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It was soon discovered by many who came to see T.I. perform, that this same "scenario" has been repeated over and over again at various locations where he performed across the country. Thus, this display of bravado is a part of his act. I personally find this somewhat disturbing.

Let me start off my saying that I am a HUGE fan of the man whose legal name is Clifford Harris. Called "Tip" by his closest friends, he is a legend in his hometown Atlanta and his success story has been an inspiration to many in his camp, his city, and across the globe. He has done much to establish the South as a musical and lyrical powerhouse.

Taking none of that away, I feel that incorporating threats of violence into your stage act as if it is some type of choreography, does damage to T.I.'s image and sends the absolute wrong message to the people he seeks to inspire. I do not know T.I. personally - but to many it could be said that he is already seen as a "hot-head," when you consider his now-notorious run-ins with the law, or his street fight with Houston rapper Lil' Flip. In his music he even cautions people that he has the tendency to snap and lose his temper.

But this attitude is almost the exact stereotype that is portrayed overall in mainstream culture about Black men: we are over-sexed, hypermasculine, short-tempered and thus likely to turn to criminal culture to sustain us. T.I. seems to be beating a dead horse over and over again and I can't help but wonder why. To achieve the level of success he has, he must run across many haters that attempt to do what they can to rain on his parade. There is a value in creating an image that instills a level of fear and respect because if you come at T.I., he might just come into the crowd after you and that may be a necessary defense mechanism when you consider his fame and fortune.

But many of his fans, a good portion of whom are children, may not have the ability to rationalize the situation in those terms. What do they take from a situation where their favorite rapper is putting a bounty on the head of a "hater?" Is this how we should handle haters in real life? A week ago, T.I. spoke at the BET press conference about how parents should be raising their children, not rappers. And while I agree with that statement I believe that Mr. Harris knows that many (probably most) of Black America comes from broken homes where one or both of the parents are not present in their children's lives. So, yes, rappers you might have to be the de-facto parent to some kids that have no other.

To summarize, Tip, you are far too hot of an artist and lyricist to need some cheap stage act to verify your bravado when it already shows in how you carry yourself. Wear your gonads on the inside, where they belong.