T.I. eager for the next challenges

T.I. expects a good year.

That might not be readily apparent, as the multiplatinum rapper and actor (real name Clifford Harris Jr.) famously spent the last half of 2009 in an Arkansas prison on federal weapons charges.

But starting Friday, with the release of Takers, the diabolical heist film of which he is a star and an executive producer, things will likely swing up for the Atlanta native. He'll follow that movie's release with his first CD in two years, the highly anticipated King Uncaged, scheduled to drop days after his 30th birthday on Sept. 25.

T.I. knows how to beat back adversity. He grew up hard.

His father died from a long bout with Alzheimer's disease, and T.I. was a high-school dropout and drug dealer arrested in his teens. These problems gave rise to reflective CDs such as King (2006), T.I. vs. T.I.P. (2007), and Paper Trail (2008). He's also acted in American Gangster and ATL.

"I don't know if there's much left to intimidate me save for the uncertainty of the future, maintaining a certain level of success, and the abilities to do so," says T.I. from CBS/KYW studios while in town to promote Takers. "It's not necessarily intimidating as it is motivational, pushing me to continue to find new ways to challenge myself."

T.I. is ruminative yet cheerful. As he speaks in his Georgia drawl, he strokes the wisps of hair on his chin and tugs at the jewel-encrusted chain of dog tags around his neck. Positive aspiration in the face of negativity and making the most of one's life are ideas that run through his patter. For example, producing Takers wasn't just about finding something new in his career. "It was about learning something new," he stresses. "Learning is crucial to me. It's about maximizing opportunities and living up to my full potential."

The ensemble-cast crime caper was offered to him in 2007 with the role of the coldly calculating Ghost, a character left behind by his crew during a botched robbery. After spending time in prison without ratting out felons played by Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious) and Chris Brown (the rapper), Ghost wants his due and to get back in with his crew, only to vengefully right the wrongs that drive the film to its bloody denouement. Think of Takers as Michael Mann's Heat meets Martin Scorsese's The Departed.

"I love Heat," says T.I. enthusiastically when comparisons are made. T.I. grew up a fan of Goodfellas as well as hip-hop-inspired flicks such as Juice and Boyz n the Hood.

After T.I. spoke with Takers' creators about changes in the script to give it street authenticity ("Can't say what," he laughs), doors opened to allow him to become one of its producers.

"I felt strongly about Takers," says T.I, pointing out that although Ghost has less screen time than other characters, his is the most pivotal role. "The story revolves around Ghost's decisions and whims, whether he's on screen or off."

As a producer, T.I. decided to release the film after he completed his recent jail sentence so he could promote Takers in person.

T.I. was arrested in October 2007 and charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He was not permitted to own guns because of a 1998 conviction on felony drug charges. Rather than go immediately to jail, he entered a plea agreement to remain out of prison for a year while he performed community service. During that time he also wrote and recorded Paper Trail, produced MTV's reality series T.I.'s Road to Redemption, and filmed Takers as the first of a three-film deal with Screen Gems. He went into prison in May 2009, got out before Christmas, and entered a halfway house until March 2010.

Guns? T.I. says he doesn't have any and isn't going to unlawfully possess any. But he plans to protect himself, and whoever around him can carry weapons will carry them.

"One learns so much in prison," says T.I., smiling. "I guess I learned different ways to manage circumstances - different approaches to best- and worse-case scenarios."

Prison gave him time to think about how he previously approached his life. T.I. says he had to get honest with himself. "There's plenty of time for that openness."

With regard to what he brought from real prison to Takers' jailed Ghost, T.I. says it was nuanced elements such as being resentful of time spent away and how to pick up where one left off. "A lot of people use prison as a badge of honor," says T.I. "I learned that the badge of honor comes with staying out, not going in."

Oddly enough, T.I. says he did little writing in regard to his upcoming King Uncaged, an album he confidently told Rolling Stone was the "most significant return from incarceration that the game has had" since Tupac Shakur's epic All Eyez on Me.

Yes, T.I. is that cocky: "A celebrated artist with a widely publicized legal situation goes into jail and comes out with the same level of success and artistry as when he went in. Maybe even more so. Yes, I believe I can do that."