New Dr. Dre Interview, Talks About Eminem Album And Detox

[IceAxe]

Bolding was done by me to point out what's in the title

"We go until it happens," rap producer Dr. Dre says about all the time he spends in the recording studio searching for hits, once as long as 79 hours in a single stretch. "When the ideas are coming," says the man who is one of the half-dozen most influential producers of the modern pop era, "I don't stop until the ideas stop because that train doesn't come along all the time."

Some hip-hop fans, however, must be wondering if this particular train isn't off the track. Dre (real name: Andre Young) has been working on his third solo album, "Detox," for nearly eight years, a time frame that invites uncomfortable comparison with such earlier pop music train wrecks as Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and Axl Rose. All three were fabulously successful artists who found it so hard to live up to their own expectations that they each ran into creative paralysis.

But there are differences between Dre and the others, he and those close to him say. The 42-year-old Compton native hasn't just been working on his own album all these years.

As a producer and head of Aftermath Entertainment, Dre has also contributed to albums by Eminem, 50 Cent, the Game and others. Plus, he has "mixed" tracks -- fine-tuning the musical dynamics -- for more than a dozen other artists, including Gwen Stefani, Eve and Mary J. Blige.

Dre will now devote two months to working on Eminem's new album. "We'll be trying to get his thing done and work on a few things on my own project," Dre says.

It's an exhausting pace and it's possible only because of what Dre calls his obsession with the studio.

To achieve his level of success -- Dre has put his seductive hip-hop stamp on albums that have taken in more than $1 billion worldwide -- you obviously need musical talent.

"Dre is 'the Natural,' " says Interscope Records chief Jimmy Iovine. "Lots of producers have hits, but he does far more than that. He's a creator who has moved popular culture three times . . . with gangsta rap, G-funk and Eminem."

Yet the more you talk to Dre, the more you realize that another key element has been a mental toughness that enabled him to walk away from fast-lane excesses and a runaway ego.

Dre's greatest gift, in fact, may be the strong will that has helped him to recognize the most important things in his life -- the recording studio, his family and, most recently, weight training -- and strip away everything that doesn't serve those priorities.

In the early '90s, Dre was being hailed as the new king of hip-hop for defining gangsta rap with N.W.A and then expanding rap's mainstream appeal with the alluring G-funk style that combined melodic, old-school R&B and hard-core hip-hop sensibilities.

But amid the sudden fame, Dre appeared to be spending as much time partying and in court as he did in the studio. The turning point came after he served time in jail in 1995 for violating the probation he received after breaking another rap producer's jaw in 1992.

He jettisoned the bad behavior and, among other things, severed ties with trouble-plagued Death Row Records, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Interscope Records and the Universal Music Group that resulted in Dre's Aftermath label.

The accompanying hoopla and dollar signs led to another hazardous period. After closing the deal, Dre went on a signing spree, convinced he could turn out hits with virtually anyone. He admits the move took a personal and professional toll.

"When we started Aftermath, we had something like 20 artists and it was driving me crazy," the 6-foot-1 producer said on the patio of his English-style country estate in the West San Fernando Valley. "I couldn't sit down and focus on any of it, plus it was doubly hard because you ended up crushing these people's dreams when you had to let them go."

On the strength of his name, "Dr. Dre Presents . . . The Aftermath," a 1996 album, was certified platinum (1 million sold), but it had little lasting effect. The humbling experience taught Dre that even with his talents he, as a producer, needs quality artists and a top support crew to make noteworthy records. Aftermath too went through a stripping back process. Its roster now includes fewer than a dozen artists.

"People are always coming up to me, thinking I've got some magic wand that can make them a star and I want to tell them that no one can do that," he says. "Making hit records is not that easy. But it took me time to realize that myself."

Now, Dre is planning another dramatic move, one designed in part to give him even more time in the studio. The long-awaited "Detox," he says, will be his final solo album.

DRE made a rare public appearance this month when he announced the video of the year winner on the MTV Video Music Awards telecast in Las Vegas.

For fans, the appearance was notable for two things: Dre didn't give a release date for "Detox," renewing fears that the album may be lost in some twi- light zone, and his arms and chest were notably buff.

"That's another of my obsessions," he says a few days later of the new look. "I go in the gym two to 2 1/2 hours Monday through Friday. It makes me feel better and look better."

Before Dre started on the weights about four years ago, he often went out drinking and eating after leaving the studio at night, and his weight swelled to 270 pounds. It's back to 220, and he has cut his body fat from 29% to around 6%. Playfully pumping his arms, he says, "I feel like I can kick a brick wall down now."

And what about the album release date?

"I was really hoping to have it out this year, but it's going to have to be pushed back a while because of some other things I've got to work on," he continues, sitting in the lounge of the recording studio where he spends all those hours behind the buttons. He's still two or three tracks away from calling it finished, he says.

Any second thoughts about "Detox" being his final solo album? No, he says emphatically. "I think it's time to move on," he adds, calling rap performing "a young man's game."

More important, the move will free him to pursue his long-standing interest in films. He has signed a multiyear production pact with New Line Cinema. Dre, who will team with director Philip G. Atwell, is also interested in scoring films and eventually directing.

But he expects recording studios to continue to be the center of his world, and he's optimistic.

"When I think of the future, I think a lot of Quincy Jones and how he is an inspiration," Dre says. "Look at the quality of his work over so many years. He didn't even make his best record, 'Thriller,' until he was 50.

"That gives me something to look forward to. Nothing pulls you back into the studio more than the belief that your best record is still ahead."

The whole interview is incredibly long, visit the link to read the whole thing.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ne ... news-music

Except for what's above most of it's about the past, such as the NWA days, The Deathrow days, life as a producer, meeting Eminem, etc...

propz to sammac for the original post

[navysealkid14]

devoting 2 months to eminems album, the problem is............when?

[DOPE]

quite long, thats prolly cuz he doesnt do any interviews at all

anyway props for this man.

[rlxhustlr]

ok understandable but why is the part where he talks about working with eminem on his new album kind of in bold like it was just added there? did you do that or was that just like that?

[IceAxe]

ok understandable but why is the part where he talks about working with eminem on his new album kind of in bold like it was just added there? did you do that or was that just like that?

yeah that was me, I thought I pointed it out in the post. Thanks for pointin that out

[Vertis]

In January 2006, Nas signed a label deal with Def Jam, emphasizing collaboration over competition with former rival Jay-Z.[4] Nas' original title for his next album was Hip Hop Is Dead...The N[18] (shortened to Hip Hop Is Dead), though the UK release features a bonus track at the end called "The N." The album featured production from will.i.am, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, and NBA All Star Chris Webber, as well as longtime Nas collaborators L.E.S. and Salaam Remi. A street single named "Where Y'all At" was released in June of 2006. It was produced by Salaam Remi, and contained a sample from Nas' "Made You Look," but it did not make Hip Hop Is Dead's final cut.

The title record and first single was produced by will.i.am, and contains the same melodic sample ("In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida") as Nas' 2004 single "Thief's Theme." The album debuted on Def Jam and Nas' new imprint at that label, The Jones Experience, at number one on the Billboard 200 charts, selling 355,000 copies--Nas's third number one album, along with 1996's It Was Written and 1999's I Am....[19] A music video for "Can't Forget About You" premiered on February 5, 2007. [20] "Can't Forget About You" featuring Chrisette Michele boasts a sample from Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable." Another video, Hustlers, featuring The Game, would follow. [21] Also, Nas has stated in an interview with MTV that a video for "Black Republican" featuring Jay-Z is also underway and is being directed by an unknown director. A reality series on MTV entitled Me and Mrs. Jones will feature the lives of Nas and Kelis.[22] VIBE magazine has reported that the show will premiere in 2008.[23]

The title of the album generated controversy, as many fans and artists (particularly those of Southern origin) began to debate over the actual state of rap music's vitality. With this album Nas became kind of the leader of the "Hip Hop is Dead" movement. Ghostface Killah, on his album Fishscale seemed to agree with Nas and cited Southern crunk and snap music as the primary reasons for why hip-hop was "dead". Many Southern acts, such as rappers Lil Wayne, Lil Boosie, Young Jeezy, Dem Franchize Boyz, and D4L took offense to the title, taking it to be directed at their region in particular.[24].

Nas worked on a song called "Shine On 'Em" for the film Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou, which opened in US theatres on December 8, 2006. His song "Thief's Theme" was featured in one of the scenes in the Academy Award-winning movie The Departed directed by Martin Scorsese.[25]

[edit]
2007: Greatest Hits, Upcoming Album and Virginia Tech Concert

Nas has recently mentioned a possible new release this year. According to an MTV interview he is quoted as saying, "New album is in the making right now," outside the set of his new video for "Can't Forget About You."[20]

Nas performing in Ottawa, 2007.

