T.I.

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This article is about the rapper. For other uses, see TI.
T.I.
T.I. at the 2006 Summer Jam concert in Pittsburgh.
T.I. at the 2006 Summer Jam concert in Pittsburgh.
Background information
Birth name Clifford Joseph Harris
Also known as T.I.P.
Born September 25, 1980 (1980-09-25) (age 27)
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre(s) Southern hip hop, gangsta rap, pop rap
Occupation(s) Rapper, songwriter, actor, record, executive producer
Years active 2001 – present
Label(s) Grand Hustle/Atlantic
Website TrapMuzik.com

Clifford Joseph Harris, (born September 25, 1980)[1], better known by his stage name T.I., and also by his alter ego T.I.P., is an American rapper, songwriter, and producer, actor, and co-CEO of Grand Hustle Records.

Contents

Music career

I'm Serious

His debut album I'm Serious was released on October 9, 2001 through Arista Records, which spawned the single of the same title which featured reggae vocalist Beenie Man. His debut album included Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes (who named him the Jay-Z of the south), Jazze Pha, and Youngbloodz. Production was by The Neptunes, DJ Toomp, and The Grand Hustle Team. However, the album did not sell very well, and he was dropped from the label. The album sold 268,000 copies.[citation needed]

T.I. released the first single "I'm Serious" with Beenie Man. The single had little airplay and failed to meet the charts. The label would not release another single or video for the album, so T.I. created a video for "Dope Boyz", which had not a video nor single released, but can be seen on YouTube.

He released several mixtapes with the assistance of DJ Drama, which created an underground buzz. He resurfaced in the summer of 2003 on Bonecrusher's song "Neva Scared". He parlayed this attention towards the release of his second album, Trap Muzik.

Trap Muzik

T.I. released Trap Muzik in the summer 2003 and it debuted at #4 and sold 193,000 copies in its first week.[2] It was more of a success than his debut album because of the singles "24's", "Be Easy", "Rubberband Man", and "Let's Get Away". The album featured guest appearances by Eightball & MJG, Jazze Pha, Bun B, & Macboney and producers include Jazze Pha, Kanye West, David Banner, & DJ Toomp. The success of the album was followed by some controversy; while on tour, T.I. was charged with violating his probation over a 2003 drug charge, and turned himself in. He was sentenced to three years in prison. While there, he was granted rights to film the music video for "Let's Get Away". Trap Muzik was released through Grand Hustle Records and sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. and was certified Platinum.

Urban Legend

T.I. released his third album Urban Legend in late 2004.

His first single is "Bring Em Out", having much success. His second single is "U Don't Know Me". His 3rd single "A.S.A.P" reached #75 on the U.S. charts,[citation needed] #18 on the U.S. R&B charts,[citation needed] #14 on the Rap charts, and #35 on the U.K. singles chart.[citation needed] T.I. created a video for "ASAP"/"Motivation". However, "Motivation" appeared on the U.S. R&B singles chart, but not on the other charts like "A.S.A.P".

In 2006, T.I. received two Grammy Award nominations: Best Song Collaboration ("Soldier" w/ Destiny's Child & Lil Wayne) and Best Rap Solo Performance for "U Don't Know Me" at The 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

King

His fourth album, King debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart in the first half of 2006, selling 522,000 copies in its first week. It became Atlantic Records' best-selling album in 15 years.[3] T.I. released his promo-singles "Front Back" and "Ride With Me" before the album's release date. The singles had small attention, but it helped promote the album and his debut movie ATL. The album also included other singles, "What You Know", "Why You Wanna", "Live In The Sky", and "Top Back". King has earned numerous awards and nominations including a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.

"What You Know" won for "Best Rap Solo Performance" and was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

T.I. collaborated with Justin Timberlake for "My Love", which proved to be a worldwide hit. It earned him a Grammy Award for Best Collaboration with Justin Timberlake at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

T.I. vs. T.I.P.

T.I. is done working on his fifth album T.I. vs. T.I.P.. The album was released on July 2007 and it was released a day earlier in United Kingdom.

