Tee Grizzley's done some hard time, so he speaks from experience when he explains what R. Kelly and Jussie Smollett should expect behind bars ... if they end up getting locked up.
We got the Detroit rapper at LAX Friday afternoon ... he tells us there's a big difference between what he went to prison for and what the singer and actor have been charged with -- it all comes down to honor.
Tee says R. Kelly and Jussie are the kind of guys who might get preyed upon, not just because of what they're accused of ... but because they have money.
Watch the clip ... Grizzley makes their outlook seem pretty bleak, and he doesn't have any good advice for them either.
BTW -- the "street stuff" Tee got put away for was a pair of home invasions. He was released in 2016 after serving 18 months.