T.I.
Photo: Moses Robinson/ Getty Images

T.I. is still keeping an eye on things while serving his year-and-a-day prison sentence for felony weapons charges. On Wednesday, Ludacris tweeted that he spoke to his fellow Atlanta heavyweight.

Luda's messages reveal that Tip is keeping up on current events and feels for his peers Lil Wayne and Lil Boosie, who both have to go to prison at the top of their careers, much like Tip has had to do.

"Talking to TIP," Luda tweeted. "He says to tell Wayne and Boosie he Hates the situations y'all are in, but he's ridin' with the both of you."

'Cris added that Tip had a message for the kids in the Windy City in the wake of the Derrion Albert murder: "TIP also says to all my Chicago peoples, cut out all that damn nonsense!!! Sh-- has got to STOP!!!!!! I 2nd that!!!"

The 16-year-old Albert was killed in the streets of Chicago several weeks ago while trying to break up a fight. The tragedy was captured on cell phone video and posted on the Internet, horrifying viewers. The Reverend Jesse Jackson and Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan both attended Albert's funeral earlier this month.

Tip had a chance to speak out publicly through fiancée Tameka "Tiny" Cottle during the recent BET Hip-Hop Awards. The King of the South reassured fans he would be home soon. Tip also won Best Hip-Hop Collabo and Best Hip-Hop Video for "Live Your Life" with Rihanna and CD of the Year for Paper Trail.

• MTV News RAW: T.I.

• T.I.
• Ludacris
• Lil Wayne

Philant Johnson and T.I. in 2004
Photo: Ray Tamarra/ Getty Images

An Ohio man pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges as an accomplice in the 2006 slaying of a T.I. associate, according to The Associated Press.

Padron Thomas, 41, struck a deal with prosecutors, agreeing to testify against his younger brother, Hosea Thomas, the shooter, in exchange for lesser charges. The elder Thomas was originally facing a murder rap, but after pleading guilty, he will now be sentenced for manslaughter instead.

Thomas drove the car that was involved in the May 2006 shooting that killed Philant Johnson and injured three others. Thomas and his brother were in a skirmish with T.I. and his entourage after the rapper performed in Cincinnati and partied afterward at a local nightclub. The Atlanta superstar directed his crew to leave the venue in the wake of the scuffle, but a group of men followed them and began firing shots at the vehicles carrying the rapper and his camp.

Hosea Thomas was later found guilty of murder and several counts of assault and sentenced to 66 years in prison.

His fate was sealed via damaging testimony from Padron. It was the second time Hosea was sent to jail for publicly firing a gun. The first time occurred nearly 15 years ago in 1992, when Thomas shot wildly into a crowd during a bar fight and wounded a pregnant woman. The woman testified against Thomas after giving birth prematurely as a result of her injuries. He spent eight years in prison for the incident.

Padron Thomas is scheduled for sentencing in his case November 17. He is already serving 17 years in federal prison on separate drug charges. Thomas is expected to be sentenced to 10 years as part of his plea deal.

• T.I.

T.I. in his video for "Hell Of A Life"
Photo: Grand Hustle

Even behind bars, T.I. is living a "Hell of a Life."

The incarcerated rapper's latest video premiered on Monday (October 5) and continues the prison theme set forth by his last video, "Remember Me," featuring Mary J. Blige. That video, which was to be the first single from the proposed Paper Trail reissue that was later shelved, was released just after Tip began his sentence and opened with the Atlanta rapper in an orange jail-issued jumpsuit.

"Hell of a Life" is similar, with Tip donning his prison duds early in the clip. But while "Remember Me" struck a more somber tone, "Hell of a Life" is celebratory. After the rapper enters prison, the Erik White-directed video flashes back 24 hours. Tip is shown all alone in a bedroom-like setting watching his career highlights on a flat-screen TV.

"Beamers, Bentleys, double Rs, Ferraris/ Every time I seen shorty, 'Where you headed tonight?'/ Selling out arenas, chicks with asses like Serena/ Man, shorty live a hell of a life, I'm tryna tell them," T.I. raps on the track's chorus.

The video is interwoven with performance clips as T.I. travels from the isolated bedroom to cruising around town in a Rolls Royce filled with bikini-clad women. A club scene ensues before Tip's time is up, and he finds himself beginning his prison sentence. There's a shot of a calendar with a red X across one of its days, and then the video ends with "To be continued."

