Guns, Medallions, Lawsuits: Rapper T.I. Has More Legal Drama

It appears that being in prison doesn't help the rapper T.I. avoid the fate of other wealthy entertainers. T.I. is being sued by Norris Gersham, a sound engineer who works at T.I.'s studio. Accrording to Gersham, he was assaulted and held for 12 hours against his will because one of the artists, Killer Mike, couldn't find his gold-diamond encrusted medallion.

With every passing day, I am seeing more and more that the wild west days of Death Row Records in the 1990s are still upon us. T.I. and his associates, who once presented themselves as representing the evolution of hip hop, are now positioned as nothing more than a reminder of the same old thing. I'm not sure what could be more stereotypical than a bunch of black men fighting over a diamond encrusted gold medallion. I guess we'll get more of the details in a VH-1 'Behind the Music' special in the year 2025.

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Hip-Hop Artists

2 Pac
From co-starring in films with Janet Jackson to selling multiplatinum records, Tupac Amaru Shakur is one of hip-hop's most celebrated artist. Beginning his career as a roadie for Digital Underground, Pac quickly rose to the forefront as a solo artist with such hits as 'I Get Around' and 'Dear Mama.' In 1996 the late rapper made history with his Death Row Records debut, 'All Eyez on Me,' which was the first double album in hip-hop.

(Photo: Chi Modu,Getty Images)

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Salt-N-Pepa
Cheryl James, Sandy Denton and DJ Dee Dee Roper make up the spicy rap duo of Salt N Pepa. Mixing pop music with a tinge of female empowerment and sex, the group has sold more than 13 million discs to date. These Grammy-winning Queens from Queens were most recently seen on reality TV with 'The Salt-n-Pepa Show.'

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Run DMC
Run DMC (Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels and the now deceased Jay Mizell) are true rap pioneers. Signed to the famed Def Jam label, Run DMC ruled the '80s with classics like 'It's Like That' 'You Be Illin' and 'Peter Piper.' They were the first group to merge rap and rock, to hit No. 1 on the R&B charts and to get a product endorsement (Adidas).

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Ludacris
With his distinctive articulation and wickedly sexy lyrics, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges is one of hip-hop's most successful, with a slew of hits including 'Stand Up,' 'Move B*tch' and 'Runaway Love.' Luda is also one of only a handful of rappers to have a successful record label, Distubing Tha Peace, with signees Chingy (who later bounced) and Bobby Valentino.

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Juvenille
Ridin' that beat like he stole somethin', Cash Money Records alum Juvenille (Terius Gray) is one of the most talented MCs to emerge from the South. With a string of hits starting in the late '90s including 'Ha,' and 'Slow Motion,' Juvie hit paydirt with 'Back That Azz Up' which propelled him to crossover fame.

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Jay-Z
Brooklyn bomber Sean "Jay Z" Carter is one of hip-hop's greatest MCs. With his cocky, smart lyrics, Jigga began his career with 1996's 'Reasonable Doubt' (a rap classic) and hasn't looked back. Jay Z has released 14 albums, won seven Grammy Awards and sold at least 50 million records. He is now "retired" from rap to concentrate on his business ventures.

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LL Cool J
The original cocky MC, James Todd Smith (LL Cool J) signed to Def Jam in 1985 at 17. That year, he dropped his first hit, rap classic 'Rock The Bells.' For the next 20 years, Cool J brought the pain with hits like 'Jinglin' Baby' 'Boomin' System' 'Going Back to Cali' and 'Mama Said Knock You Out.' LL has two Grammy Awards.

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Missy Elliot
Missy Elliot is not your typical sexed up femcee. In fact, not only is she a rapper, but she is a singer, producer and writer, having made songs for the likes of Aaliyah, Fantasia, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson. With her own hits like 'Get Ur Freak On' 'The Rain' and 'Hot Boyz' this five-time Grammy winner is a mistress of many trades.

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Eric B and Rakim
The first musical collaboration between Eric Barrier (Eric B.) and William Griffin (Rakim) -- 1986's 'Eric B. Is President' was a moment in hip hop. Not only funky, the metaphorical lyrics and flow were never seen before. The duo's subsequent album, 'Paid In Full,' and then 'Follow The Leader' are looked to by rappers and purists as two the genre's greatest.

Hip-Hop Artists

50 Cent
Curtis Jackson, the rapper known as 50 Cent, took his hardscrabble life and parlayed it into 50 cents times a few million. After being "discovered" by Eminem and produced by Dr. Dre, 50 Cent's star went into orbit with a slew of hits like 'In Da Club,' 'P.I.M.P.' and 'Hate It or Love It.' Surprisingly, the controversial Queens rapper has yet to win a Grammy.

Hip-Hop Artists

Another element of this "compelling" story is that other artists with names like 'Spodee,' 'C-Rod' and 'Mac Boney' are named in the lawsuit for their part in the alleged assault. Gersham claims that someone threatened him with a gun before pushing him down a flight of steps. C-Rod allegedly recorded the fight on his cell phone and sent it to T.I., whom the suit claims did nothing to stop the attack.

Killer Mike has taken issue with the allegations and says that they are "100 percent false." He also argues that the story runs counter to the role he plays in the community as a youth advocate. While we might like to know the truth, it appears to be nothing more than he-say, she-say at this point.

Apparently, T.I.'s involvement in the lawsuit comes down to his having the deepest pockets and the biggest name in the room. The Chinese have a saying that "the fattest pig always gets slaughtered," so if you're as wealthy as T.I., you might as well accept the fact that people are going to sue you if you give them an opportunity. I'm not sure if receiving the cell phone video should make T.I. liable in the suit, but it certainly helps the lawsuit get into the news.

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As for the nature of the attack, I just wonder -- when we can get past the days where brothers feel the need to thug it out in the studio, with a pound of weed, pulling pistols out on each other over gold chains. The business of hip-hop has turned into a pile of monkey business, keeping black men in situations where we are begging to be enslaved, broke or incarcerated. This whole story is just silly.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.