Judge Orders Rapper T.I. Released On $3 Million Bond

ATLANTA (AP) - A federal judge ordered rapper T.I. released on $3 million bond Friday, but he must remain in home confinement while he awaits trial on weapons charges. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman said the singer must remain under house arrest at a home in Henry County. He wasn't more specific about the location.
T.I. (real name: Clifford Harris) will be monitored 24 hours a day by a private monitoring service that he must pay for. He's restricted to the home except under certain circumstances, including medical appointments and court appearances. He cannot own any firearms and cannot have contact with any witnesses or informants in the case.
Noting that T.I has a team of highly qualified attorneys, the judge said: ''You shouldn't do anything that will undermine their ability to represent you.'' Defense lawyer Ed Garland argued that based on the amount of money being put up, there's no reason not to release his client.

Professor Griff seeks hip-hop defense

Professor Griff is looking for people who want to defend the hip-hop culture from destruction. He's recruiting allies in Montgomery on Saturday.

Griff, a member of the influential rap group Public Enemy, will hold a special lecture at Tania's Art Gallery, 2055 Carter Hill Road, at 5 p.m. entitled "The Psychology Covert War on Hip Hop."

The main focus of the discussion will deal with what Griff feels is the covert war against hip-hop. This includes some re-education on what Griff calls the four fundamentals of hip-hop: MCing, DJing, graffiti and breakdancing.

"I want the young people to learn it and the older people that didn't get it the first time to understand it," Griff said. "What we have today can't be considered hip-hop because those four elements don't exist."

Griff said there are a lot of changes in hip-hop since he and Public Enemy opened the consciousness of a nation with classics like "Fear of a Black Planet," "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" and "Yo! Bum Rush the Show."

"The music is so pathetic, weak and meaningless now," he said. "It's bubble gum, disposable music that you dance to for a minute and forget two weeks later. It has no shelf life."

The lyrical content and messages are also a problem, Griff said.

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