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Rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris is working on a new studio album while under house arrest on pending gun charges, EW has exclusively learned.

A representative for the Grammy-winning artist, 27, says he has already completed six new tracks in a studio inside his Georgia home. T.I. hopes to release the disc, which he’s calling Paper Trail, in September 2008. The album’s title refers to the fact that T.I. is writing his new lyrics down — a practice he abandoned after his 2001 debut, I’m Serious. Each of his four subsequent albums, including this year’s T.I. vs. T.I.P., was composed without the aid of pen or paper. “He wanted to take more time to really put something down [this time],” explains his rep.

T.I. was arrested last month in Atlanta after allegedly trying to purchase several unregistered machine guns and silencers. (A federal search of his home also allegedly turned up other firearms, which the law prohibits him from owning as a previously convicted felon.) The terms of his bail currently require him to remain inside his house at all times while awaiting trial, and strictly limit the number of guests who can visit him; this week, his attorneys withdrew their request to allow additional guests for a family meal on Thanksgiving. (Additional reporting by Margeaux Watson)

Following his announcement one week ago today that he would delay his decision until today as to whether or not T.I. can be released, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman has agreed to free T.I.

“Right now [T.I.’s] on his way home to enjoy his children, his family, and his freedom,” T.I.’s lead attorney, Dwight L. Thomas, said to HipHopDX.com late this afternoon. “He’s under restrictions, but he’s at home. And you know the old saying, there’s no place like home.”

Facing federal weapons charges [to learn all the details of the case click here and here], T.I.’s lawyers requested that their client be released on bond while he awaits trial.

Last Friday (October 19th) T.I.’s attorneys presented a bond proposal to the court of $2.2 million dollars to procure the freedom of their client. They also offered to have T.I. placed in 24-hour-a-day monitored home confinement, which would mean T.I. is essentially imprisoned in his home until trial.

Judge Baverman requested that T.I.’s attorneys present a court approved home monitor. He also ordered that T.I. post $2 million in cash for bond – not the $500,000 cash deposit his lawyers had initially proposed – plus the equity in all the property he owns.

This afternoon Judge Baverman ordered T.I. released on a $3 million bond.

$1 million of that bond was secured by T.I.’s Henry County home. The remaining $2 million for the bond came in the form of two cashier’s checks provided by T.I. and Atlantic Records.

“We had a very fair judge,” says Mr. Thomas. “He followed the law. We’re pleased [with his decision]. Given the circumstances of this case, that was a reasonable [bond] proposal. And it was reasonable for the judge to impose the conditions [for release] that he did. Everything that has been done has been very reasonable considering the circumstances of this case.”

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, during today’s hearing Judge Baverman not only voiced concern about the possibility that T.I. might flee, but more pressing that friends or fans of T.I. might attempt to contact witnesses or informants in the case.

“If any threats befall [them]… the court will be looking to you,” Baverman said.

“Yes, your honor,” T.I. replied.

“Do you understand that?” Baverman asked T.I. after repeating the warning again.

“Yes, your honor,” he answered.

Judge Baverman said that only T.I.’s attorneys can contact victims, witnesses and informants. If anyone else does, T.I. could be arrested and face additional charges.

Judge Baverman has agreed to T.I.’s attorneys’ initial proposal that their client be released to home confinement. T.I. will be monitored 24-hours-a-day by Judicial Corrections Services, Inc. (which is run by one-time acting Fulton County Sheriff Robert McMichael) and cannot leave his home except under limited circumstances, including medical appointments and court appearances. He is allowed three visitors at a time, but they must first submit to criminal background checks.

Additionally, T.I. cannot have any safes in his home. This morning federal agents and representatives from the monitoring service searched his home to ensure it was free of contraband. They have since secured it and have let no one else in since their sweep.

As part of the general conditions of his release on bond T.I. must also submit to random urinalysis, and cannot consume any alcohol.

As of today, no future court dates in this case have been set. “At some point in time the judge will set a date for us to have what we call a federal pre-trial conference,” explains Mr. Thomas. “They’ll do that, and the judge will get a status update as to where we are, what type of challenges we will be filing, or what type of hearings we will need in the future. That pre-trial conference will be set probably within the next 20 days.”

Judge Baverman will handle all pre-trial matters such as these, but U.S. District Judge Charles Pannel is the man who will be deciding T.I.’s fate once, or if, his case reaches trial.

