Grammy-winning rapper T.I. was arrested Saturday afternoon just hours before the second-annual BET Hip-Hop Awards were scheduled to begin in Atlanta. The self-proclaimed "King of the South" was on tap to perform his latest singles, 'You Know What It Is' and 'Hurt,' before being picked up by Federal authorites outside a Walgreens drug store, and charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers. The Atlanta-born rapper was up for nine nominations and went on to win two awards despite his absence.

In 2006, T.I. hit the big screen in the coming-of-age drama 'ATL' alongside fellow rap star Big Boi of Outkast. T.I.'s next film project could prove to be his most mainstream. T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., will join Academy Award-winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in the upcoming film, 'American Gangster', in theaters November 2. The Hip-Hop Awards will air on October 17.