ATLANTA (AP)—With all the questions swirling around Clifford "T.I." Harris Jr. since his arrest on federal

weapons charges, perhaps the most pointed came from the judge who is hearing the superstar rapper's case.

"Mr. Harris is an exceptionally gifted and talented musician. He is exceptionally generous and has reached out to the community," U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman said during a bail hearing last week, with the defendant sitting before him in a navy pinstriped suit. "Somebody who has so many gifts to do good and do well ... risks it all by showing up at a gun deal."

That dichotomy has been on the minds of many in Harris's Atlanta hometown and beyond: How could a man at the top of his career risk it all in such a public, foolish act _ just blocks from a stage that would only increase his fame? Or does this drug dealer made good, who recently watched his best friend die after a highway gun battle, actually need illegal machine guns for protection?

At 27, Harris is years and seemingly a world away from the criminal life, having grown into his self-proclaimed title of "King of the South." But authorities say that on Oct. 13, about an hour before a scheduled performance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards, Harris showed up to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. He already had three guns in his car _ one of them loaded _ when he was arrested, authorities say.

Harris is charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.

Baverman was scheduled to decide Friday whether Harris could be released on bond.

To persuade the judge, his lawyers have proposed a $2.2 million bond, and offered to augment the GPS electronic monitoring with a live-in monitor while Harris awaits trial.

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Associated Press Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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