Unfortunately, fans waiting to hear directly from T.I. regarding this case will likely be waiting for some time to hear his words. “None can take place without court approval,” Mr. Thomas says of any interviews with T.I. “And no interviews can take place at his home.”

But Mr. Thomas makes clear that even though T.I.’s supporters can’t hear from him, that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten them. “He sends his well-wishes to his fans,” says Mr. Thomas. “He thanks them for all of their support.”

Rapper T.I. will be released on $3 million bond — $1 million secured by his Atlanta-area house and the rest in cash — but he must remain under house arrest until his trial on gun charges, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. T.I. (real name: Clifford Harris Jr.) is charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

T.I.’s attorneys brought to the bond hearing two cashier’s checks totaling $2 million provided by the rapper and Atlantic Records, according to the Journal-Constitution.

Baverman put the singer under house arrest at a home in Georgia’s Henry County (further details were not available at press time). T.I. must also submit to monitoring, 24 hours a day, by a private monitoring service at his own expense. The only times T.I. will be allowed to leave the home will be for medical appointments and court appearances; he’s also been forbidden from owning firearms and is not allowed to have contact with any witnesses or informants in his case, according to The Associated Press. He is also not allowed to have any safes in his house or car, according to the Journal-Constitution.

Noting that T.I has a team of powerful lawyers, Baverman said, “You shouldn’t do anything that will undermine their ability to represent you.”

At press time, T.I. had not yet been released from jail, but he is expected to be freed before the end of the day, as soon as he posts bond — which, his lawyers assured, would not be a problem. One of the rapper’s attorneys, Ed Garland, argued to Baverman that, based on the amount of money his client will have to put up, there was no reason why T.I. shouldn’t be released immediately.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Alley countered that the facts of the case suggest the rapper should be kept in custody, pending trial; however, he said that if the judge ordered him released on bond, the government wouldn’t oppose it.

On Friday morning, according to AP, federal agents and representatives from the monitoring service searched the home where T.I. will be staying for the foreseeable future, making sure it was free of contraband. They secured it and no one has been allowed inside since.

Prosecutors allege that T.I., 27, asked his bodyguard to buy three machine guns and two silencers on his behalf, an act that is illegal because, as a convicted felon, T.I. is not allowed to possess or purchase firearms. His bodyguard, whose name has not been released, was arrested on October 10 after he attempted to make the purchases without legally registering the sale, using money that, according to an affidavit, was taken out of one of the rapper’s bank accounts on his orders.

At a hearing last week, it was revealed that T.I. had up to a half-pound of marijuana in his vehicle at the time of his arrest, in addition to three handguns. If convicted, T.I. will almost certainly face prison time, which could run up to 10 years, as well as a $250,000 fine for each charge.

The rapper, who has a number of film and musical projects on hold pending the outcome of his trial, has received words of support from many members of the hip-hop community.

A federal grand jury today (October 17) indicted T.I. on three federal gun charges.

As reported earlier, T.I. was arrested at a shopping center parking lot in midtown Atlanta on Saturday (October 13) while trying to purchase a machine gun and two silencers from his bodyguard.

During the arrest, his Atlanta home was searched and six guns were found.

T.I. would be denied bond on Monday (October 17) by a federal magistrate who ordered that the Atlanta bred rapper should remain in custody until a hearing on Friday (October 19), where he will determine whether T.I. will be released on bond until his trial.

According to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, T.I’s indictment charges him with possessing unregistered machine guns and silencers; unlawfully possessing machine guns; and of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.

If convicted, he faces five or more years behind bars.

The rapper has reportedly added two more high-profile lawyers to his defense team, Ed Garland and Don Samuel, whose past clients include NFL star Ray Lewis and millionaire investor James Sullivan.

T.I. was initially represented by Dwight Thomas and Steve Sadow. The rapper will now have all four lawyers backing him.

The fact that the T.I. has a prior crack-conviction felony will make it difficult for his defense team to win a bond for him. Federal prosecutors want to keep the rapper detained until the beginning of his trial, which could be months away.

T.I. was denied bond during his appearance in federal court this afternoon. The rapper was arrested on Saturday afternoon on federal weapons charges. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tip appeared before U.S. Magistrate Alan Baverman with his hands and legs shackled, and answered “Yes, sir,” and “Yes, your honor,” when asked if he understood his charges. He reportedly made eye contact with family members who were present in the standing room only courtroom. Prosecutors have asked the judge to hold Tip without bail until his trial, which could take several months to get under way. Baverman scheduled a hearing for Friday to determine whether there was probable cause for the rapper’s arrest and whether or not he will qualify for bond.