Perhaps it's a nod to Tip's next album. The rapper revealed prior to beginning his real jail stint that his follow-up to Paper Trail will be dedicated to life after his trial. The rapper was sentenced to one year and one day in prison after illegally attempting to purchase firearms in Atlanta.

"The celebration, putting these things behind me and moving forward," Tip told MTV News in April about the direction of his next album, scheduled for a 2010 release. "Showcasing a new resilience, you know? Laughing in these suckers' faces. I'm going to get back to some of the old elements that put me on people's minds."

• T.I.

Beyoncé at the 2007 VMAs
Photo: Jon Kopaloff/ Getty Images

We can only imagine what Lady Gaga will wear to the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards this Sunday. So, until Gaga sets foot on the red carpet and onstage in one of her typically eye-popping getups, it's time to look back on some of the greatest outfits other nominees and performers wore at VMAs in the past few years.

Pink dressed in all black for the 2006 VMAs. Her chic, high-waisted pinstripe pants paired with a see-through blouse were girly enough but still edgy thanks to heavy eye makeup and a nose ring.

	Best Of VMA Red-Carpet Fashion

Beyoncé looked like a goddess in 2007, showing off her curves in a gold gown with a thigh-high slit and a neckline that revealed just enough of her décolletage. She finished off the glamorous look with a high ponytail, big earrings and lots of bangles.

Hot pink never looked hotter or hugged anyone's body better than when Rihanna stepped onto the red carpet in 2007. With just a few blond streaks in her hair and her barely there makeup, RiRi made quite a fashion statement.

Of course there are also the guys who have definitely left their marks on the red carpet. In 2007, the two guys that stood out were Kanye West and T.I. Tip arrived at the Las Vegas show in a silver suit that Dean Martin would have loved. Kanye opted for a black tuxedo jacket and paired it with casual black pants and high-top black sneakers.

Katy Perry, who is nominated this year for her video for "Hot N Cold," showed the world her signature vintage look in 2008 with beige satin hot pants, a star-patterned halter top, feather wristband and hot-pink shoes. She capped off the throwback look with pin curls and red lipstick.

That same year, Taylor Swift made her VMA debut. The country superstar, who is nominated for Best Female Video in 2009 for "You Belong With Me," shined bright in a sequined gold dress and her curly blond locks. The look definitely proved that she belonged as the night's fashion correspondent.

Britney Spears re-emerged at the Princess of Pop in 2008 and looked like a trophy herself in her glittery metallic dress with flapper details on the hem. Miley Cyrus decided to go Roman when she went to the VMAs in 2008. In her slate-colored, beaded sheath dress, Miley kept it young and fresh by pairing it with platform shoes, a belt and just a tiny necklace.

Thanks to shades of nude, pink, silver and white the Pussycat Dolls glammed up the 2008 red carpet. They (thankfully) weren't wearing matching outfits, but each girl picked a dress that seemed to best fit their personality.

Watch the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Preshow this Sunday, September 13, at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the big event, live at 9 p.m. Check out our interactive map of New York to see how the city is celebrating the VMAs all week long, and stay tuned for party coverage, concert reports, behind-the-scenes updates and more.

• VMA 2009: The Entire Show On Demand
• The 2009 VMAs Are Taking Over NYC!

• Best Of VMA Red-Carpet Fashion

• Beyoncé
• Pink
• Taylor Swift
• Katy Perry
• T.I.

50 Cent
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

On Thursday (August 20), former Super Bowl hero and New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty to weapons-possession charges. When he's sentenced September 22, it looks like he'll be given two years in prison as part of his plea bargain.

And that's not the end of his problems. There is still no word on how long the free agent will be suspended from the NFL when he gets out of jail or even if a team will want to invest money into a contract with him once he's free. Being a huge New York Giants fan, I've been sick over the situation ever since Plaxico accidentally shot himself in the leg last year while concealing his weapon in his pants. Yes, Plax showed poor judgment, which he's paid for dearly, losing his $30 million-plus contract with one of the best franchises in the NFL, and now he has to go to jail and his career is in jeopardy.

However, one thing myself and my partner Rahman Dukes spoke about when assessing this plain sad situation is how the general public and some mainstream news outlets are quick to vilify and pass judgment on high-profile stars such as Burress or even T.I.

The professional athlete and the MC are intertwined in so many ways, from the way they can bring an arena full of people to their feet on command, to the similar environments they grew up in. Unfortunately, they also share well-publicized problems with the law. We don't know exactly why Plax was armed that night. Maybe he was concerned for his personal safety like T.I. was. We just feel like, in the end, people shouldn't assume that all athletes or rappers from certain backgrounds are going to be in some type of legal trouble at a certain point in their careers.

50 Cent — who the New York Post referred to as a "bullet magnet" three days ago — has caught so much flak in the press lately because of his planned "40 Day" gathering in his old neighborhood on August 30. Fif and the G-Unit have been talking about the positivity they are striving for while offering free food, music, big-name stars and even some professional companies coming out to the community. For all his troubles, 50 gets bashed in the press and will not even be allowed to perform for his home crowd. The situation is deep. This is definitely a conversation you will want to see.

What do you think? Have Plax, Fif and T.I. gotten a fair shake, or have they been unnecessarily vilified? Weigh in below, or make your voice heard on Your.MTV.com!

• Off The Dome: Eminem, 50 Cent

• 50 Cent
• T.I.

Alfamega
Photo: Ben Rose/ Getty Images

Things just aren't going Alfamega's way the past few months. The former T.I. affiliate was unceremoniously booted from his boss' Grand Hustle camp in May when it was revealed he had turned state's witness in the past in exchange for a lighter jail sentence. Then, following his dismissal, the husky rapper broke his leg while evading police in his home state of Georgia. He was later arrested.

In July, he attempted to reconnect with T.I. through an open letter. However, it's not known if Tip ever responded. Recently, Alfamega posted a video on YouTube alleging the documents the Smoking Gun posted that outed the rapper as a snitch were doctored. He also maintained he was younger at the time and therefore more mistake-prone.

The document-digging Web site struck back at him late Thursday night when they released the transcript of Alfamega's court testimony in which he agreed to cooperate with the government.

"Do you agree to enter a plea agreement?" a prosecutor asked the rapper. "Have you decided to cooperate with the government?"

Alfamega answered in the affirmative to both questions, according to the transcript of his testimony. Next, Alfamega identified a man as a drug dealer he had purchased large amounts of cocaine from in the past. He also offered information on other criminal associates, the transcript revealed. The rapper also disclosed that he was the father of 13 children from 13 different women.

The man Alfamega turned state's evidence against was later sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking.

T.I. himself was alleged to be a snitch when he struck a deal in his case involving his attempt to illegally purchase firearms in Atlanta on the eve of the 2007 BET Hip-Hop Awards. The rapper was facing serious jail time, but ended up being sentenced to one year and one day in prison after he completed over 1,000 hours of community service.

So when the news about Alfamega broke — who Tip featured on his single and video for 2008's "Hurt" — T.I. took to Atlanta radio and announced his onetime compatriot has been banished from the crew.

"Even though all our artists and employees are asked by us to be honest and open about their past history, at no time did Alfa disclose to me or Grand Hustle what has now appeared in the media," Tip said in the statement he read on air. "He essentially deceived us by failing to fully disclose the truth about his past, and there is no place in our organization for dishonest and misleading behavior. As I have always said, you must take responsibility for your own actions. We at Grand Hustle can not support or condone the blaming of others for our own mistakes. I hope and pray to God, bless his savings plans, but I don't foresee me or my company playing a role in his personal or professional business."

• T.I.

Soulja Boy Tell'Em in his "Turn My Swag On" music video
Photo: Interscope

With the voting for the VMA nominees underway, fans are talking about Kanye or Eminem, Slim Shady or Asher Roth, Jay-Z or T.I. The possibilities go on and on.

When it comes to debates about who is the hottest, I may know a thing or two about that. Fellow MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trustee Rahman Dukes and I sat down this week to discuss the nominations in a couple of categories for this year's Video Music Awards: Best Male Video and Best Hip-Hop Video.

The latter includes Asher Roth's "I Love College," Eminem's "We Made You," Jay-Z's "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" and Flo Rida's "Right Round." Best Male features mostly hip-hop dudes: Eminem, Jay-Z, and Kanye West for their aforementioned clips as well as T.I.'s "Live Your Life" and Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent."

While I won't spoil the video and tell you guys who we each chose, I can mention a couple of videos that we'd add to the nominees if we could.

Since Lil Wayne's "Got Money" was from last year, I'll cast my vote for Soulja's Boy "Turn My Swag On." Young'n had his game on with that video! It was lo-fi but high energy, and a very entertaining video. A young black brother (singing significantly off-key, however) getting that cream; coming from nothing to something in a major way. When he was 9 years old, Soulja swore he was gonna die for that gold.