Nas is preparing to release a Greatest Hits album this November through his former label, Columbia Records. This compilation will feature 12 songs from his seven first studio LP's under the label, plus two newly recorded songs. One of the tracks, "Less Than An Hour," debuted on AOL Music on August 10, and features Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley fame. The track is a new take on the theme to the hugely successful Rush Hour film trilogy starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, and will appear on the upcoming Rush Hour 3 soundtrack. [26]

Nas performed at a free concert for the Virginia Tech student body and faculty on September 6, 2007. Nas was joined by John Mayer, Phil Vassar, and Dave Matthews Band.[27]; When announced that Nas was to perform, Bill O'Reilly and Fox News denounced the concert and called for the removal of the rapper citing "violent" lyrics on songs including "Shoot 'Em Up", "Got Urself A Gun", and "Made You Look". During his 'Talking Points Memo' segment for August 15, 2007, an argument with erupted in which O'Reilly claimed that it was not only Nas' lyrical content that made him inappropriate for the event, but claimed repeatedly that Nas also had a "gun conviction" on his rap sheet [28] . In the midst of his debate with author Bakari Kitwana ("The Hip Hop Generation"), who defended Nas claimed that Fox News had "cherry picked" select fragments of the songs to make their case, O'Reilly shouted, "Even in his personal life, man, he's got a conviction for weapons, all right? He's got a weapons conviction, sir! On his sheet! This is a school that had a mass murderer with a pistol gunning down people - this guy has got-a-a-conviction for weapons, and you say he's appropriate? Come on!" O'Reilly repeated the claim another four times before cutting the segment short. [29]. Responding to O'Reilly, Nas in an interview with MTV News said

"He doesn't understand the younger generation. He deals with the past. The people he represents are Republican, older, a generation that has nothing to do with the reality of what's happening now with my generation. ... He's not really on my radar. People like him are supposed to be taught and people like me are supposed to let niggas like him know. I don't take him serious. His shit is all about getting ratings or whatever. I wouldn't honor anything Bill O'Reilly has to say. It just shows you what bloodsuckers do: They abuse something like the Virginia Tech [tragedy] for show ratings. You can't talk to a person like that." [30]

On September 6, 2007, during his set at "A Concert for Virginia Tech," Nas twice referred to Bill O'Reilly as "a chump", prompting some members of the crowd to cheer in agreement, yet many other audience members gave no positive reaction at all. About two weeks later, Nas was interviewed by Shaheem Reid of MTV News, where he criticized O'Reilly, calling him uncivilized and willing to go to extremes for publicity.[31].

[Vertis]

Nasir Jones (born September 14, 1973), known simply as Nas, formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper.

Son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas is well known for his 1994 debut album Illmatic, which many consider to be one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.[1] This album established Nas as one of hip-hop's most profound lyricists, introducing his signature poetic style. Raised in the notorious Queensbridge housing projects in New York City, he represents a continuation of a hip-hop tradition in Queensbridge that has spanned through early hip-hop, including the Juice Crew, Marley Marl, and MC Shan.

Following Illmatic with It Was Written, Nas pursued a more mainstream direction, which resulted in wider success but decreased artistic credibility among critics and hip-hop purists. Nas' increased commercial success was accompanied by stylistic changes that fostered accusations of giving in to corporate wishes and compromising the style that had enamored his fans of him. Nevertheless, the album Stillmatic is often credited for restoring Nas' credibility among fans. Since the success of Stillmatic, Nas has continued to maintain a high profile within the hip-hop community, and has pursued a decidedly personal aesthetic..Contents [hide]
1 Biography
1.1 1992–1995: The recording and release of Illmatic
1.2 1996–1998: From It Was Written to The Firm
1.3 1999–2000: I Am... to Nastradamus
1.4 2001: The Nas vs. Jay-Z rivalry and Stillmatic
1.5 2002–2005: From God's Son to Street's Disciple
1.6 2006: Hip Hop Is Dead and controversy
1.7 2007: Greatest Hits, Upcoming Album and Virginia Tech Concert
2 Discography
3 References
4 External links


[edit]
Biography

Nas, given name Nasir means "helper and protector" in Arabic, spent the first years of his life in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.[2] His father, Olu Dara was a jazz trumpeter and his mother Fannie Ann Jones was a Postal Service worker. He has one sibling, a brother named Jabari who assumes the alias "Jungle." While in Brooklyn, Nas would listen to his father's trumpet on his house's stoop at age four.[3] The family soon after moved to the Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing project in the United States. Olu Dara left the household in 1986, when Nas was 13, and Ann Jones raised her two boys on her own. Nas soon dropped out of school in the ninth grade.[4] He educated himself, reading about African culture and civilization, the Bible and the Quran [5]. He also studied the origin of hip hop music, taping records that played on his local radio station. Nas' interests moved away from playing the trumpet as a child to being a comic book hero artist.[6]

By his golden years, he had settled on pursuing a career as a rapper, and as a teenager enlisted his best friend and upstairs neighbor Willy "Ill Will" Graham as his DJ. Nas first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas[7]. Nas and Graham soon met hip-hop producer and Queens resident Large Professor (William Mitchell), who introduced Nas to his Toronto-based group, Main Source. In 1991, Nas made his on-record debut with a verse on "Live at the BBQ's", from Main Source's LP Breaking Atoms. Despite the substantial buzz for Nas in the underground scene, the rapper was rejected by major labels and was not signed to a recording deal. Nas and Graham continued to work together, but their partnership was cut short when Graham was shot and killed by a gunman in Queensbridge on May 23, 1992.

[edit]
1992–1995: The recording and release of Illmatic

Illmatic received the first 5 mics rating from The Source.

In mid-1992, Nas was approached by MC Serch of 3rd Bass, who became his manager and secured Nas a record deal with Columbia Records the same year. Nas made his solo debut on the single "Halftime" from Serch's soundtrack for the film and became part of the chang gang productions with Freshy C Zebrahead. The single increased the buzz surrounding Nas and when MC Serch’s solo album is released later in the year, Nas’ standout appearance on "Back To The Grill" only intensified interest. Hailed as the second coming of Rakim, his rhyming skills attracted a significant amount of attention within the hip-hop community.

In 1994, Nas's debut album, Illmatic was finally released. Critically acclaimed and widely regarded as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time,[8] Illmatic featured lyrics that portrayed stunning visual imagery. It also featured production from Large Professor, Pete Rock (one half of legendary group with C.L. Smooth), Q-Tip (frontman for A Tribe Called Quest), L.E.S. and DJ Premier (one half of Gang Starr) as well as guest appearances from Nas' friend AZ and his father Olu Dara. Aside from Halftime, three moderately popular singles were released in order to promote Illmatic. However, due to widespread bootlegging and a lack of corporate appeal, the album did not do well in terms of record sales.

Following Illmatic, Nas appeared on AZ's Doe Or Die album, and collaborated with his Queensbridge-associates, Mobb Deep, on their album, The Infamous. One notable achievement during this period was Nas' verse on "Verbal Intercourse" on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. It earned Nas a Source Quotable, and gave him the distinction (at the time) of being the only non-Wu-Tang Clan member to be featured on one of their songs. It also continued his "Nas Escobar" persona, in keeping with the Mafioso-theme of the album (the alias was introduced on Mobb Deep's "Eye for an Eye" from "The Infamous" album.

[edit]
1996–1998: From It Was Written to The Firm

Columbia began to press Nas to work towards more commercial topics, such as that of the rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who had become successful by releasing street singles that still retained pop-friendly appeal. Nas traded manager MC Serch for Steve Stoute, and began preparation for his second LP, It Was Written, consciously working towards a crossover-oriented sound. It Was Written, chiefly produced by Tone and Poke of Trackmasters Entertainment, was released during the summer of 1996. Two singles, "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" (featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees) and "Street Dreams" using the same sample as Tupac Shakur's All Eyez on Me base track and a remix with R. Kelly were instant hits. These songs were promoted by big-budget music videos directed by Hype Williams, making Nas a common name among mainstream hip-hop. It Was Written featured the debut of The Firm, a super group consisting of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega. The album also expanded on Nas' Escobar persona, who lived more of a Scarface/Casino-esque lifestyle. On the other hand, Illmatic, which, while having numerous references to Tony Montana and the theatrical hit featuring Al Pacino, was more about Nas' life as a teenager in the projects.[4]

The Firm signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label, and began working on their debut album. Halfway through the production of the album, Cormega was fired from the group by Steve Stoute, who had unsuccessfully attempted to force Cormega to sign a deal with his management company. Cormega therefore became one of Nas' most vocal opponents, releasing a number of underground hip-hop singles "dissing" Nas, Stoute, and Nature, who was Cormega's replacement in The Firm. [9]Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album was finally released in 1997 to mixed reviews and lackluster sales (though still reaching platinum) and the members of the super group went their separate ways.