Rapper T.I. was arrested in Atlanta yesterday [October 13] by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after he allegedly attempted to purchase three machine guns and two silencers from an undercover agent, acting as an arms dealer.

In addition to the three machine guns found in his College Park home, police also recovered six additional firearms from a closet in the rapper’s house.

T.I. has been charged with felony possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

According to U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias, T.I. allegedly sought to purchase an unregistered machine gun, as well as numerous other weapons.

T.I. allegedly paid almost a total of $21,000 in cash to his bodyguard to purchase over 25 firearms on his behalf.

The bodyguard, who was acting as a cooperating witness, told agents that he was purchasing the machine guns on T.I.’s behalf because the rapper is a convicted felon.

The man, who had been employed since July 2007, allegedly purchased nine weapons for the rapper as well as one weapon on behalf of another, unnamed individual.

The bodyguard purchased a total of nine weapons for T.I. and 17 for others on behalf of T. I., because of his prior felony conviction, which prevents him from legally owning firearms.

“Machine guns pose a serious danger to the community, which is why they are so carefully regulated,” said David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. “The last place machine guns should be is in the hands of a convicted felon, who cannot legally possess any kind of firearm. This convicted felon allegedly was trying to add several machine guns to an already large and entirely illegal arsenal of guns. Thanks to the good and quick work of ATF, he is now in custody and his firearms have been seized.”

The bodyguard, acting as a Confidential Witness [CW] placed a series of phone calls to T.I., which were recorded by the ATF.

The CW called T.I. and said “he had everything,” referring to machine guns he was allegedly supposed to purchase on behalf of the rapper.

On October 12, T.I. called the CW and ordered him to deliver the weapons yesterday [October 13].

“This investigation developed very quickly,” said Vanessa McLemore, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Atlanta Division. “We learned only this Wednesday that the cooperating witness was allegedly buying the machine guns for Harris. The cooperating witness told Harris on Thursday that he had obtained the items, and on Friday Harris made it clear that he wanted them delivered to him today. Harris then agreed to meet and took possession of the machine guns this afternoon. He now faces serious federal charges and a potentially long prison sentence.”

T.I. will remain in federal custody until Monday, October 15, when he will appear before US Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman at the United States Courthouse in Atlanta.

BMI held their Urban Awards ceremony in Las Vegas on Friday (September 7), honoring the likes of T.I., Ne-Yo, Mr. Collipark and Pharrell Williams among others.

The ceremony, held at the Zumanity Theatre at New York-New York Hotel and Casino, attracted some of music’s biggest stars in town for MTV’s Video Music Awards.

Some of the nights honorees included T.I., Ne-Yo and Mr. ColliPark who each earned Songwriter of the Year titles. They each composed four songs on BMI’s most-performed list. T.I. co-wrote hits “My Love” and “What You Know,” along with Lil’ C’s “Shoulder Lean” and Nelly’s “Grillz”; Ne-Yo co-penned Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” and his own “Sexy Love,” “So Sick” and “When You’re Mad”; and producer Mr. ColliPark co-wrote the Ying Yang Twins’ “Badd,” Diddy’s “Come to Me,” Bubba Sparxxx’s “Ms. New Booty” and David Banner’s “Play.”

“Check On It” secured Song of the Year honors for co-writers Slim Thug and Sean Garrett, and a special presentation officially recognized legendary MC, Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons of Run DMC, as the newest BMI Icon.

As one third of Run-DMC, Rev Run helped change the sound of rap by simultaneously being more street and rock & roll than his contemporaries. From the classic single “Sucker MCs” (1983) to their standard-setting discs Run-DMC, King of Rock, Raising Hell and Tougher Than Leather, Run-DMC helped take hip-hop, and music in general, to a whole new level. They stayed at the top of the pop charts for most of the 80s and knocked open the doors to commercial freedom for the hip-hop generation.

The night’s other big winners included Pharrell Williams, who earned the Producer of the Year title; EMI Music Publishing, named Urban Publisher of the Year; and T-Pain’s “I’m N Luv (Wit A Stripper),” which nabbed the BMI Urban Ringtone Award. Executives from music trade magazine Billboard were also on hand to give out No. 1 Awards to the BMI songs that reached the top spot on its urban music charts during the past year.

In addition to the BMI awards, Billboard was on hand to recognize the BMI-affiliated writers whose songs reached no. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Hot 100 charts during the past year.

For a full list of the night’s winners, visit BMI.com.