T.I. tried to spread some Christmas cheer over the weekend by posting a video on his StreetCred.com social networking site, updating fans on the recording of his upcoming album, Paper Trail, and offering remembrances of some of the friends he lost this year.
Standing in front of a fireplace, next to a towering Christmas tree in his Atlanta-area home, T.I. wishes everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
"Sorry I couldn't be there with you to do it face-to-face," he tells fans. Reiterating his earlier video message, he thanks fans for their support and prayers, saying "they're definitely working, keep the prayer going up. I know God is listening."
Though he faces up to 10 years in prison, T.I. tells fans to focus on themselves and not to sweat his problems. "Don't worry about me, man," he says. "Find you something else to worry about. God got me covered."
The biggest gift to fans, though, is news that the rapper is "about 30 percent" done with the recordings for his next album and that "everything is going well; everything's going great." The one thing he does not talk about in the video is what he refers to as "the situation," i.e., his case, but he advises fans to keep a smile on their faces, " 'cause I got a smile on mine."
The clip ends with T.I. in a darkened room, reflecting on his unpredictable 2007 ride.
"One thing about adversity," he says solemnly. "It [gives] you character. And it tests your manhood, and everybody knows I'm good to last."