At about this time, Nas became a spokesperson for the Willie Esco urban clothing line, but had no other connection with the clothing line. He stopped promoting Willie Esco in 2000, dissatisfied with the company's operations. During the same period, Nas co-wrote and starred in Hype Williams' 1998 feature film Belly

[edit]
1999–2000: I Am... to Nastradamus

In 1998, Nas began work on a double album. It was to be entitled I Am...The Autobiography, which he intended as the middle ground between the extremes of Illmatic and It Was Written. The plans were for it to be a double album autobiography of Nas with each track detailing a part of his life. The album was completed in early 1999, and a music video was shot for its lead single, "Nas Is Like." It was produced by DJ Premier and contained vocal samples from "It Ain't Hard to Tell." Much of the LP was leaked into MP3 format onto the Internet and Nas and Stoute quickly recorded enough substitute material to constitute a single-disc release.

The second single for I Am... was "Hate Me Now," featuring Diddy, which was used as an example by Nas' critics of him moving towards commercial themes. Hype Williams shot an allegorical video for the single, which featured Nas and Diddy being crucified in a manner similar to Jesus; after the video was completed, Diddy, a Catholic, requested his crucifixion scene be edited out of the video. However, the unedited copy of the "Hate Me Now" video made its way to MTV, and was premiered on April 15, 1999 on TRL. Within minutes of the broadcast, a furious Combs and his bodyguards allegedly made their way into Steve Stoute's office and assaulted him, at one point apparently hitting Stoute over the head with a champagne bottle[10] Stoute pressed charges, but he and Combs settled out-of-court that June.

Columbia had scheduled to release the pirated material from I Am... under the title Nastradamus during the latter half of 1999, but, at the last minute, Nas decided that he should record an entire new album for the 1999 release of Nastradamus. Nastradamus was therefore rushed to meet a November release date. Though critics were not kind to the album, it did result in a minor hit, "You Owe Me." It was produced by Timbaland and featured R&B singer Ginuwine. The only pirated track from I Am... to make it onto Nastradamus was "Project Windows," featuring Ronald Isley. A number of the other bootlegged tracks later made their way onto The Lost Tapes, a collection of underground Nas songs that was released by Columbia in September 2002. The collection saw decent sales and received glowing reviews.

[edit]
2001: The Nas vs. Jay-Z rivalry and Stillmatic
For more details on this topic, see Nas vs. Jay-Z.

The highly publicized rivalry between Nas and Jay-Z started when Nas failed to show up to a scheduled recording session to record the hook on Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt track, "Dead Presidents".

Even though it was obvious to most hip hop heads that a rivalry existed between Nas and Jay-Z, the rivalry wasn't made known to the general public until a rivalry between Nas, and Jay-Z's protégé, Memphis Bleek. On his debut album, Coming of Age, Bleek made a song entitled "Memphis Bleek Is," which was similar in concept to Nas' single "Nas Is Like." On the same album, Bleek recorded "What You Think Of That," featuring Jay-Z. This contains the refrain, "I'ma ball 'til I fall/What you think of that?". In retaliation, "Nastradamus," the title track from Nas' second 1999 album, featured the quote, "You wanna ball till you fall, I can help you with that/You want beef? I could let a slug melt in your hat." Memphis Bleek perceived the reference on "Nastradamus" as an insult, and retaliated against Nas on the lead single for his next album, The Understanding. That single, "My Mind Right," stated "And only a few fit in, your lifestyle's written/So who you supposed to be, play your position".

In 2000, QB's Finest was released on Nas' Ill Will Records. QB's Finest is a compilation album that featured Nas and a number of other rappers from Queensbridge projects, including Mobb Deep, Nature, Capone, The Bravehearts, Tragedy Khadafi, Millennium Thug and Cormega, who had briefly reconciled with Nas. The album also featured guest appearances from Queensbridge hip-hop legends Roxanne Shante, MC Shan, and Marley Marl. Shan and Marley Marl both appeared on the lead single "Da Bridge 2001," which was based on Shan & Marl's 1986 recording "The Bridge."

"Da Bridge 2001" also featured a response from Nas to Memphis Bleek, in which Nas retaliated with "Oh you didn't, wanna know whose life was written/The life I'm livin" and "Jaws is broke, your whole crew is coffin bound/Your ho, your man, lieutenant, your boss get found".

Jay-Z responded to Nas' songs with an on stage swipe during the 2001 Hot 97 Summer Jam concert in New York City, when he premiered his song "Takeover." Initially, the song was to only be a Mobb Deep diss it only included a single line about Nas near the end. Nevertheless, Nas recorded the "Stillmatic Freestyle," an underground single which sampled Eric B. and Rakim's "Paid in Full" beat, and attacked Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella label. On his 2001 album, The Blueprint, Jay-Z added a third verse to "Takeover" dissing Nas, claiming that he had "...one hot album every ten year average" record (referring to Illmatic), that his flow was weak, and that he had fabricated his past as a hustler.

Nas responded with Ether, which begins with gunshots and a repeated, slowed-down sample from "Fuck Friendz" of Tupac Shakur rapping "Fuck Jay-Z." In "Ether," Nas accuses Jay-Z of stealing ("biting") lyrics from The Notorious B.I.G., getting the name "Blueprint" from a previous KRS-One album of the same name, and brown-nosing Nas and other rappers for fame. Nas also claimed that all of Jay-Z's raps on The Blueprint were inferior to the one guest verse on the album (Eminem's on "Renegade"): Eminem murdered you on your own shit. Ether was included on Nas' fifth studio album, Stillmatic, released in December 2001. Stillmatic managed to be not only a critically-acclaimed comeback album, but a commercial success as well, albeit not on the level of It Was Written and I Am..., the album debuted at #7 on the Billboard album charts and featured the singles "Got Ur Self A..." and "One Mic."

Jay-Z responded to Ether with a song entitled "Supa Ugly," going into detail about how he had sex with Carmen Bryan, the mother of Nas' daughter Destiny. This wasn't the first time Jay-Z alluded to his relationship with Nas' daughter's mother in the song "Is That Your Chick" the lost verses addition was said to be all about Jay-Z, Carmen and Nas. Nas dismissed the track by claiming that he was no longer with Bryan during the time the affair took place.[11] In a recent interview, however, New York radio station Hot 97 settled the battle taking votes comparing "Ether"/"Stillmatic" and "Takeover"/"Supa Ugly," and Nas won with 58% while Jay-Z got 42% of the votes.[12] [13]

Jay-Z also responded to Nas on Jay-Z's 2002 album, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse on the track named "Blueprint 2." On that track, Jay-Z says that no matter what happened in the battle, he's never been phony and that Nas is hypocritical for recording songs like 'Black Girl Lost" and then turning around and taking advantage of those same lost black girls on tracks like 'You Owe Me'. Jay-Z also claims that he single handedly revitalized Nas' career by dissing him in the first place.

Nas spoke about the battle once more on the track "Last Real Nigga Alive" from the album God's Son. On this track Nas breaks down how the battle went down. He raps about coming up in the game with fellow artists like the Wu-Tang Clan, Biggie Smalls and others. Nas raps how Jay-Z came in the mix with this line: "Jigga started to flow like us, but hit with 'Ain't No Niggas'", how Jay-Z tried to attack when Nas and his mother went through a difficult time: "I gave it all up so I can chill at home with mama/She was getting old and sick so I stayed beside her/We had the best times, she asked would I make more songs/I told her not till I see her health get more strong/In the middle of that, Jay tried to sneak attack/Assassinate my character, degrade my hood/Cause in order for him to be the Don, Nas had to go". And on the track Nas had claimed victory, "I was Scarface, Jay was Manolo/It hurt me when I had to kill him and his whole squad for dolo".

