By Johnny Firecloud

Rapper T.I., whose sixth album, T. I. vs. T. I. P., has been a chart heavyweight since its release last July, apparently took his bit part in the film American Gangster a little too seriously.

Last week, the Grammy Award winner pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. He was arrested Oct. 13, just hours before he was to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.

Under his initial not-guilty plea, T.I. faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. The terms of his guilty plea make 27 year-old T.I. (real name Clifford Harris) eligible to receive a much lighter sentence, but will still require him to spend time behind bars. He will likely be ordered to complete 1,500 hours of community service, at which point he will be required to serve up to 12 months in jail.

He has been under house arrest since being released on $3 million bond on Oct. 26,The judge has decided to give the artist a year before he's sentenced so he can prove himself through dedication to community service work, talking to youth groups about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs.