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The rap star TI (Clifford Harris) was a no-show at the BET Hip Hop Awards, after being arrested by Federal Authorities shortly before the performance.  He was scheduled to perform, but was noticeably absent, leading many in the event to speculate on the situation.
 
Known as the “King of the South”, TI was up for 9 nominations, and won two awards.  He was arrested early Saturday, taken into custody in a shopping center parking lot by Federal officials, where he allegedly planned to pick up machine guns and silencers he’d had his bodyguard buy for him.
 
Rapper KRS-One said that TI’s experience should not reflect on the industry as a whole.  "I'm saddened anytime I hear of a hip-hopper being locked up or somehow stunted in his life or his growth," he told The Associated Press. "I hope he wasn't into nothing crazy."
 
Other artists who were scheduled to perform with TI were still able to perform.  Wyclef Jean enacted TI’s song, “You know what it is”, and comedian Katt Williams came onto stage impersonating the rapper.
 
The rapper TI, who is 27 years old, had the #1 album in America earlier this year with his release of TI v. TIP.  The police claim that they found loaded weapons in the car he was driving.  His body guard claimed that he had bought nine weapons for the rapper and had given him money to buy weapons on four occasions.
 
The arrest was the culmination of a month long investigative effort in which a licensee of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives called in about a man attempting to buy machine guns without registering the weapon.  This was according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.
 
The man then proceeded to try to buy several machine guns from an undercover agent.  Once he was confronted by authorities, the man began cooperating with Federal agents and admitted that he was buying the guns for the rap star, TI. 
 
Allegedly, the deals were brokered with the bodyguard by TI because he is a convicted felon.  It is illegal for a convicted felon to get someone to purchase firearms on their behalf.