The first (street) single off the album was "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" which was produced by Mannie Fresh. The single was released to radio stations on April 17.

T.I. released his second single "You Know What It Is" featuring Wyclef Jean on June 12th, 2007.

T.I. vs. T.I.P. shifted 468,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The Grand Hustle/Atlantic set is T.I.'s second chart-topper in the past year-and-a-half; King opened at number one on the Billboard 200 with 522,000 copies in late March 2006. [4] The album included guests by Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, Nelly, and Eminem with productions by Eminem, Jeff Bass, Mannie Fresh, Grand Hustle, The Runners, Just Blaze, Wyclef Jean and Danja. This is his first album without production by long time producer DJ Toomp.

On October 3, 2007, T.I. released his third single, "Hurt", featuring Busta Rhymes. This song is produced by Danja.

Paper Trail

T.I. has confirmed through one of his representatives that he is working on a new studio album while being under house arrest pending his gun charges. He has completed 6 tracks for the album already. The album will be titled Paper Trail, which comes from lyrics he has written down on paper. Like many other rappers, such as Lil' Wayne, T.I. abandoned this style of rapping after his debut album I'm Serious by just memorizing lyrics. "He wanted to take more time to really put something down (this time)," explains his rep.[5] The album is slated to be released on August 12, 2008.

The first song off of this album, No Matter What, was released on StreetCred.com, Tuesday, April 29. This song will not be released as a single, but rather as an introductory song to the album. He does, however, assure his fans that he is "going to make sure you have enough" the material he releases as singles. [6]

Other ventures

Grand Hustle Records

Further information: Grand Hustle Records

T.I. formed Grand Hustle Records (distributed by Atlantic Records) in 2003 with his manager Jason Geter after being dropped by Arista Records.

Acting career

In Spring 2006, T.I. starred in his first film, ATL. The other cast members included Lauren London, Andre Patton, Evan Ross, Mykelti Williamson, Jason Weaver, and Keith David. The movie was written by Tina Gordon Chism and Antwone Fisher, produced by Timothy M. Bourne, Tionne Watkins, and Will Smith, and directed by Christopher Robinson. T.I. played the character Rashad Swann, an orphaned 17-year-old senior in high school. He grew up on the southside of Atlanta. He lives with his uncle and has a younger brother named Ant. In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $11.5 million, ranking third in the United States box office, and went on to gross $21.2 million nationwide.[7]

T.I. also appeared in American Gangster with fellow rappers Common and RZA. [8] and was featured on the soundtrack.[9]

According to HHNLive.com T.I. revealed that he is launching Grand Hustle Films. The first project from the movie division of his Grand Hustle brand is titled "Once Was Lost". T.I. will star in the film alongside veteran Hollywood actor Danny Glover, who will also act as producer. Shooting is expected to begin in October 2008.[10]

Producing

T.I was co-executive producer of B.G.'s upcoming album and making beats for artists like Mariah Carey, Cassidy, Rick Ross, Yung Joc, Young Dro, and himself.[11] He also executive produced the soundtrack to the film Hustle & Flow and released the collection through his record label.[12]

Television producing

Late 2007, T.I. linked up with Los Angeles based production company 828 Entertainment to executive produce a new reality show titled "Life On Mars" which chronicles the life of young prodigy music producer LaMar "MARS" Edwards.[13][14] T.I. partnered 828 Entertainment with his company Grand Hustle Records to produce a slate of both television and film projects.