By October 2005, the two rappers had eventually ended their feud without violence or animosity. During Jay-Z's I Declare War - Power House concert, Jay-Z announced to the crowd, "It's bigger than 'I Declare War'. Let's go, Esco!" Nas then joined Jay-Z onstage, and the two then performed "Dead Presidents" together, which Jay-Z had sampled from Nas' song The World Is Yours. The two also collaborated on a song called, "Black Republican" which can be found on Nas' most recent CD, "Hip Hop is Dead."[14]

[edit]
2002–2005: From God's Son to Street's Disciple

In December 2002, Nas released the God's Son album including its lead single, "Made You Look" which utilized a pitched down sample of the Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache". The album peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts despite widespread internet bootlegging.[15] Time Magazine named his album best hip-hop album of the year. Vibe Magazine gave it four stars and The Source gave it four mics. The second single, "I Can", which reworked elements from Beethoven's "Für Elise", became Nas' biggest hit to date during the spring and summer of 2003, garnering substantial radio airplay on urban, rhythmic, and top 40 radio stations, as well as on the MTV and VH1 music video networks. God's Son also includes several songs dedicated to memory of Nas' mother, who died of cancer in 2002, including "Dance". In 2003, Nas was featured on the Korn song "Play Me", from Korn's Take a Look in the Mirror LP. Also in 2003, a live performance in New York City, featuring Ludacris, Jadakiss, and Darryl McDaniels (of Run-D.M.C. fame), was released on DVD as Made You Look: God's Son Live.

Nas performing in 2004.

Nas released his seventh studio album, the critically acclaimed double-disc Street's Disciple, on November 30, 2004. The album's first singles were "Thief's Theme" and "Bridging the Gap", which features his father Olu Dara on vocals. The album also includes "These Are Our Heroes", which accuses prominent sports stars and actors such as Kobe Bryant and O.J. Simpson of not setting good examples for the kids that look up to them and neglecting their heritage and background in favour of white values. The videos for "Bridging the Gap" and "Just A Moment" received moderate airplay on MTV and BET. Although the album went platinum, its commercial profile was relatively low compared to the rapper's previous releases.[4]

Nas was featured on Kanye West's album Late Registration on a song titled "We Major". West said the song was Jay-Z's favorite on the album, but West was unable to get Jay-Z to record a vocal for the final mix of the song. He also appeared on Damian Marley's song "Road to Zion" and several other songs such as "Death Anniversary" and "It Wasn't You" (featuring Lauryn Hill). In addition, Nas married R&B singer Kelis on January 8, 2005 in Atlanta, Georgia, after a two-year engagement.

At a free concert in Central Park, New York, Nas made a statement regarding the quality of 50 Cent's music; "this is the real shit, not that 50 Cent shit!"[16] 50 Cent responded on his single "Piggy Bank" by speaking negatively about Nas’ wife, Kelis; implying that she was promiscuous and calling Nas a "sucker for love." Nas eventually decided to retaliate, and in July 2005 released "MC Burial (Don't Body Ya Self)", a song which taunts 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew, stating that 50 was "a sucka for death if I'm a sucka for love." and "They say Jada defeated him, Joe too street for him/What's next? I guess it's for Nas to ether him" also, "Niggas don't want beef, they vegetarian/Scared of pussy, you climbed out of cesarean/I'll push your grown ass back in your mother's womb". However, despite all of this, Nas still claims to "have a lot of love towards 50", claiming 50 didn't understand his moves when they both were together at Columbia Records.

Mobb Deep after signing to G-Unit, decided to diss Nas since G-Unit had beef with Nas. They released a diss song targeting Nas and the Bravehearts sometime in 2005. It is titled "It's That..."[17]
OH YEAH

[Vertis]

i cant wait for the 'pac book man is it awsome well everybody knows about the pac shit why they makin' a book Eminem i can't wait for the new album and detox

[Vertis]

yo here's some shit on Nas

[Vertis]

I'll put up some on that new book i can't wait fo these new albums

[Vertis]

man i've been savin' 100 bucks for king mathers detox some nas 'n' t.i. albums

[Vertis]

Background

T.I. grew up in the Bankhead neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, born to Violetta Morgan and Clifford Harris Sr. His original stage name, T.I.P., stems from his childhood nickname "Tip", which he got from his grandfather. T.I. was first exposed to hip-hop at the age of seven, and by the time he was 11 he had decided to pursue a career in rap seriously; he signed his first record deal at age 19.

Due to his Southern drawl, many fans mistook his name for "Chip", so he began spelling it out "T.I.P". Upon signing with Arista Records subsidiary LaFace Records in 2001, he shortened his name to T.I. out of respect for label mate Q-Tip.

He is also known to go by "Rubberband Man" and the self-proclaimed "King of the South" (which has created several cases of controversy between other southern rappers, such as Lil' Flip and Ludacris). There has been speculation that he served as Bow Wow's ghostwriter in his early career and still may to this day.[citation needed] T.I. wrote about 30% percent of his third album Unleashed as well the 3rd verse and chorus to his single "Let's Get Down".[1] He has written lyrics for other artists such as Diddy and Trina.

T.I. is known for his rapid-fire delivery of lyrics. There has been some noticeable change in the way he delivers his lyrics throughout his career. Earlier on, he flowed in a slow-like, southern fashion which can be heard in songs like "I'm Serious", "24's" and "Never Scared". In the second era of his career, he sounded more relaxed and laid back (ex. "Bring Em Out", "Soldier", "What You Know", "U Don't Know Me" & "ASAP"). Later on in his career, his flow went from a slow and drowsy effect (ex. "Top Back" and "Drive Slow") to a faster flow which can be heard in "We Takin Over", Touch, "My Love", "Make It Rain Remix" & I'm a Flirt Remix (even though songs like "Top Back" and "We Takin' over" and "My Love" were released at similar time periods therefore there has been no real progression from "era" to "era"). It would be better stated that his "flow" has not changed over time, but rather that he continues to change for every song he records, illustrating his control and expertise at being able to adapt to any beat that is presented to him.

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.

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 of 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.

T.I. released 24's as the first single. It reached #78 in the U.S., #27 on the U.S. R&B chart, and #15 on the Rap charts. 24's can be heard in many movies and on television.

"Be Easy" was chosen as the second single; the single wasn't as successful as the first single, but it reached #55 on the U.S. R&B charts.

Rubberband Man was chosen as Trap Muzik's third single. The single was his second successful single from the album. It reached #30 in the U.S., #15 on the U.S. R&B chart, and #11 on the Rap Charts.

T.I. released his last single from Trap Muzik, "Lets Get Away" with Jazze Pha. It reached #35 in the U.S., #17 on U.S. R&B chart, and #10 in Rap. T.I. won the Best Street Anthem for "Rubberband Man" at the 2004 Vibe Awards.

Urban Legend

T.I. released his third album Urban Legend in late 2004. Urban Legend instantly generated crossover success with the hit single "Bring 'Em Out". He used a sample from Jay-Z's "What More Can I Say" from The Black Album to create the hook. "Bring 'Em Out" is used to introduce the starting lineup for the Miami Heat. The album featured production from Ruff Ryders's producer Swizz Beatz. The album featured Trick Daddy, Nelly, Lil' Jon, B.G., Mannie Fresh of the Big Tymers, Daz Dillinger, Lil' Wayne, Pharrell of The Neptunes, P$C and Lil' Kim. The album was certified platinum by selling 1.3 million copies. A chopped and screwed version of this album was also produced.

At the beginning of 2005, T.I. enjoyed success alongside Lil' Wayne on the Destiny's Child song "Soldier", which became a big hit.

T.I. released his second single "U Don't Know Me". The single appeared on U.S. charts, Rap charts, U.S. R&B charts, and Pop 100 charts. It was rumored that the song was directed to former rival Ludacris due to the fact that he had a song called "Get Back" where he says: "Get Back..Get Back..you don't know me like that". which was released around the same time.[attribution needed] He won Best Street Anthem for "U Don't Know Me" at the 2005 Vibe Awards.

His 3rd single "A.S.A.P" reached #75 on the U.S. charts, #18 on the U.S. R&B charts, #14 on the Rap charts, and #35 on the U.K. singles chart. 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".

He also released "Get Loose" feat. Nelly and produced by Jazze Pha. A video was planned but did not materialize. It reached #70 on Billboard's R&B charts.

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. Even though Jay-Z surpassed him in his first week album sales, KING is still considered to be the best-selling hip-hop/rap album of 2006.

In Spring of 2006, T.I. released "What You Know". The song has also been used in promotion of the film ATL, in which T.I. stars. It has garnered a 5-star rating from Pitchfork Media. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and it also topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and Rap Charts. It utilizes a sample of Roberta Flack's version of The Impressions's "Gone Away" and Hey Joe. It was rumored that T.I. was taking shots at Lil Flip on the song.

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

Pitchfork Media also ranked What You Know as the 3rd best song of 2006 and his collaboration with Justin Timberlake in the song "My Love" was also ranked at number one on the same list. VIBE recently named T.I.'s "What You Know" as the Top Song of 2006. Rolling Stone ranked the single as number four.

