Accepting an honor at the Hip-Hop Inaugaral Ball, Rapper T.I. spoke of his faith in God. From MTV:

“I want to thank God for somehow … I know he perfect. So I’mma thank him for everything. I’mma thank him for making me drop out of school. I’mma thank him for making me run the streets. I’mma thank him for making me sell crack. I’mma thank him for making me have shoot-outs. I’mma thank him for allowing me to watch my partners die in my arms,” he said, his voice rising and quickening and taking on the cadence of a fire-and-brimstone preacher. “So I’d be fearful enough for my life and paranoid enough to go out and cop machine guns and silencers so I catch a fed case and I have to put up $3 million for my bond so I have to spend seven months of my life in my house, so I have to spend a year of my life in prison just so I be validated enough to get out there and touch the youth because they know that I done been through it, and if I say it, it means something. You know what I’m saying?”

Tip acknowledges that the circumstances of his life led him to be where he is today – an example to our young men who are thinking about taking Tip’s path out of the hood. Instead of bemoaning his upcoming year in prison,  he’s instead committing his life to keeping our kids off the streets, and out of the trap. That’s real growth.

I’m proud of you, Tip!