Controversy

Lil' Flip

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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008)

According to website,[15] T.I. and Lil' Flip had an altercation in Lil' Flip's neighborhood, the Cloverland section of Houston. It has been said that T.I. went there to create a DVD exposing Lil' Flip to be a fraud. The same day T.I. went on a Houston radio station talking about the altercation. He revealed that he had the tape and he was going to release it with an upcoming mixtape, but that didn't happened due to the fact that J. Prince stopped him from distributing the tape. It is unknown whether T.I. still has the tape or not. The feud was squashed by Rap-A-Lot's J. Prince after having them sit down and squash their beef behind closed doors. The feud was documented by the Houston Press.[16]

Chaka Zulu

On Sunday afternoon (June 24) at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, California, T.I. was involved in a brawl. During a luncheon held by Kevin Liles of Warner Music Group (parent company of T.I.'s label, Atlantic Records), the MC got into a fight with Ludacris' manager Chaka Zulu. According to witnesses, T.I. punched Zulu in the face and choked him and a small, brief melee ensued.[17]

T.I. brought home the award for Best Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Awards, and took the opportunity to apologize for his scuffle with Disturbing Tha Peace executive Chaka Zulu earlier in the week. While accepting his award, he expressed regret over the situation. “They say it’s a fine line between brilliance and insanity,” he said, in an apparent reference to his troublesome alter ego, T.I.P. During the broadcast, cameras showed his onetime rival Ludacris smiling in the audience. The audience stood up and clapped for T.I. [18]

Shawty Lo

Rapper and D4L member Shawty Lo released his second single Dunn Dunn which was directly aimed at T.I. In reponse, T.I. made a diss track called You Done It Now. In T.I.'s new song "No Matter What" off Paper Trail, T.I. says "So you up and coming rappers wanna diss, just kill it. I'm officially the realest, point blank, period." which is directed to Shawty Lo. On May 16, 2008, Shawty Lo released a video asking anyone who knows T.I. to send him T.I.'s high school yearbook picture. Shawty Lo offered cash to anyone who would. Shawty Lo said that he wants to prove that T.I. isn't from Bankhead. [19]

Legal issues

T.I. was on probation stemming from a 1998 conviction for violating a state controlled substances act and for giving false information. After being released on probation, he earned a litany of probation violations in several counties around Georgia for offenses ranging from possession of a firearm to possession of marijuana.[20] In 2006, after appearing in an Atlanta court on (May 10) and having charges that he threatened a man outside a strip club last year dropped for lack of evidence, T.I. was arrested on an outstanding probation violation warrant from Florida. The warrant claims that T.I. did not complete the required number of community service hours he was sentenced for a 2003 assault of a female sheriff deputy at University Mall in Tampa. T.I. was detained by several mall Security Guards at the time of the incident, among them, Jason Phillips (founder of Certified Protective Services), Larry Warner (founder of Tactical Response Services), and Arturo Ortiz, now a security manager in Florida. According to WBS-TV Atlanta, the rapper’s attorney has said that the problem was nothing more than a "technical matter" between Georgia and Florida. The confusion arose because T.I. was also sentenced to community service in Georgia for driving with a suspended license, for which he did complete 75 hours of community service in his home state. The rapper was released on bail shortly after being arrested, and was expected to surrender to Florida state authorities next week to resolve the matter.[21] On October 13, 2007, federal authorities arrested T.I. four hours before the BET Hip-Hop Awards. He was charged with two felonies — possession of three unregistered machine guns and two silencers, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. The arrest was made in the parking lot of a downtown shopping center, which a witness identified as the Walgreens drug store at the corner of North and Piedmont avenues. Harris was arrested after allegedly trying to purchase the guns from a "cooperating witness" with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. According to federal officials, the witness had been cooperating with authorities since Wednesday, when he was arrested on charges of trying to purchase guns from a federal agent. The witness has been working as Harris' bodyguard since July, authorities said.[22] [23] T.I. walked out the courthouse in downtown Atlanta on October 26 after posting a $3 million bond, $2 million in cash and $1 million in equity on property he owns. The rapper must remain at home except for medical appointments and court appearances. The only people allowed to live with him are his girlfriend and children. Visitors must be approved by the court. More than sixty supporters, family members, friends and fans stood outside the federal courtroom during the hearing. [24] T.I.'s suppression hearing was originally stated for January 3, 2008, however, U.S. Magistrate Alan Baverman pushed back the suppression hearing until February 19, 2008. [25]

