TI, whose personal assistant Philant Johnson was shot and killed in Cincinnati last week, has spoken to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the incident, implying that the death of his friend may force him to re-evaluate his life and career. This is the real type of talk that needs to be heard right about now.
I interviewed him a week or two ago, before this all happened and he impressed me greatly with his considered answers when describing the way his life has changed recently. This is no big-shot baller, 'I'm the big-man' type of dude. "I see stars in the sky; people walk the streets" he said of his fame and fortune. Every question I asked him received the same measured response; thought out and 100% humble. So while I don't know what happened at the club, I do believe he would have tried to squash the argument, like reports have suggested. I think T.I would see there's no point in losing a life over a bunch of bullshit.
With so much violence going on right now around the world, people really, really need to consider the repercussions of their actions. T.I has lost not only a friend, but a sense of responsibilty he felt he had towards the safety of those surrounding him. It's even forcing him to consider his career - is this shit really worth it? I mean, really? Kids have lost their father, parents have lost their son, and for what? Having interviewed T.I a few times I've no doubt met Philant in passing but I didn't know him. Regardless, I hope not only he finds peace, but that his family and T.I do too.
Check the report below:
-------
"I'm kind of like watching my life change right before my eyes. I'm figuring out whether or not I even want to keep doing this stuff right now. I don't
know."
The rapper, real name Clifford Joseph Harris Jr, also described Johnson's last moments. "I told him that I had him and it was going to be all right. That was what I said. And he said, 'All right.' "
TI, who spoke at Johnson's funeral on Monday in Atlanta, explained to that Johnson had been his life long friend. "It just seems like as long as I can remember, he was there," he said. "As long as I can
remember, his mama and my mama were partners. His cousin and my uncle were partners. His auntie and my grandmama stayed up the street from one another. And we just always knew each other, and it was cool."
Harris added that he wasn't sure what had provoked the disagreement that led to Johnson's death but expressed his disappointment at what had happened. "Man, we kind of thought we didn't have to live like that no more. We thought that [stuff] was over for us. I'm not ever going to be the same.
Success isn't measured in money. It's measured in happiness. Peace. And I ain't at peace right now. And I ain't happy. My partner's gone."
Yesterday's reports suggested that TI would return to tour duties immediately, but in the interview, which he gave on Friday, he had implied that he was by no means ready to continue with his series of live sets, saying: "I don't know if I'm going to be in New Orleans Tuesday. It's hard to say. Because there are so many things that Philant would be doing that ain't going to be able to be done now. I mean, Phil handled everything. He made sure the only thing I had to worry about was performing and handling the business. One of the worst parts is, at the end of the day, I'm responsible for everybody. Everybody entrusts their husbands, their sons,
their daughters, their brothers, cousins, their best friends - everybody entrusts them to me. And it is my responsibility to ensure their safety and their safe return. And this is one time that I could not do that."
No comments:
Post a Comment