As expected, rapper T.I. was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison as part of his plea deal with prosecutors over a 2007 felony weapons charge.

“Today I would like to say thank-you to some, and apologize to all,” the rapper said.

“Everything I learned was through trial and error. I’ve learned lessons in my life to put in my music so people won’t make the same mistakes as I.”

The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., is required to voluntarily turn himself into prison within the next 30 to 60 days, but is not expected do so before May 19.

Northern Georgia District Judge Charles Pannell Jr., who praised the artist for exceeding the expectations required from his plea deal, acknowledged that T.I. had commitments that prevented him from being jailed before the May date.

It’s unclear where he will serve his time, though court officials acknowledged that he would be receiving credit for the 305 days he already spent in home detention.

“I think this has been a great experiment,” Pannell told the rapper of his plea deal. “I hope this experience can lead to other experiments so others won’t make the same mistake at all. I congratulate you.” …

The reformed rapper has made 262 public appearances as part of his community service agreement in addition to taking part in a pro-voting campaign, working with children and appearing in the MTV reality show Road to Redemption.

T.I. was arrested on Oct. 13, 2007, just hours before he was scheduled to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards after cops busted him attempting to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers.

As for his sentence, being as it is (just) more than one year long, he will be eligible for early release, should his good behavior warrant it. Had his sentence been one year or less, he would have been required to serve the duration of the time behind bars.

So they had to sentence him to an extra day in prison so that he could get released early? My God, our legal system is sooooo weird.

But, ya know, as much as one can be a good example by being brought up on a felony weapons charge, I think T.I.’s been a good example here. It’s refreshing to see a celebrity taking the conditions of their plea deals seriously and admitting to fault.

Despite earlier reports that Rihanna was not cooperating with authorities, it looks like she is cooperating fully. So, ya know, good for her.

Meanwhile, T.I. went on Carson Daly’s show last night and was asked about the incident. “I spoke to him today,” T.I. said. “He’s cool, you know. He’s a little concerned about the situation, but he’s still the same Chris. I told him, ‘This too shall pass.’”

Ummmm … what the fuck, T.I.?

I don’t care what actually happened, someone should have told you that you do NOT GO on national television acting like domestic violence allegations are the kind of thing you can be “a little concerned” or “cool” about. You, my friend, are headed to jail in March — isn’t that right? So maybe you don’t have this whole life thing figured out just yet, and maybe you should shut the fuck up.

I’m just so annoyed with all this.

“I think I have a calmer spirit. I think I have become a man of thought, rather than a man of action. I think I have evolved as a person. I think I have grown. I have stepped outside of the tough exterior shell I used to have. I am still myself. I still know how to get down with the best of them, but it ain’t necessary to show that. There is no room in my life for that part of me.”

Rapper T.I., discussing with CNN how recent years — which have seen him have hit singles and be sentenced to a year in jail — have changed him.

The entire interview is pretty interesting. He’s an articulate dude with a very positive point of view. Check it out here.

As Jason Wahler enters jail, rapper T.I. — who was jailed right before the BET awards on gun charges — was finally released on bail.

He’s under house arrest until his trial, for which a date has not yet been set.

Mazel tov to T.I., who won two BET awards mere hours after being arrested for paying his bodyguard to purchase multiple machine guns for him, without registering them. T.I. cannot legally purchase the guns because he is a convicted felon. And no one in this country can legally purchase a gun without registering it.

T.I. was taken into custody in a shopping center parking lot where federal officials said he planned to pick up machine guns and silencers he had his bodyguard buy for him.

The arrest Saturday resulted from an investigation that began this month when a federal firearms licensee contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about a man inquiring about buying a machine gun without registering the weapon as required by law, according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.

After trying to buy several machine guns from an undercover ATF agent, the unnamed person began cooperating with the government and said he was buying the machine guns and silencers for Clifford Harris, T.I.’s given name, the complaint said. According to the bodyguard, he had bought about nine firearms for T.I., and the rapper had given him cash to buy guns four different times, it said.

Harris brokered the deals through the bodyguard because he is a convicted felon, the complaint alleged. It is against federal law for a convicted felon to have another person get firearms on their behalf.

Okay, seriously, in my sheltered little LA Beach Cities life, I can’t imagine ever having a use for even a single machine gun. I guess I can understand how someone from a very different background — whose best friend was killed in a shoot-out last year — might want to have a single machine gun. But multiple machine guns? What on earth is one person going to do with multiple machine guns? I mean, could you really even fire them both at the same time? I know it happens in the movies, but in reality, wouldn’t the force of it push a grown man to the ground? And how could you ever use more than two? Are you going to fire one with your toes? Hold it between your thighs and hope your penis can reach? And who are you shooting at that you need, like, four machine guns? The entire cast of Tekken? I don’t get it, kids. I just don’t get it.