S. Samuel
After just a few weeks after T.I. turned himself in for a 366-day prison sentence, Maino has shared his thoughts on how Tip will handle his time behind bars.
Claiming the two often speak, Maino said the rapper’s past history in prison will work to his advantage.
“Me and Tip talk all the time,” he said in a recent interview. “And actually, I was at his house the day before, which was Sunday, the day before he went in. He went in Monday. I was at his house, we talked briefly and we talked other times. You know, he’s a dude that’s been through struggle already. It ain’t like he ain’t never been to jail before. It’s just a hard pill to swallow when you got so much going on. He’s a strong dude and I know he’s gonna get through it. He knows what it is when he goes in there, he knows how to handle himself and the focus, goal, is to get back there to his family and to his business, music, money and do what you gotta do. In and out. He gonna be all right.” (iHipHop)
Other artists close to Tip such as Bun B recently spoke with SOHH about the rapper’s prison sentence.
“Tip’s a very intelligent young man, he’s very resourceful,” Bun explained. “He has a very sharp sense of understanding life and situations involved in it. I couldn’t give him any more advice than what he probably knows already. Just to keep God first, stay focused and do his time don’t let his time do him. Prison is not a place to commiserate and make friends at. But like I say, all these things are things that I’m very sure Tip knows already. I’d just tell him to keep his head up like anybody else and make sure he got an address on me and I got one on him. So I can shoot him a kite, send him a picture or two. That sh*t go a long way I don’t think people realize. Tip’s a good dude he’s a smart dude. I’m pretty sure with God on his side, he’ll be alright. (SOHH)
“Whatever You Like” producer Jim Jonsin talked with SOHH about Tip’s time behind bars.
“I was trying to see if he could get an iPod in there so he could write some music while he’s in there. He doesn’t think that that’s possible. T.I. look, what I’m going to do for you is I’m going to contact every crooked cop in the system and I’m gonna find a way to get you an iPod so you can write some music,” said Jonsin. “So any of you corrections officers that want to try and get T.I. an iPod just contact Jim Jonsin and I’ll send out ten bucks and an iPod so you can buy some lunch or maybe I’ll get you a beer tab at your local bar.” (SOHH)
Maino, despite his New York City roots, has been able to draw in a strong crowd of support from Southern fans.
“You already know what I’m about, I’m a solider, I’m a rider, I’m a ghetto survivor, matter of fact, I’m all of the above, you feel me,” he said in a video interview. “Over here in Orlando, Florida, just got finished performing you know…A real n*gga always gonna get love no matter what. [I get love in the South] because I’m a different kind of, different design of n*gga. You understand what I’m saying? They gonna f*ck with me because I ain’t greetin’ all the people, I’ma come down and give ’em me. I ain’t gonna come down here with some bullsh*t.” (Power Played)
Check out Maino’s interview below:
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