"Why You Wanna" was released as the next single. The chorus samples Q-Tip's vocals from Got 'Til It's Gone with Janet Jackson and also contained samples a slowed-down keyboard chord from Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)". The song reached #29 in the U.S., #43 on the SWI charts, #49 on the AUS charts, #17 on the Ireland charts, #22 on the U.K. singles charts, and #30 on Tokio's Hot 100 making the single successful worldwide. The video paid a tribute to T.I.'s deceased friend Phil, who was killed in Cincinnati. He appeared in the video as well.

"Live In The Sky" featuring Jamie Foxx had enough airplay but it didn't reach the U.S. charts, but it has reached on U.S. R&B charts. T.I. released the song to pay tribute to deceased friends, he revealed that he shedded tears while writing this song.

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 for "My Love" with Justin Timberlake at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

T.I. released his last single off KING, Top Back. T.I. decided to add Young Dro, Young Jeezy, B.G., and Big Kuntry to create a remix. This version was released from Grand Hustle Presents: In Da Streetz Volume 4. Billboard doesn't have Top Back Remix listed, but Top Back instead. The remixed version and the portion of the video can be also heard and seen on Chevrolet's Impala commercial. He appeared in Chevrolet's Super Bowl XLI commercial performing his single Top Back remix with the same scene from the video.

He appeared in a Chevrolet commercial, where he and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. traded cars (T.I. was driving the #8 race car on the track very slowly, while Earnhardt was driving the black Chevy on the highway very fast).

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 3rd (U.S.) and it was released a day earlier in United Kingdom. T.I. explained the album’s title, saying, "It’s basically a battle within myself. There’s not nobody out there doing what I do as well as I do it, so I see myself as worthy competition for myself."

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. The song debuted at #39 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs on April 26 and it peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

T.I. will appear on the Screamfest '07 tour with singer Ciara, Lloyd,T-Pain and Yung Joc. The tour begins August 3.

T.I. released his second single "You Know What It Is" featuring Wyclef Jean on June 12th. The video is available for purchase on iTunes. The video was debuted on MTV on June 14 and it premiered on MTV.com and on TRL on Thursday, June 14.

T.I. vs. T.I.P. shifted 468,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and debuts 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, Alfamega, 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.

T.I. & DJ Toomp Untitled Project

DJ Toomp called in at the Wendy Williams show right after T.I. left revealing that him and T.I. are working on an album together.

DJ Toomp told hip-hop website allhiphop that he is planning on producing 80% of T.I.'s next album.[5]

It Has Been Confirmed by HipHopDX.com that DJ Toomp and T.I. are working together again on T.I.'s next album, as confirmed by Grand Hustle CEO Jason Geter to Billboard.[6]

P$C
Further information: P$C

T.I. is also the leader of the southern rap group P$C. P$C are a group of artists who started in the music industry performing back-up functions for successful southern rapper T.I. The letters "P$C" are an acronym for "Pimp Squad Click," the name given to them and referenced by T.I. in many of his songs, to which the P$C often contribute.

On September 20, 2005, the Pimp Squad Click broke out of its secondary role and stole a portion of the southern rap limelight by releasing its own full-length album entitled "25 to Life." It was released on Atlantic Records, a part of the Warner Music Group. It had sold 177,597 copies.

Currently the group is inactive. T.I. stated that he wanted all his artists to have their albums released before he can focus on P$C.

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. T.I. and Jeter decided to create the label shortly after being dropped by Arista Records. He expanded his label to form "Grand Hustle Films" and 2 films are currently developing.

Acting career

In the Spring of 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. will star in an upcoming Ridley Scott film called American Gangster, a gangster flim with Oscar-winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, and fellow rappers Common & RZA about a police detective (Crowe) pursuing a Harlem drug lord (Washington) during the 1970s. This movie is based on the life of Frank Lucas, which T.I. will be starring as his nephew. T.I. stated working with the Oscar-winners is an honor and he feels like he's going to school and learning the best from them.[8] The film has been completed and set to be released to theaters on November 2nd. T.I. will be featured on the soundtrack which also features his co-stars Common and RZA which Hank Shocklee will be producing. [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 of this year. [10]

Producing

In 2005, he launched his own film production company called Grand Hustle Films, signed a multi-artist joint venture deal for his label with Atlantic Records, and established a music publishing deal for Grand Hustle Music with Warner Chappell.

T.I. has been working on other peoples' records. On the music front, he has been co-executive producing B.G.'s upcoming album. He's been juicing up his producer game, making beats for artists like Mariah Carey, Cassidy, Rick Ross, Yung Joc, Young Dro, and himself.[11] Wyclef Jean asked T.I. to co-executive produce his upcoming album. He also executive produced the soundtrack to the film Hustle & Flow and released the collection through his record label. [12] He also did the same for the debut album of his group P$C, T.I. Presents The P$C: 25 To Life, the Grand Hustle compilation Grand Hustle Presents: In Da Streetz Volume 4, and his own albums.

Clothing

According to the Grand Hustle website, T.I. has a clothing line, AKOO (A King of Oneself), launching later in 2008.

Street Cred

On 106 & Park, T.I. mentioned a new venture, StreetCred.com and also mentioned that Yung Joc has a "block" and Diddy has a "block". The website is in BETA version so in order to sign up, you need an invite sent to your email. Once you sign up, you will see T.I. giving a shout out to his new website. [13]

Disputes

In 2004, T.I. received an early release from incarceration, and returned to music with some disparaging words for rival rappers Lil' Flip and Ludacris.

Ludacris

T.I. called out Ludacris over an old disagreement their crews had with one another. Ludacris made a music video in which a person in a shirt that resembled a Trap Muzik shirt was seen being beaten, and, although Ludacris stated in an interview on MTV.com that the person in the video was wearing a Trap Records shirt, a label owned by DTP member Titti Boi, the feud progressed. T.I. later recorded a song, 'Stomp', with G-Unit rapper Young Buck originally featuring Lil Jon. T.I.'s verse seemed like an insult to Ludacris and Young Buck did not want to be a part of it. Young Buck told Ludacris about this and Ludacris decided to get on the same song and insult T.I.

T.I.'s verse was omitted from the original track listing and replaced with The Game, though the version of the song with T.I.'s verse is still available on many file-sharing networks.

T.I. referenced this in his song "I'm Talkin' to You" on King:

"Had it out with 'Cris but he still my nigga / Sat down, civilized, talked about it like niggas."

This served to eliminate Ludacris as a target of the song, which many believe to be directed toward Rick Ross. T.I. revealed that he wasn't talking about anyone, he just made the record to see whoever has a problem with him so they can speak out. Ludacris and T.I. squashed their beef. They have been seen greeting each other on "MTV My Block: Atlanta".
Lil Flip

He was also engaged in a high-profile battle with Houston rapper Lil Flip, who he heard insulted him on stage at a concert in Atlanta while he was incarcerated. T.I. believed that Flip mocked his claim as the "King of the South". Apparently, T.I. only learned of the alleged insult through a friend of T.I.'s girlfriend. T.I. says he heard from several sources, and even has a tape, of Flip insulting him at a few Atlanta concerts. Flip's alleged treason supposedly happened when T.I. was locked away in jail in spring. Lil Flip is said to have asked different audiences who the king of the South was before telling the crowd to inform hometown hero T.I. that "the game was over." T.I. says he heard this was followed by the Houston rapper performing "Game Over."

The members of his clique were holding up old publicity shots of Lil' Flip dressed in a leprechaun outfit. One picture has Flip holding a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal, the other one has Flipper in a fighting stance. Both flicks have been blown up to poster-size and copied several times.

The two released numerous insults on mixtapes and on the radio. UGK's own Pimp C mentioned in his song "Knocking Doors Down" that Lil Flip and T.I. are acting like "little boys" and they needed to squash their beef.

According to website,[14] T.I. and Lil Flip had an altercation in Lil Flip's neighborhood, the Cloverland section of Houston, Texas. 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.[15]

T.I. released a mixtape titled "Down With the King" featuring several tracks insulting Flip directly. Including a track titled 99 Problems Freestyle. The entire song is devoted to making fun of Flip and dissing him. The chorus of the track is even "I got 99 problems, Lil' Flip ain't one." There was a phone-call skit with legendary Houston rapper Scarface claiming he doesn't know Lil Flip and hasn't seen him around in Cloverland, he revealed that he didn't want to be "The King of the South" and T.I. can have the title.

