Rapper T.I.: Troublemaker to troubleshooter? The hip-hop artist aims to scare kids straight on MTV's new reality show 'Road to Redemption.' But since he's facing his own legal issues, is it just a good-guy pose for the courts?

It's been hard to avoid the music of rapper T.I. over the last year, with his No. 1 hits "Whatever You Like" and "Live Your Life" blaring from nightclubs, iPod headphones and car stereos everywhere.

But on Tuesday nights on MTV, the hip-hop star will try out a new role as a sort of celebrity guardian angel who tries to scare kids straight.

In the reality series "T.I.'s Road to Redemption," young people who'd usually be described as "at-risk" -- troubled backgrounds, limited prospects, bad attitude -- get a surprise visit from the rapper, who favors a carrot-and-stick approach to behavior modification.

by Scott Collins