Over the past month, T.I. and his wife, Tameka Cottle, have been trending for very controversial reasons. A former close friend, Sabrina Peterson, claimed she was allegedly sexually abused by the two and that T.I. supposedly held her at gunpoint. 

She then proceeded to screenshot claims from over 15 more women about sexual abuse sustained by T.I. and Tiny. The couple has since firmly denied the allegations and have kept a very low profile in the public eye since these controversial accusations surfaced. 

T.I. is now speaking out and this time, it’s in an interview with The Shade Room. Here, he detailed how Black men in position of power are always “challenged” and “ridiculed.”

“I think that, you know, one thing social media has shown us, and society at large, is one, that anytime a Black man is in a position of power and he uses his platform to speak on behalf of the community and to help people who need the most help…that’s gon’ be objected to, challenged, ridiculed.”

T.I. went on to cite that Black history legends such as Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party’s Fred Hampton both suffered this same public criticism as well. The Atlanta rapper added that people’s “fantasies” and “fiction” of him will never go above what he knows about himself. 

“I mean, from Malcolm X to John Africa to anybody. To Fred Hampton, it’s gon’ always be challenged as long as you tryin’ to be a voice for the voiceless. You just gotta believe enough in your purpose. Stand up, and go on through it. But other people’s fantasies and fiction of me will never overrule the facts I know of myself.”

T.I. and Tiny have had their reality TV show on VH1, “T.I. And Tiny: Friends And Family Hustle,” (Formerly Family Hustle) on the air since 2011. Production of the latest season has since been suspended in the midst of the recent sexual abuse accusations.

“We are aware of the allegations, and while they are not connected to our show, we have reached out to T.I. and Tameka Harris, as well as local and state officials,” said an MTV Entertainment spokesperson in a statement to Billboard. “Given the serious nature of the allegations, we have decided to suspend production in order to gather more information.”

T.I. also did very well last fall in regards to his music. October saw the release of his 11th studio album, “The L.I.B.R.A.” The acronym is “Legend Is Back Running Atlanta.” This project was led by the singles “Ring” featuring Young Thug and “Pardon” feat. Lil Baby. Other appearances included John Legend, 21 Savage, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, and more. The L.I.B.R.A. ended up debuting at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,