T.I. Plays Handball, Checks E-Mail to Pass Time in Prison

Besides the obvious legal, moral and social implications of being sentenced to a long stretch behind bars, finding a way to pass the endless hours undoubtedly becomes the biggest challenge of completing a prison sentence. To pass the time, incarcerated performers seem to find a multitude of ways to occupy themselves.

Da Brat recently organized a talent show for her fellow inmates and according to ongoing allegations Foxy Brown went as far as conducting a photo shoot during her stint in a correctional facility. But while community service events and career moves are all respectable pastimes, jailbirds like T.I. prefer to keep things a little simpler.

During a recent chat with Allhiphop.com, T.I.'s wife, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle explained that in addition to staying up to date on the music business, her husband keeps himself busy in prison by playing sports -- specifically handball.

"He's doing good. He's passing the time by working out and just doing things they do inside, you know," Tiny said. "He's playing handball and things like that. I go see him every Sunday, sometimes on Mondays. We talk everyday. He gets e-mails, [he's] working out and doing things like that, so he's busy in there. He has a full schedule."

Tiny also went on to add that besides honing his handball skills, T.I. was concerned about her safety while he was locked up. "He wants me to stay out the way, me being out of harm's way. I know it's a lot of crazy things going on so I try to stay in as much as possible because I don't have him here," she said. "So I come out only when it's necessary. I stay out the way."

T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, is serving a year and a day thanks to a plea deal reached with prosecutors over a 2007 felony weapons charge. The ATL rapper still has a few solid months of handball in his future, as he is scheduled to be released from prison on March 26, 2010.