(ThyBlackMan.com) After all the legal trouble T.I.’s endured, will his latest arrest for possession of a controlled substance kill his career? Not if theBVX has anything to say about it, so we’re giving the King of the South a few tips on how to live his life.
1. Explain Yourself IMMEDIATELY
The longer rumors fly about what really happened when you were pulled over in Los Angeles with your wife Tameka “Tiny” Cottle last week, the worse off you’ll be. It sounds like there was (allegedly!) weed and a couple of Ecstasy pills involved. While drugs are bad, kids, this stash of illegal substances sounds minor in the grand scheme of things. However if you let this go on too long without making a statement, you’re gonna have five bricks in the trunk, a pound of Mary Jane in the glove compartment and an empty bottle of Ciroc on your lap in no time. Tell us something, Tip — anything!
2. Keep Tiny Off Twitter
It looks like you might have already taken care of this one (Tiny’s been MIA out on the tweets for a few days now), but if she reaches for her BlackBerry again, stop her — quickly. Listen: We know Tiny is a ride-or-die chick and 
she’s only trying to help you out, but screaming on fans via Twitter is probably the least helpful thing she can do right now.
3. Get on Twitter Your Damn Self
Learn a lesson from Kanye West here (we know, we know — we never thought we’d say those words, either). Twitter is a very powerful tool and can literally change your public perception overnight. So rather than having your assistant or publicist shoot off promo tweets, take five minutes and send out a couple yourself. You don’t have to apologize for everything you’ve ever done (a la Kanye!) but talking directly to your fans will let everyone know where you’re coming from in this precarious situation.
4. Release a New Song, a New Freestyle, a New UStream, a new Anything
And that video of you performing in Atlanta just a day or two after getting busted doesn’t count! Seriously, nothing will make us all forget about your latest legal infraction like a taste of your latest music. It doesn’t have to be the second coming of ‘What You Know’ (though, for the record, that would certainly help); it just needs to be something that makes headlines and moves your arrest onto page two of the blog roll. Whatcha got?
5. Make an Appearance Somewhere That’s Not a Club, a Concert or a ‘Takers’-related Function
Remember that time a photo leaked of T.I., Tiny and their kids at church? Right about now, Tip, you could use another shot like that. Something that says, “I made a mistake, but I’m still a family man!” Church might be a little over the top. But a shot of the family at the mall, at the park or the supermarket will work just fine. Basically, anywhere that doesn’t serve alcohol.
6. Watch ‘T.I.’s Road to Redemption’
T.I., the most unfortunate part of this whole thing is that you spent the last two years of your life making a real difference in the lives of kids. You showed them that they can do something with their lives and stay out of trouble. Hearing that you got into trouble again yourself makes that good work almost irrelevant. Go back and watch your MTV series again, Tip. It’s time to get back on that road.
7. Prepare to Pay for Your Actions
The second most unfortunate part of this whole thing is that you’re going to face some legal repercussions for getting busted with Ecstasy. You basically have to if the federal government doesn’t want to get caught with egg on its face. Talk to your lawyers, Tip, and prepare yourself. Making this go away as quickly as possible (even if that means plea bargaining) is probably your best option.
8. Work. Work. Work. Work. Work. Work. Work. Work. Work. Work.
You’re behind the eight-ball right now. You’ve been out of the limelight for a couple years and, despite the success of the new single, ‘Got Your Back,’ you’re just recently stepping back into the public eye. Tip, you need to maintain that momentum, so get in the studio — not now, but right now — and work on enough material to release just in case you do have to take another “break.” Look at how Gucci Mane did it (another thing we didn’t think we’d ever say!) and follow that pattern, Tip. We need 10 songs a day for the next month. Leeeeeggggooo!
9. Don’t Mess Up Again
This should go without saying. Then again, it should have gone without saying a week ago too, right? Between now and whenever your current legal situation gets worked out, you can’t do a single thing wrong. Don’t drive 26 in a 25 mph zone. Don’t litter. Don’t even think about crossing the street outside of a crosswalk. Road to redemption, dude, road to redemption. Stay on it!
10. Rename ‘King Uncaged’ Please!
We hate the title ‘King Uncaged’. We hated it when you first announced it, we hated it when you started promoting it and we hate it today even more than we did back then. Hate, hate, hate it. Well, no time like the present to make amends for that mistake by going with a new, more appropriate title. ‘Redemption Songs’? ‘Sole Survivor’? ‘Long Live the King’? It can be whatever you’d like as long as you’re changing other aspects of your life, too. Now get to work.
Got any other tips for T.I.? What do you think of his latest legal predicament? Do you feel bad for him?
Written By Chris Yuscavage
