T.I. HAS SOME 'THANGS' TO GET OFF THAT BONEY, BEIGE BOARD HE CALLS A CHEST; RAPPER PROUDLY CLAIMS, 'IT'S NOT OVER....THE KING AIN'T DEAD!'

T.I. has spoken publicly for the first time since his arrest last month on charges of trying to purchase machine guns and silencers. In a grainy video posted Monday on his social networking site, StreetCred.com, the rapper proclaims his innocence, plugs his upcoming album, Paper Trail, and promises his fans that "the King ain't dead." Wearing a light-colored robe and a black stocking cap, Tip (identified onscreen as "Hip-Hop Icon") kicks off the nearly three-minute clip by strolling to a couch in the living room of his Atlanta-area mansion and directly addressing the camera about what he's been up to since a judge granted his request two weeks ago for home confinement as he awaits trial on the gun charges.

"I know a lot of people are concerned, given the current situation, and I want to say thank you for all the prayers and support coming from all my fans and my supporters," T.I., 27, says in the video. "It's a very trying time right now, but I want to let everybody know that I plead not guilty, and I gotta stress my innocence to everyone out there who's listening. I look forward to being exonerated on all charges. And I say that with the utmost sincerity. I can't stress that enough to ya, ya dig." He also gives a special shout out to the judge for "even allowing me the privilege of being on house arrest and being here instead of, you know, the clear alternative." He also warns fans not to believe everything they read about the case. "Don't even believe everythang you see on the news," he says. "Don't believe everythang you read in the papers, ya dig that?"

Uh, can I say something right quick? Thank you kindly:

Dear T.I./TIP/Clifford Harris:

First of all, Dude?! I mean, really...if I read the word 'dig' one more time...Besides, you ain't got to convince us. What you need to be working on is coming up with a bonafied testimony that will convince the judge/jury who may already have every intention in the judicial world and beyond to send your bony, beige, petite ass back to the concrete jungle!

Ya dig?!

WATCH VIDEO CLIP BELOW + MORE DETAILS AFTER THE JUMP!

With his future uncertain, given the possibility of a prison sentence--10 years if convicted--T.I. says he can't wait to get back out into the public and promises fans that he's making good use of his time. "The good thing is, man, you know, I got a lot time on my hands...Man, we gonna get through this," he says. "To whom much is given, even more is required. ... God will never take you to what he can't take you through. ... So, I'm just listening to what God got to say right now. And that's what I'm doing, I'm being still. ... I'm being quiet, and I'm being still."

Waving an unlit cigar and promising more messages on the site, the rapper signs off saying, "...my main message is it's not over ... and the King ain't dead!"

To read the entire transcript, click here.