On T.I.'s album King, there are several tracks which have been disputed by the hip hop community to be shots at Lil Flip ("What You Know", "You Know Who" and "I'm Talkin to You"). In an interview with a popular online hip hop website on March 24, 2006, T.I. was quoted as saying he and Lil Flip have no beef. This is somewhat contradictory to the events that occurred during Young Dro's video "Shoulder Lean". As Young Dro delivers the line "Lucky Charm Diamonds, but nah, I ain't Flip". T.I. is seen making a laughing gesture towards the video camera. The beef seems to be squashed making T.I. the victor according to the hip hop community and as Flip said in a freestyle:“ I ain't got beef with Tip no mo. ”


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.[16]

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. [17]

Community work

T.I. has stepped up his community involvement as well, taking the lead on several initiatives to help the victims devastated by Hurricane Katrina, including personally donating $50,000 to the relief effort while leading an on-air Labor Day pledge drive on Atlanta's V-103 FM that raised over $263,000 for Mississippi rapper David Banner's "Heal the Hood" Foundation. He also partnered with David Banner and Atlanta newcomer Young Jeezy for a two-day food and clothing drive at Atlanta's Club Vision and co-headlined a massive benefit concert on September 17, sharing the bill with heavyweights such as Nelly, OutKast's Big Boi, and David Banner - with 100 percent of the proceeds going to "Heal the Hood".

In addition to his 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.[18].

T.I. has joined forces again with the Make-A-Wish foundation to grant an Orlando teen's wish. He joined labelmate/protege' Young Dro on stage for a taping at The Showtime At The Apollo to meet 15 year old Sara Labare on October 15 at the Apollo Theatre. Labare, who suffers from an autoimmune disorder, received a digital camera,an autographed poster, CDs, and sat in the front row during T.I.'s performance. T.I. has granted a total of 3 wishes.

T.I. kept a fan smiling when he showed up at 11-year-old Ajmal Acklin's, who suffers from acute lymblastic leukemia with Christmas gifts. Hot-107.9 announcer Griff asked the 11 year old does he like T.I. and Acklin responded "Yes" and his favorite song was "What You Know". Griff told him that T.I. was here and the 11-year-old's eyes lit up. T.I. walked in and said: "How you doing, I just wanted to come see how you're doing ... I heard the church bought you a PlayStation 3, so I got you some games". One by one, each visitor offered their prayers and well wishes, ending with A-Team intern Ree Williams doing a stirring a capella version of the gospel tune "Even Me". Before she hit the last note Ajmal's mom ducked into the kitchen, tears in her eyes.

T.I.'s King Foundation is also scheduled to donate 10,000 bikes to the Boys & Girls Club in New Orleans.

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.[19]

Personal life

Family

T.I. has been dating Tameka "Tiny" Cottle from the 90's group Xscape on-and-off for the past 6 years. They have a son together named Clifford, a.k.a. 'King'. They were expecting a daughter (Llayah Amour) to be born in June 2007, but she was stillborn late night on March 21, 2007. Tiny also has another daughter, Zonnique, that T.I. has custody of. He has 3 other children: Messiah Harris (son), Domani Harris (son), and Deyjah Harris (daughter). T.I. and Tiny ended their longterm relationship on March 18, 2007,[20] however, it appears the couple has reconciled yet again. T.I. was sitting next to Tiny at the 2007 BET Awards, and then leaned over to kiss her just before he accepted his award for Best Hip-Hop artist.

Criminal

In early 2004, T.I. was behind bars in Cobb County, Georgia, for violating probation. The probation stems from a November 1997 arrest and subsequent conviction for distribution of cocaine, manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance, and giving authorities a false name, according to a sheriff's department spokesperson.

He served a sentence of unknown length and was released early on probation. It is not clear what he did to violate the terms of his release, but it is the second time he's been accused of doing so. A county judge could revoke the terms of his probation and reinstate his original sentence.

More trouble awaits T.I. in neighboring Fulton County. Two arrest warrants were issued there in March — one for possession of a firearm and one for possession of ecstasy. Now that he's in custody, T.I. will likely be extradited to face those charges after his case is handled in Cobb County, according to a Fulton County sheriff's department spokesperson.[21]

T.I. was sentenced to three years in prison for violating the terms of his probation. After serving a minimum of one year, T.I. can apply for a work-release program, according to the county clerk's office in Cobb County, Georgia. An arrest warrant for T.I. was issued on December 29, ordering a revocation of his probation. He turned himself in to county officials on March 30 and had been in custody ever since. His lawyers appeared in Cobb County Superior Court Wednesday and signed a consent order with prosecutors that essentially stipulated T.I. should be sentenced immediately, thus avoiding the need for a formal hearing.

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.[22]

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.[23]

On October 13, 2007, Federal authorities arrested T.I. His arrest came at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, four hours before the BET Hip-Hop Awards show got under way downtown. 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. [24] In a Department of Justice press release, T.I's address is censored when first mentioned, however is erroneously printed later in the article. Harris' house is revealed to be at 429 Creekview Lane in College Park, Atlanta. [25]

Death of T.I.'s friend and assistant

In the early hours of May 4, 2006, T.I. and his entourage were involved in a gunfight after leaving a concert after-party at the Club Ritz, a nightclub in Cincinnati, Ohio[26] that has a history of problems with the law. Four members of T.I.'s entourage were shot in the altercation. T.I.'s personal assistant Philant Johnson was killed and Janice Gillespie was seriously wounded by the gunfire.[27] It is believed that the altercation began at the Ritz when members of T.I.'s entourage threw money into the crowd, angering male audience members.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the feud began at the city's Club Ritz during an after-party for the Atlanta rapper and Yung Joc -- who performed earlier that evening at the club Bogart's -- and moved outside, where shots were fired into two vans transporting T.I.'s crew just after three o'clock.

"[The money] was supposed to be for the ladies", one witness said. "But it was hitting guys in the face, and they were like, 'We had money before, so why are you throwing money at us?'"

When the situation grew tense, T.I. reportedly told his group to head out. A witness outside told the Enquirer that one shot -- believed to be unrelated to the ensuing gun battle -- was fired in the parking lot and at least four people followed the vans in a large vehicle.

[Vertis]

Background

T.I. grew up in the Bankhead neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, born to Violetta Morgan and Clifford Harris Sr. His original stage name, T.I.P., stems from his childhood nickname "Tip", which he got from his grandfather. T.I. was first exposed to hip-hop at the age of seven, and by the time he was 11 he had decided to pursue a career in rap seriously; he signed his first record deal at age 19.

Due to his Southern drawl, many fans mistook his name for "Chip", so he began spelling it out "T.I.P". Upon signing with Arista Records subsidiary LaFace Records in 2001, he shortened his name to T.I. out of respect for label mate Q-Tip.

He is also known to go by "Rubberband Man" and the self-proclaimed "King of the South" (which has created several cases of controversy between other southern rappers, such as Lil' Flip and Ludacris). There has been speculation that he served as Bow Wow's ghostwriter in his early career and still may to this day.[citation needed] T.I. wrote about 30% percent of his third album Unleashed as well the 3rd verse and chorus to his single "Let's Get Down".[1] He has written lyrics for other artists such as Diddy and Trina.

T.I. is known for his rapid-fire delivery of lyrics. There has been some noticeable change in the way he delivers his lyrics throughout his career. Earlier on, he flowed in a slow-like, southern fashion which can be heard in songs like "I'm Serious", "24's" and "Never Scared". In the second era of his career, he sounded more relaxed and laid back (ex. "Bring Em Out", "Soldier", "What You Know", "U Don't Know Me" & "ASAP"). Later on in his career, his flow went from a slow and drowsy effect (ex. "Top Back" and "Drive Slow") to a faster flow which can be heard in "We Takin Over", Touch, "My Love", "Make It Rain Remix" & I'm a Flirt Remix (even though songs like "Top Back" and "We Takin' over" and "My Love" were released at similar time periods therefore there has been no real progression from "era" to "era"). It would be better stated that his "flow" has not changed over time, but rather that he continues to change for every song he records, illustrating his control and expertise at being able to adapt to any beat that is presented to him.

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.

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 of 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.

T.I. released 24's as the first single. It reached #78 in the U.S., #27 on the U.S. R&B chart, and #15 on the Rap charts. 24's can be heard in many movies and on television.

"Be Easy" was chosen as the second single; the single wasn't as successful as the first single, but it reached #55 on the U.S. R&B charts.

Rubberband Man was chosen as Trap Muzik's third single. The single was his second successful single from the album. It reached #30 in the U.S., #15 on the U.S. R&B chart, and #11 on the Rap Charts.

T.I. released his last single from Trap Muzik, "Lets Get Away" with Jazze Pha. It reached #35 in the U.S., #17 on U.S. R&B chart, and #10 in Rap. T.I. won the Best Street Anthem for "Rubberband Man" at the 2004 Vibe Awards.

Urban Legend

T.I. released his third album Urban Legend in late 2004. Urban Legend instantly generated crossover success with the hit single "Bring 'Em Out". He used a sample from Jay-Z's "What More Can I Say" from The Black Album to create the hook. "Bring 'Em Out" is used to introduce the starting lineup for the Miami Heat. The album featured production from Ruff Ryders's producer Swizz Beatz. The album featured Trick Daddy, Nelly, Lil' Jon, B.G., Mannie Fresh of the Big Tymers, Daz Dillinger, Lil' Wayne, Pharrell of The Neptunes, P$C and Lil' Kim. The album was certified platinum by selling 1.3 million copies. A chopped and screwed version of this album was also produced.

At the beginning of 2005, T.I. enjoyed success alongside Lil' Wayne on the Destiny's Child song "Soldier", which became a big hit.

T.I. released his second single "U Don't Know Me". The single appeared on U.S. charts, Rap charts, U.S. R&B charts, and Pop 100 charts. It was rumored that the song was directed to former rival Ludacris due to the fact that he had a song called "Get Back" where he says: "Get Back..Get Back..you don't know me like that". which was released around the same time.[attribution needed] He won Best Street Anthem for "U Don't Know Me" at the 2005 Vibe Awards.

His 3rd single "A.S.A.P" reached #75 on the U.S. charts, #18 on the U.S. R&B charts, #14 on the Rap charts, and #35 on the U.K. singles chart. 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".

He also released "Get Loose" feat. Nelly and produced by Jazze Pha. A video was planned but did not materialize. It reached #70 on Billboard's R&B charts.

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. Even though Jay-Z surpassed him in his first week album sales, KING is still considered to be the best-selling hip-hop/rap album of 2006.

In Spring of 2006, T.I. released "What You Know". The song has also been used in promotion of the film ATL, in which T.I. stars. It has garnered a 5-star rating from Pitchfork Media. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and it also topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and Rap Charts. It utilizes a sample of Roberta Flack's version of The Impressions's "Gone Away" and Hey Joe. It was rumored that T.I. was taking shots at Lil Flip on the song.

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

Pitchfork Media also ranked What You Know as the 3rd best song of 2006 and his collaboration with Justin Timberlake in the song "My Love" was also ranked at number one on the same list. VIBE recently named T.I.'s "What You Know" as the Top Song of 2006. Rolling Stone ranked the single as number four.

"Why You Wanna" was released as the next single. The chorus samples Q-Tip's vocals from Got 'Til It's Gone with Janet Jackson and also contained samples a slowed-down keyboard chord from Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)". The song reached #29 in the U.S., #43 on the SWI charts, #49 on the AUS charts, #17 on the Ireland charts, #22 on the U.K. singles charts, and #30 on Tokio's Hot 100 making the single successful worldwide. The video paid a tribute to T.I.'s deceased friend Phil, who was killed in Cincinnati. He appeared in the video as well.

"Live In The Sky" featuring Jamie Foxx had enough airplay but it didn't reach the U.S. charts, but it has reached on U.S. R&B charts. T.I. released the song to pay tribute to deceased friends, he revealed that he shedded tears while writing this song.

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 for "My Love" with Justin Timberlake at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

T.I. released his last single off KING, Top Back. T.I. decided to add Young Dro, Young Jeezy, B.G., and Big Kuntry to create a remix. This version was released from Grand Hustle Presents: In Da Streetz Volume 4. Billboard doesn't have Top Back Remix listed, but Top Back instead. The remixed version and the portion of the video can be also heard and seen on Chevrolet's Impala commercial. He appeared in Chevrolet's Super Bowl XLI commercial performing his single Top Back remix with the same scene from the video.

He appeared in a Chevrolet commercial, where he and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. traded cars (T.I. was driving the #8 race car on the track very slowly, while Earnhardt was driving the black Chevy on the highway very fast).

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 3rd (U.S.) and it was released a day earlier in United Kingdom. T.I. explained the album’s title, saying, "It’s basically a battle within myself. There’s not nobody out there doing what I do as well as I do it, so I see myself as worthy competition for myself."

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. The song debuted at #39 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs on April 26 and it peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

T.I. will appear on the Screamfest '07 tour with singer Ciara, Lloyd,T-Pain and Yung Joc. The tour begins August 3.

T.I. released his second single "You Know What It Is" featuring Wyclef Jean on June 12th. The video is available for purchase on iTunes. The video was debuted on MTV on June 14 and it premiered on MTV.com and on TRL on Thursday, June 14.

T.I. vs. T.I.P. shifted 468,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and debuts 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, Alfamega, 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.

T.I. & DJ Toomp Untitled Project

DJ Toomp called in at the Wendy Williams show right after T.I. left revealing that him and T.I. are working on an album together.

DJ Toomp told hip-hop website allhiphop that he is planning on producing 80% of T.I.'s next album.[5]

It Has Been Confirmed by HipHopDX.com that DJ Toomp and T.I. are working together again on T.I.'s next album, as confirmed by Grand Hustle CEO Jason Geter to Billboard.[6]

P$C
Further information: P$C

T.I. is also the leader of the southern rap group P$C. P$C are a group of artists who started in the music industry performing back-up functions for successful southern rapper T.I. The letters "P$C" are an acronym for "Pimp Squad Click," the name given to them and referenced by T.I. in many of his songs, to which the P$C often contribute.

On September 20, 2005, the Pimp Squad Click broke out of its secondary role and stole a portion of the southern rap limelight by releasing its own full-length album entitled "25 to Life." It was released on Atlantic Records, a part of the Warner Music Group. It had sold 177,597 copies.

Currently the group is inactive. T.I. stated that he wanted all his artists to have their albums released before he can focus on P$C.

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. T.I. and Jeter decided to create the label shortly after being dropped by Arista Records. He expanded his label to form "Grand Hustle Films" and 2 films are currently developing.

Acting career

In the Spring of 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. will star in an upcoming Ridley Scott film called American Gangster, a gangster flim with Oscar-winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, and fellow rappers Common & RZA about a police detective (Crowe) pursuing a Harlem drug lord (Washington) during the 1970s. This movie is based on the life of Frank Lucas, which T.I. will be starring as his nephew. T.I. stated working with the Oscar-winners is an honor and he feels like he's going to school and learning the best from them.[8] The film has been completed and set to be released to theaters on November 2nd. T.I. will be featured on the soundtrack which also features his co-stars Common and RZA which Hank Shocklee will be producing. [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 of this year. [10]

Producing

In 2005, he launched his own film production company called Grand Hustle Films, signed a multi-artist joint venture deal for his label with Atlantic Records, and established a music publishing deal for Grand Hustle Music with Warner Chappell.

T.I. has been working on other peoples' records. On the music front, he has been co-executive producing B.G.'s upcoming album. He's been juicing up his producer game, making beats for artists like Mariah Carey, Cassidy, Rick Ross, Yung Joc, Young Dro, and himself.[11] Wyclef Jean asked T.I. to co-executive produce his upcoming album. He also executive produced the soundtrack to the film Hustle & Flow and released the collection through his record label. [12] He also did the same for the debut album of his group P$C, T.I. Presents The P$C: 25 To Life, the Grand Hustle compilation Grand Hustle Presents: In Da Streetz Volume 4, and his own albums.

Clothing

According to the Grand Hustle website, T.I. has a clothing line, AKOO (A King of Oneself), launching later in 2008.

Street Cred

On 106 & Park, T.I. mentioned a new venture, StreetCred.com and also mentioned that Yung Joc has a "block" and Diddy has a "block". The website is in BETA version so in order to sign up, you need an invite sent to your email. Once you sign up, you will see T.I. giving a shout out to his new website. [13]

Disputes

In 2004, T.I. received an early release from incarceration, and returned to music with some disparaging words for rival rappers Lil' Flip and Ludacris.

Ludacris

T.I. called out Ludacris over an old disagreement their crews had with one another. Ludacris made a music video in which a person in a shirt that resembled a Trap Muzik shirt was seen being beaten, and, although Ludacris stated in an interview on MTV.com that the person in the video was wearing a Trap Records shirt, a label owned by DTP member Titti Boi, the feud progressed. T.I. later recorded a song, 'Stomp', with G-Unit rapper Young Buck originally featuring Lil Jon. T.I.'s verse seemed like an insult to Ludacris and Young Buck did not want to be a part of it. Young Buck told Ludacris about this and Ludacris decided to get on the same song and insult T.I.

T.I.'s verse was omitted from the original track listing and replaced with The Game, though the version of the song with T.I.'s verse is still available on many file-sharing networks.

T.I. referenced this in his song "I'm Talkin' to You" on King:

"Had it out with 'Cris but he still my nigga / Sat down, civilized, talked about it like niggas."

This served to eliminate Ludacris as a target of the song, which many believe to be directed toward Rick Ross. T.I. revealed that he wasn't talking about anyone, he just made the record to see whoever has a problem with him so they can speak out. Ludacris and T.I. squashed their beef. They have been seen greeting each other on "MTV My Block: Atlanta".
Lil Flip

He was also engaged in a high-profile battle with Houston rapper Lil Flip, who he heard insulted him on stage at a concert in Atlanta while he was incarcerated. T.I. believed that Flip mocked his claim as the "King of the South". Apparently, T.I. only learned of the alleged insult through a friend of T.I.'s girlfriend. T.I. says he heard from several sources, and even has a tape, of Flip insulting him at a few Atlanta concerts. Flip's alleged treason supposedly happened when T.I. was locked away in jail in spring. Lil Flip is said to have asked different audiences who the king of the South was before telling the crowd to inform hometown hero T.I. that "the game was over." T.I. says he heard this was followed by the Houston rapper performing "Game Over."

The members of his clique were holding up old publicity shots of Lil' Flip dressed in a leprechaun outfit. One picture has Flip holding a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal, the other one has Flipper in a fighting stance. Both flicks have been blown up to poster-size and copied several times.

The two released numerous insults on mixtapes and on the radio. UGK's own Pimp C mentioned in his song "Knocking Doors Down" that Lil Flip and T.I. are acting like "little boys" and they needed to squash their beef.

According to website,[14] T.I. and Lil Flip had an altercation in Lil Flip's neighborhood, the Cloverland section of Houston, Texas. 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.[15]

T.I. released a mixtape titled "Down With the King" featuring several tracks insulting Flip directly. Including a track titled 99 Problems Freestyle. The entire song is devoted to making fun of Flip and dissing him. The chorus of the track is even "I got 99 problems, Lil' Flip ain't one." There was a phone-call skit with legendary Houston rapper Scarface claiming he doesn't know Lil Flip and hasn't seen him around in Cloverland, he revealed that he didn't want to be "The King of the South" and T.I. can have the title.

On T.I.'s album King, there are several tracks which have been disputed by the hip hop community to be shots at Lil Flip ("What You Know", "You Know Who" and "I'm Talkin to You"). In an interview with a popular online hip hop website on March 24, 2006, T.I. was quoted as saying he and Lil Flip have no beef. This is somewhat contradictory to the events that occurred during Young Dro's video "Shoulder Lean". As Young Dro delivers the line "Lucky Charm Diamonds, but nah, I ain't Flip". T.I. is seen making a laughing gesture towards the video camera. The beef seems to be squashed making T.I. the victor according to the hip hop community and as Flip said in a freestyle:“ I ain't got beef with Tip no mo. ”


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.[16]

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. [17]

Community work

T.I. has stepped up his community involvement as well, taking the lead on several initiatives to help the victims devastated by Hurricane Katrina, including personally donating $50,000 to the relief effort while leading an on-air Labor Day pledge drive on Atlanta's V-103 FM that raised over $263,000 for Mississippi rapper David Banner's "Heal the Hood" Foundation. He also partnered with David Banner and Atlanta newcomer Young Jeezy for a two-day food and clothing drive at Atlanta's Club Vision and co-headlined a massive benefit concert on September 17, sharing the bill with heavyweights such as Nelly, OutKast's Big Boi, and David Banner - with 100 percent of the proceeds going to "Heal the Hood".

In addition to his 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.[18].

T.I. has joined forces again with the Make-A-Wish foundation to grant an Orlando teen's wish. He joined labelmate/protege' Young Dro on stage for a taping at The Showtime At The Apollo to meet 15 year old Sara Labare on October 15 at the Apollo Theatre. Labare, who suffers from an autoimmune disorder, received a digital camera,an autographed poster, CDs, and sat in the front row during T.I.'s performance. T.I. has granted a total of 3 wishes.

T.I. kept a fan smiling when he showed up at 11-year-old Ajmal Acklin's, who suffers from acute lymblastic leukemia with Christmas gifts. Hot-107.9 announcer Griff asked the 11 year old does he like T.I. and Acklin responded "Yes" and his favorite song was "What You Know". Griff told him that T.I. was here and the 11-year-old's eyes lit up. T.I. walked in and said: "How you doing, I just wanted to come see how you're doing ... I heard the church bought you a PlayStation 3, so I got you some games". One by one, each visitor offered their prayers and well wishes, ending with A-Team intern Ree Williams doing a stirring a capella version of the gospel tune "Even Me". Before she hit the last note Ajmal's mom ducked into the kitchen, tears in her eyes.

T.I.'s King Foundation is also scheduled to donate 10,000 bikes to the Boys & Girls Club in New Orleans.

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.[19]

Personal life

Family

T.I. has been dating Tameka "Tiny" Cottle from the 90's group Xscape on-and-off for the past 6 years. They have a son together named Clifford, a.k.a. 'King'. They were expecting a daughter (Llayah Amour) to be born in June 2007, but she was stillborn late night on March 21, 2007. Tiny also has another daughter, Zonnique, that T.I. has custody of. He has 3 other children: Messiah Harris (son), Domani Harris (son), and Deyjah Harris (daughter). T.I. and Tiny ended their longterm relationship on March 18, 2007,[20] however, it appears the couple has reconciled yet again. T.I. was sitting next to Tiny at the 2007 BET Awards, and then leaned over to kiss her just before he accepted his award for Best Hip-Hop artist.

Criminal

In early 2004, T.I. was behind bars in Cobb County, Georgia, for violating probation. The probation stems from a November 1997 arrest and subsequent conviction for distribution of cocaine, manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance, and giving authorities a false name, according to a sheriff's department spokesperson.

He served a sentence of unknown length and was released early on probation. It is not clear what he did to violate the terms of his release, but it is the second time he's been accused of doing so. A county judge could revoke the terms of his probation and reinstate his original sentence.

More trouble awaits T.I. in neighboring Fulton County. Two arrest warrants were issued there in March — one for possession of a firearm and one for possession of ecstasy. Now that he's in custody, T.I. will likely be extradited to face those charges after his case is handled in Cobb County, according to a Fulton County sheriff's department spokesperson.[21]

T.I. was sentenced to three years in prison for violating the terms of his probation. After serving a minimum of one year, T.I. can apply for a work-release program, according to the county clerk's office in Cobb County, Georgia. An arrest warrant for T.I. was issued on December 29, ordering a revocation of his probation. He turned himself in to county officials on March 30 and had been in custody ever since. His lawyers appeared in Cobb County Superior Court Wednesday and signed a consent order with prosecutors that essentially stipulated T.I. should be sentenced immediately, thus avoiding the need for a formal hearing.

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.[22]

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.[23]

On October 13, 2007, Federal authorities arrested T.I. His arrest came at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, four hours before the BET Hip-Hop Awards show got under way downtown. 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. [24] In a Department of Justice press release, T.I's address is censored when first mentioned, however is erroneously printed later in the article. Harris' house is revealed to be at 429 Creekview Lane in College Park, Atlanta. [25]

Death of T.I.'s friend and assistant

In the early hours of May 4, 2006, T.I. and his entourage were involved in a gunfight after leaving a concert after-party at the Club Ritz, a nightclub in Cincinnati, Ohio[26] that has a history of problems with the law. Four members of T.I.'s entourage were shot in the altercation. T.I.'s personal assistant Philant Johnson was killed and Janice Gillespie was seriously wounded by the gunfire.[27] It is believed that the altercation began at the Ritz when members of T.I.'s entourage threw money into the crowd, angering male audience members.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the feud began at the city's Club Ritz during an after-party for the Atlanta rapper and Yung Joc -- who performed earlier that evening at the club Bogart's -- and moved outside, where shots were fired into two vans transporting T.I.'s crew just after three o'clock.

"[The money] was supposed to be for the ladies", one witness said. "But it was hitting guys in the face, and they were like, 'We had money before, so why are you throwing money at us?'"

When the situation grew tense, T.I. reportedly told his group to head out. A witness outside told the Enquirer that one shot -- believed to be unrelated to the ensuing gun battle -- was fired in the parking lot and at least four people followed the vans in a large vehicle.