Rahman is partial to Rick Ross' "Magnificent" video. How could you not crack a smile at seeing Ross in an ascot at the horse races? And he even brought Special Ed back for the video!

Check out the video and let us know what you think!

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place September 13 at 9 p.m. ET. Nominees, celebrity presenters and additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. To be the first to find out the inside scoop, follow the Inside MTV Twitter account at Twitter.com/InsideMTV.

• The 2009 VMA Nominations Are In!

• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• T.I.
• Jay-Z
• Asher Roth
• Eminem

Alfamega
Photo: Ben Rose/ Getty Images

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive

Yeah, we just dropped that Lil Wayne exclusive Thursday morning (July 30), but we had to come back with another one. Everyone wants to know the about this new plot twist in the T.I./ Alfamega saga. The latest development is a Mega song called "Round One" hit the Internet on Thursday. Because it comes less than a week after Alfamega sent several media outlets an open letter to his former boss, many are interpreting the track as a T.I. dis.

"Get your money up, let it pile up," Mega raps with a sped-up flow. "Every other song, I'mma switch the style up.

"Committing treason, get more than 100 lashes," he adds. "Drop your ass like Jay did Dame Dash's/ Let me cool down before I blow a head gasket/ Slappin' this bi---, put a ni--a in casket/ One phone cool do a ni--a something tragic/ Make your wife a widow and your son a little bastard."

But in an exclusive interview with Mixtape Daily, Mega shot down the assumption that he is taking digs at T.I.

"The song was recorded when I was with Grand Hustle," Mega said of the song, which was set to be included in a mixtape called 10 Round K.O. " My mixtape was already recorded before. I been hitting people on my Twitter this morning saying only fake people feed into fake beef. [The mixtape songs were] recorded when I was with Grand Hustle. I'm on a different thinking level. I'm not into rap beef. Beef gets more attention than the positive stuff. I don't wanna be put into that category of beefing with Tip, especially when he's down. I felt bad when he did what he did with me when I was in hospital chained to the hospital bed."

Mega said that an image circulating featuring Tip's and Mega's heads superimposed on the bodies of two pugilists was made by a fan. He insisted the mixtape has absolutely no dis records aimed at anyone in particular.

"It's just showing a different side of being lyrical," he declared. "It's really like the game 'Fight Night.' It was recorded it in the sense of 'Fight Night.' Every song has a different round. I'm not dissing nobody, man."

The mixtape was supposed to be released online soon. However, shortly after the initial conversation with Mixtape Daily this morning, Mega informed us that 10 Round K.O. will no longer be coming out.

"People are just going to misinterpret the project, and I'm going forward in another direction."

In May, Alfamega was kicked out of T.I.'s Grand Hustle family in the wake of an article on the TheSmokingGun.com that said Mega was an informant for the government in the 1990s in a drug case against a defendant named Ali Baaqar.

On Monday, Alfa released a video claiming that the DEA documents the Smoking Gun posted were false. "Somebody typed them up."

"I ain't no snitch, I don't work for the DEA or none of that," Mega said in his vlog, adding that he was pressured to lie in his testimony against Baaqar to avoid jail time. "From the time I did it, I was remorseful. It hurt me. I ain't snitch on this dude, I lied on this dude."

In the video, Mega says he lied out of "loyalty" to an unnamed person. He also claims that T.I. knew of his shady past. "Tip might sit there and fake with y'all. Shawty knew what it was the whole time. I been told him this."

• Mixtape Daily: Lil Wayne, Tony Yayo, The Game, More

• T.I.
• AlfaMega

Alfamega
Photo: Ben Rose/ Getty Images

Former T.I. affiliate Alfamega released an open letter to his onetime boss on Thursday (July 23), imploring the rapper to speak with him in hopes of reconciling their differences after Tip publicly booted him from the Grand Hustle camp in May.

"Look, I understand that business is business, therefore you have to manage yours the way you see fit," Aflamega wrote. "On the real, I'm not coming to you as a disgruntled crying assed bi--- who's mad about being let go. I'm coming to you as a man who is disappointed that he was publicly exiled by a friend. You've often said that you're a man of your words, but homey, you are not being true to your words. Instead, you're trying to play me like I'm a pawn in your own personal game of chess."

A source close to Alfamega confirmed the authenticity of the letter to MTV News on Thursday.