Community work

In addition to helping with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, T.I. worked with troubled youths at Paulding Detention Center in Atlanta, provided scholarships for single parent families at Boys and Girls Clubs, and headlined Boost Mobile's RockCorps concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall, which featured such performers as Fat Joe, Slim Thug, and Kanye West, and was held exclusively for community service volunteers. In June 2005, The Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Foundation, named for the deceased member of multi-platinum female group TLC, and Atlanta's V-103 honored T.I. with the 2005 Lisa Lopes Award for groundbreaking achievements in music and community service which was court ordered. With this steady list of growing accomplishments T.I. is being recognized as the "Jay-Z of the South," according to Pharrell Williams of multi-platinum production team The Neptunes.[26]

T.I.'s night club, Club Crucial, where he and V-103 announcer Greg Street will give away 200 bicycles to neighborhood children in the Boys & Girls Club.[27]

Discography

Main article: T.I. discography

Filmography

Television

Films

Awards

Main article: List of T.I. awards

References

  1. ^ T.I. biography - IMDb.com
  2. ^ Billboard. "Trap Muzik's First Week Sales". Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
  3. ^ Billboard. "T.I. Rules As 'King' Of Album Chart". Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
  4. ^ Hasty, Katy. "T.I. Is Top Dog Again On The Billboard 200", Billboard magazine, 2007-07-11. Retrieved on 2007-07-11. 
  5. ^ XXLmag.com - T.I. recording new album while on house arrest (November 12, 2007)
  6. ^ YouTube - New Track Premieres Tuesday on StreetCred.com
  7. ^ "ATL Box Office"
  8. ^ "T.I. To Star With Oscar Favorites Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe"
  9. ^ "Common Exclusive: MC To Act Alongside Angelina Jolie In Ultra-Violent 'Wanted'"
  10. ^ "T.I. To Star With Danny Glover; Readies Grand Hustle Films"
  11. ^ "Tip Goes In"
  12. ^ "Hustle & Flow" Earns Oscar for Original Song for "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp"
  13. ^ Life On Mars
  14. ^ T.I. to Produce New Reality Show
  15. ^ All Hip Hop. "Sources Say Lil Flip And TI Have Physical Confrontation". Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
  16. ^ Houston Press. "Where's the Beef? Right here in H-town". Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
  17. ^ "T.I. and Ludacris' manager have an altercation"
  18. ^ "T.I. Takes Home BET Award, Apologizes for Scuffle"
  19. ^ Shawty Lo wants T.I.'s yearbook picture. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
  20. ^ MTV News. "T.I. Sentenced 3 Years in Prison". Retrieved on January 9, 2007.
  21. ^ XXL. "T.I. Briefly Jailed for Probation Violation". Retrieved on January 9, 2007.
  22. ^ T.I. arrested in ATL on weapons charges
  23. ^ DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PRESS RELEASE: On arrest of rapper T.I. for possession of illegal firearms
  24. ^ Judge Orders T.I. Released on Bond
  25. ^ HHWorlds.com - Update: T.I.'s Suppression Hearing Pushed Postponed (January 3, 2008)
  26. ^ Hip Hop Game. "T.I.'s Artist Page At Hip Hop Game". Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
  27. ^ Access Atlanta. "More Good Deeds by Atlanta's T.I.". Retrieved on December 25, 2006.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
v • d • e
T.I.
Albums
Singles
"I'm Serious" · "24's" · "Be Easy" · "Rubberband Man" · "Let's Get Away" · "Bring Em Out" · "You Don't Know Me" · "ASAP" · "Motivation" · "Get Loose" · "Ride Wit Me" · "Front Back" · "What You Know" · "Why You Wanna" · "Live in the Sky" · "Top Back" · "Where They At" · "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" · "You Know What It Is" · "Touchdown" · "Hurt" · "No Matter What" · "What's Up, What's Happening"
Related articles
Persondata
NAME Harris, Tip
ALTERNATIVE NAMES T.I./T.I.P/T.I.P Harris (stage name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION rapper/actor/producer/songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH September 25, 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH Atlanta, Georgia
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH