T.I. Talks Jail Experiences in New BET Special

T.I. will be coming to the small screen tonight (November 29) as part of BET’s new series Food For Thought.

The recently incarcerated rapper sat down with radio personality Angie Martinez, sportscaster Steve Smith and hip-hop journalist Harry Allen months before heading back to Forrest City Federal Correction Complex to speak on his previous experiences behind bars for this 2009 conviction on gun charges.

During the interview Tip talked about why he felt he didn’t belong in the prison system. “To be candid with you, I learned, man, prison ain’t for gangsters, prison is for losers,” he told Smith. “Gangsters find ways to avoid prison. Gangsters find ways to exit the game and legitimize their businesses and learn how to turn their strengths into enterprises.”

“If you look around in a prison, at least myself, I saw thieves, I saw burglars, I saw crackheads, I saw, you know, the same people that I would walk around on the street, and you would never associate with these people out of respect for yourself,” he added. “Ok, so if you’re on the street and you’re looking at these people and you are above their standards, how do you and them end up in the same place, one bed next to each other? I got to be better than that.”

Tip follow Jay-Z and 50 Cent, who both also appeared on the show.

Food For Thought: Conversations With T.I. airs tonight at 8 p.m. EST/ 7 p.m. C on BET. —Elan Mancini

Check out a preview of the show below.