TI: "I've probably lost $10-12 million"

With 1000 hours of community service to complete by next March, losing a lucrative endorsement deal may be the least of T.I.’s worries, but it’s a prime example of the shaky relationship between big business and artists with high profile legal problems. During a recent interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tip revealed that Big Three automaker General Motors has ended its relationship with the rapper as a result of his federal weapons case. “Nah GM had to back up off of me,” the Grand Hustle CEO told a reporter when she asked about the deal. “There are films that I missed out on. Not speaking of, of course, shows. Tours. Tons of business. I’ve probably lost about $10 to $12 million dollars.” Despite the huge financial toll his legal problems have taken on his career, Tip remains surprisingly upbeat, explaining that he’s just happy to have the opportunity to earn money elsewhere. During a 2007 interview with MTV prior to his arrest, T.I. explained that he had no problem with corporations cutting ties with artists due to controversy. “If I hire you today based on what I knew about you prior to me hiring you and I learned something tomorrow about you that I feel like doesn’t represent this company in the light that I see fit, then I reserve the right to not have you represent me,” he told MTV’s Sucker Free Blog. “As long as I’m not being malicious and it’s not race, creed, gender or nothing like that, I think that anybody who holds the checkbook reserves that right.”