via VIBE Magazine

The Grammy-winning superstar, T.I. is living the good life these days, but that's about to change for the 27-year-old rapper.

T.I. rocks the cover of next month’s VIBE and poses as famous cultural icons Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg inside the mag, which details T.I.’s life since his headline-making arrest in 2007.

His arrest occurred before his performance at the BET Hip Hop Awards when he attempted to collect three unregistered weapons. Because he has been convicted of a felony before, the typical sentence for this crime would be about 30 years in prison.

The typical sentence has been reduced in a special exception for T.I. to only one year in prison so long as he completes 1,500 hours of community service by March 27th. His community service has involved speaking to at-risk youths in juvenile detention centers across the country.

VIBE Editor Benjamin Meadows-Ingram follows T.I. during some of his court-mandated speaking engagements and the filming of his MTV show, T.I.’s Road to Redemption. On the show, the rapper is not seen as a criminal but as a role model as he speaks with at-risk youths about the consequences of breaking the law and the ability for anyone to turn their life around.

But many people are skeptical about whether his light punishment is really an attempt to help young people or a way to excuse a celebrity from a real prison sentence. What do you think of T.I.’s court-sentence and service efforts? Comment below!

By CGG reporter, Caroline Kotter