T.I. Makes Surprise Visit to West Philadelphia School

T.I. made a surprise appearance at Harambee Charter School in West Philadelphia yesterday (June 11) according to Philly’s WPVI-TV. The Atlanta native used his celebrity status to preach a positive message to the kids about staying in school and not mimicking what they see in hip-hop videos. “When you leave out your home and go through your day, you see more people who don’t go to school than who do go to school,” T.I.P. said. “But that don’t make it right. Ain’t nothing lame, ain’t nothing punkish about being smart. Ain’t nothing punkish about being 25, 26, 28 and never had a run in with the law. That don’t make you a punk, man. That makes you a winner.” T.I., who claims he was a “misguided youth myself,” felt compelled to deliver a strong message that getting out of the ‘hood is something to strive for. “If only one of y’all walk away and say, I didn’t even look at it like that. I’m a start handling myself different,” T.I. told the crowd. “If I can get that from just one of y’all, then my job is done. I’m cool.”