Rapper T.I. released after drug arrest in Los Angeles

Page last updated at 11:56 GMT, Friday, 3 September 2010 12:56 UK

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T.I. appeared with Denzel Washington in Ridley Scott film American Gangster

US rapper T.I. has been released from jail after being arrested on suspicion of possessing ecstasy.

He was taken into custody with wife Tameka Cottle in LA on Wednesday night (1 September) after police said they smelt cannabis coming from their car.

The Grammy award-winning rapper was a passenger in the vehicle, which was stopped on Sunset Boulevard.

The pair were released early on Thursday after posting $10,000 (£6,500) bail each.

In December T.I. was freed from prison after serving several months for illegal firearms possession.

He's on three years probation, so if charged and found guilty he could be sent back to jail.

The rapper's probation officer could also recommend that he take more drug counselling classes and undergo more frequent drug tests.

His defence attorney, Ed Garland, said: "We're not making any observations at this time.

"This is an unfortunate occurrence, and we do not know what the outcome will be."

New album

The Atlanta rapper revealed earlier this summer that he was planning to release his new album this year.

He wrote most of the record while in prison after being locked up in 2007.

T.I. and former Xscape singer Tameka Cottle, 36, were married last month

The 29-year-old was caught trying to buy semi-automatic weapons on the way to a BET Awards show.

T.I. was released from a halfway house in March and has done 1,000 hours of community service which included warning young people about the dangers of guns, drugs and violence.

After his release he said he was changing his life: "Right now, it's all about moving forward and just acknowledging the blessing that are here today.

"[I'm] just moving past the regrets of yesterday, the things that could've been done better."

In recognition of his time spent inside jail, the rapper's seventh studio record will be called King Uncaged.

He's also appearing in US box office hit Takers which stars Idris Elba, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and Zoe Saldana and has collaborated with the likes of Rihanna, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake.