. "The people they spend most of their time around can have a negative influence on their decision-making sometimes. A lot of times they can overcome that negative influence, sometimes it's half and half. They still go to school, get good grades, do the right thing. When they come home, sometimes they're kicking it here and kicking it there, doing things — they might not do it as much as they used to."

What do you think about T.I.'s comments? Share your thoughts comments.

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