Clifford Harris Jr. a.k.a. “T.I.” has been in and out of the spotlight for almost a decade. He performed numerous concerts and has recorded six albums on his path to worldwide fame. Most believed he had overcome his hard past to become a true Hip Hop icon.
However, his former life eventually caught up with him. In recent years he has been in and out of the courtroom battling for his freedom and recently he was convicted on weapons charges that landed him in more trouble than he could have ever imagined. This violation of his probation has assured him one thing - he will be going to jail. The question is, for how long.
Knowing he will be facing jail time, Harris suddenly decided to change the lives of young men and women who were headed down the same path he was, the wrong path. Through MTV, he named and created a show, “Road to Redemption”. In this show, Harris visits with young people to show them the consequences of staying in the streets and leading a life of crime. He was determined to change these young men’s lives before he was sentenced. Or that’s what he wants the public to believe.
The idea of this show came under the terms of Harris’s sentence. He was ordered to perform community service in order to pay his debt to society. In return, he would receive some leniency from the judge. Hmmmm…. One has to wonder (and I do) if he was doing this just to be on TV or if he was genuinely trying to change others lives or if all he was worried about was a lesser sentence. And who is to say that the lives of the young people are actually being changed? It takes more than a day or two to change a LIFESTYLE. If the cameras were in front of me, and T.I. was at my side, I would pretend to be changed too. Is this show indeed a “show”?
Personally, I believe Harris is somewhat genuine in his attempt to change lives. For some, it takes the threat of having something precious (such as freedom) stripped away before they see the wrong they have been doing. Some may see this show and think the artist is putting on this act because he was caught. I think he recognizes that he broke the law and must be punished for his actions but only to an extent. I still question whether he is a changed man. Needless to say, I am looking forward to seeing what his life will be like after he is released.
However, his former life eventually caught up with him. In recent years he has been in and out of the courtroom battling for his freedom and recently he was convicted on weapons charges that landed him in more trouble than he could have ever imagined. This violation of his probation has assured him one thing - he will be going to jail. The question is, for how long.
Knowing he will be facing jail time, Harris suddenly decided to change the lives of young men and women who were headed down the same path he was, the wrong path. Through MTV, he named and created a show, “Road to Redemption”. In this show, Harris visits with young people to show them the consequences of staying in the streets and leading a life of crime. He was determined to change these young men’s lives before he was sentenced. Or that’s what he wants the public to believe.
The idea of this show came under the terms of Harris’s sentence. He was ordered to perform community service in order to pay his debt to society. In return, he would receive some leniency from the judge. Hmmmm…. One has to wonder (and I do) if he was doing this just to be on TV or if he was genuinely trying to change others lives or if all he was worried about was a lesser sentence. And who is to say that the lives of the young people are actually being changed? It takes more than a day or two to change a LIFESTYLE. If the cameras were in front of me, and T.I. was at my side, I would pretend to be changed too. Is this show indeed a “show”?
Personally, I believe Harris is somewhat genuine in his attempt to change lives. For some, it takes the threat of having something precious (such as freedom) stripped away before they see the wrong they have been doing. Some may see this show and think the artist is putting on this act because he was caught. I think he recognizes that he broke the law and must be punished for his actions but only to an extent. I still question whether he is a changed man. Needless to say, I am looking forward to seeing what his life will be like after he is released.
No comments:
Post a Comment