Two months ago, T.I. took to the Atlanta airwaves to announce he was kicking Alfamega out of the crew after allegations surfaced that the hulking rapper was once a government informant. In an emotionless statement, T.I. said there is no place in his "organization for dishonest and misleading behavior." Tip himself had to dodge rumors that he "snitched" or turned state's witness in his own case after he received a lenient sentence for attempting to purchase illegal firearms as a felon.

In his letter, Alfamega claims that others close to T.I. are actually the ones that aren't to be trusted. He singled out Pee Wee, one of the kids from T.I.'s "Road to Redemption" series on MTV, saying, "He should exercise some restraint and keep that mouth under control. That's how wars get started between two nations that are supposed to be allies."

Throughout the letter, Alfamega underscores his allegiance to Tip, from personal moments where he said he defended the rapper's honor, to professional matters, including T.I.'s past feud with Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace clique.

He said he was "astonished" by his current circumstances.

"I'm dismayed by the fact that you — of all folk — would leave me treading water in the middle of the ocean with my situation," Alfamega said in the letter.

Currently, Alfamega is recuperating from surgery after injuring his legs in a police chase. He was arrested in May on felony gun charges and later charged with attempted escape. The incident occurred one week after his ejection from Tip's Atlanta-based group.

Alfamega closed the letter by wishing his former friend well and issuing him a challenge to contact him in a week. Although the "Muscle of Grand Hustle" reached out to T.I., he also seems intent on facing off with his former boss if need be. He warned of the outcome should he and Tip not be able to patch things up.

"Should you choose to not call me within that timeframe, I'll know exactly where we stand," Alfa closed the letter. "At that point, we'll separate and we can get it off like Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle. It will be what it is, you on your side of the ring, and me on mine. Instead of a boxing ring, it'll be the studios and instead of boxing gloves, it'll be me lyrically pounding you."

• T.I.
• AlfaMega

T.I.'s <i>Paper Trail</i>
Photo: Atlantic Records

For months, T.I. fans — and the man himself — have been talking about the re-release of his chart-topping Paper Trail album, a project intended to tide everyone over until the rapper finishes serving his 366-day prison sentence on felony weapons charges.

The reissue (tentatively titled Paper Trail: Case Closed) was supposed to feature as many as five new tracks, including collaborations with The-Dream, Ciara and first single "Remember Me," Tip's track with Mary J. Blige; a video for the song premiered Tuesday on MTV.com. There was no firm release date for the album, but various retailers had it hitting stores on August 18.

But now, in news that will likely come as a shock to T.I. fans, MTV News has learned that the Paper Trail reissue has been shelved indefinitely.

That's according to a spokesperson for T.I.'s label, Atlantic Records, who told us on Tuesday (July 14) that "the re-release is definitely not happening," and that "we plan on releasing the additional songs digitally."

There was no reason given for scrapping the reissue, nor was it clear what will happen to projects like the video T.I. shot for the song "Hell of a Life," which the rapper posted photos of on his blog just days before beginning his prison sentence. "Remember Me" is already available for download through Atlantic's online store.

In recent years, the reissue has become a popular marketing ploy for heavyweight artists — Fergie, Rihanna and Beyoncé to name just a few — looking to squeeze some extra life out of a massive album, collect additional singles or to hold fans over in between releases.

• T.I.

2009 American Music Award Nominees

• Michael Jackson
• Lady Gaga
• Jay-Z
• Taylor Swift
• Beyoncé

Who Are The Landmarks Of The VMAs?

• Britney Spears
• Lady Gaga
• Jay-Z
• Lil Wayne
• Beyoncé

2009 VMA Nominees

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Green Day
• Kings Of Leon
• Paramore
• Fall Out Boy

T.I. Performs At His Final Countdown Concert In Atlanta, GA

• T.I.
• Rich Kids
• 8Ball and MJG

T.I.'s "Hell Of A Life" Video Shoot

• T.I.

T.I. Holds A Press Conference After His Sentencing In Atlanta

• T.I.

2009 Grammy Awards Show

• Whitney Houston
• Justin Timberlake
• Jennifer Hudson
• U2
• Coldplay

2009 Grammy Weekend Parties

• Lil Wayne
• Rihanna
• Akon
• T.I.
• Cassie

On The Set Of DJ Drama's "Daydreamin' " Video Shoot

• DJ Drama
• T.I.
• Akon
• Snoop Dogg

T.I., Nas, Common, More At BET Inaugural Ball

• Common
• Nas
• T.I.
• Young Jeezy
• Nick Cannon