Akon

R&B superstar Akon has spoken out in support of jailed rapper T.I., insisting the star was "set up" over a weapons deal. Twenty-seven-year-old T.I., real name Clifford Harris Jr. - is currently in custody after allegedly sending his bodyguard to buy three machine guns and two silencers from an undercover police officer who was posing as an arms dealer. But Akon believes Harris was the victim of an unfortunate situation, but adds the rapper should not rely on carrying a gun to protect himself when he could afford 'legitimate law enforcement.'He tells MTV news, "It's obvious he was set up," he said. "But sometimes when you're in a position of that stature and you're that big ... you just don't allow that energy around you. You have to have people around you to let you know or avoid that energy. Even if he was a [gun] collector, naturally, you get a license to collect. That's just common sense. ... At that stage where he's at, he don't need to protect himself. You hire legitimate law enforcement, or you hire people who are licensed to carry [guns]. Surround them around you and you'll be safe.” "You get to a certain point where they say, 'You can take the kid out the ghetto, but you can never take the ghetto out the kid,' " Akon continued. "T.I. was experiencing that for a minute." "I hope he can make the best out of that situation," 50 told MTV News. "If he gets 10 years, that ain't bad," 50 added, assessing T.I.'s charges and the evidence the feds have claimed to have against him. "If the security person is already telling, it's obvious that's their witness. They got tapes, they got all this. ... [If it was me,] I would have to tell the people I did it and sit down for a minute. Nobody wants to hear that you have to stay 10 years nowhere. It's not a good thing, period. It's unfortunate, but he got himself in that space. ... I don't know the real facts. Maybe he didn't do it; let's keep our fingers crossed." "Tip was feeding this man's family," David Banner said of the bodyguard. "We don't do it like that, dog. We don't talk to them boys. However it went down, we sit down [and do the jail time,] where I'm from. Dude, you don't tell it. You hope the people you holding down is man enough to hold your people down. [The bodyguard] wasn't a convicted felon, my dude. He could have held [Tip] down. We gotta start making the environment in our neighborhoods not conducive to snitching. How I'm doing this song, I'mma make it uncomfortable for snitches." Banner admitted that he does not know the specifics of the case but supports his friend regardless.