T.I.: I Want Chris and Rihanna to Get Back to Being Great

Rapper T.I. is close friends with Rihanna and Chris Brown -- and revealed to "Extra" that he wants to see the couple rise above their controversy -- and get back to the top of their game.

"I've been blessed and fortunate enough to spend time around them and Rihanna is outstanding. She's the sweetest girl...Chris, he's a great guy...I can't speak on the event that took place. I don't know the details...It's not my business, but I know through all adversity comes strength and everyone goes through things for a reason. I want to see them both rise above it, move beyond it and get back to being great."

T.I. -- real name Clifford Harris -- also admitted that he's reached out to Rihanna, who he collaborated with on the hit song, "Live Your Life." He says he "made an attempt to contact Rihanna, but understandably, she's not able to reached."

T.I. himself is about to serve prison time on charges of illegal gun possession -- and told "Extra" that he'd like advice from domestic queen Martha Stewart on activities to pursue in lockdown! "Martha, if you can give me some pointers on how to pass my time in prison, I am open. I would love to sit down and have that conversation with you."

The MTV reality show "Road to Redemption" features T.I. as he counts down the days until his sentence begins -- and shows the Grammy winner using his hard-earned lesson to help kids avoid the same mistakes he made. "It shows me in my element using my influence and my experiences in an attempt to impact kids in a positive way as I've done for years."

The hip-hop star also reveals that he doesn't think that serving time will harm his music career. "You know, it didn't hurt Martha Stewart much. We have the same exact sentence, if I'm not mistaken. She's still doing pretty well for herself... So I imagine my musical career would be as good or better than it was when I left."