Prison-bound rapper T.I. was forced to cancel a talk with New York school students on Friday after city officials deemed his appearance too "commercial" and called off the event.

The Whatever You Like hit-maker is due to begin a year-long jail term this month for illegal weapons possession and has dedicated his last days of freedom to speaking to youths about the dangers of breaking the law for his MTV reality show, T.I.'s Road to Redemption.

The rapper, real name Clifford Harris Jr., was scheduled to appear at Brooklyn's Crown Heights Middle School of the Arts for the show. But Department of Education spokeswoman Margie Feinberg scrapped the appearance on Friday, declaring the visit too "commercial."

Before officials cancelled the event, Principal Susan Hobson-Ransom admitted her staff and students were looking forward to meeting the rapper. She told the New York Daily News, "We're very excited about his visit if it's going to help the children do positive things with their lives."

T.I.'s sentence relates to his 2007 arrest, when he was caught trying to buy an arsenal of guns from an undercover FBI agent. He will spend a year and one day behind bars after pleading guilty to possession of unregistered weapons.





-Click to View Gallery

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)