T.I. Bio: ATL’s Founding Father of Trap

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Simoun Redoblado

Simoun fell in love with Hip Hop when he first heard Eminem's single Lose Yourself in 2002. By the time he was an adult, he tends to listen to exclusively Hip Hop, a trend that continues to this day. As an English teacher, he loves Hip Hop for what it is underneath, beautiful poetry that blends sound, imagery, and wordplay. What's not to love!

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Thanks to the infamous rivalry that rocked the ’90s, the East Coast and the West Coast have come to be known as the hotbeds of hip hop. Aside from New York and California, another region in the U.S. has produced its fair share of rap greats: the South. While several artists have attempted to seize supremacy in this domain, one man stakes his claim to the throne through both his street cred and musical brilliance.

That man is Clifford “T.I.” Harris. For better or for worse, Tip remained loyal to the hustle and bustle of his neighborhood, thus earning him a vibe of authenticity that fueled his songs. Though his legacy is a complex one—a lengthy track record of legal issues on the one hand and a host of industry accomplishments on the other—the King of the South nevertheless maintains a firm grip on his throne.

Quick Facts

Early Years

Clifford Harris Jr. was born on September 25, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents were Clifford “Buddy” Harris, Sr., and Violeta Morgan. Growing up in Atlanta’s Center Hill neighborhood, Clifford Jr. went by the nickname “Tip,” which was inspired by his great grandfather on his father’s side.

During Tip’s formative years, his father Clifford (who actually lived in New York) did not maintain a steady presence in his life. As such, Tip was raised by his mother, Violeta and her parents, Robert and Willie Morgan. Nevertheless, Tip visited his father in New York from time to time.

Around the age of seven, Tip started to display his rap skills. (In a 2001 interview, he cited LL Cool J, an 80’s rap legend and one of the most influential emcees of all time, as a key influence in his childhood.)

However, just a few years after, he developed an affinity for something else related to the streets: drug dealings. By the age of 14, Tip had already been arrested multiple times for drug charges.

Incidentally, these ventures led to another nickname for Tip: “Rubber Band Man.” As he explained in a 2007 MTV interview, he wore rubber bands on his wrist “to signify how much money, how much blow we had.” Perhaps to illustrate his devotion to the streets, Tip would go on to release a track called “Rubber Band Man” in 2003. (The song would peak at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.)

The Birth of T.I.

Tip’s music career started to take shape when he was 16. Along with his friend Sean “Big Kuntry King” Merrett, he sold mixtapes the old-fashioned way—from the back of a car. In the next three years, Tip would get noticed by different hip hop personalities: producer Kawan “KP” Prather, Aldrin “DJ Toomp” Davis, and Jason Geter from Patchwerk Recording Studios.

In 1999, during a meeting with Geter and DJ Toomp, Tip’s drug-dealing was brought up as it threatened to undermine his career before he could even take off. Desperately needing money to provide for his unborn child and then-pregnant girlfriend, Tip promised to stop his dealings in exchange for a chance to land a recording deal.

When Geter took Tip to Patchwerk, Tip proceeded to impress everyone at the studio after dropping his rhymes in the booth.

A few weeks after his meeting with Geter and DJ Toomp, Tip signed with LaFace Records (a subsidiary of Arista Records). Just days after resuming his drug business on the streets, Tip was joining fellow LaFace talents OutKast and Goodie Mob at the Source Awards in Los Angeles.

There was little indication, though, that Andre 3000, Big Boi, and CeeLo Green had any inkling about the trajectory of their young companion’s career in the next few years.

I’m Serious: A False Crack at Kinghood

Prior to releasing his debut album, Tip agreed to change his stage name to T.I. This was because Arista Records now housed two artists with the Tip moniker, the other one being Kamaal Ibn John Fareed (more popularly known as Q-Tip).

Since Fareed had been in the industry for much longer (having been a co-founder of A Tribe Called Quest), Tip decided that he would be the one to adjust. Thus, the moniker Tip was shortened to T.I.

On October 9, 2001, T.I. released his very first studio album, I’m Serious. The album, which introduced the rap community to T.I.’s unique flavor of Southern hip hop, featured guest appearances from Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes, Too $hort, and Lil Jon (among other artists). Most notably, Pharrell called T.I. “the Jay-Z of the South” after working with him on this album.

However, for all of T.I.’s swagger on I’m Serious, the album was a commercial flop. Critics noted the redundant style of some songs on the track list, though the rapper’s supreme confidence also caught their attention. The album’s title track would turn out to be its one and only single; Arista opted not to release a second single after the dismal performance of the title track. Due to the poor record sales of I’m Serious, T.I. was dropped from the Arista label.

Grand Hustle Entertainment: T.I. Bounces Back

Though T.I.’s time with Arista ended on a sour note, he would not stay down for long. In 2003, he co-founded his own record label called Grand Hustle Entertainment. After appearing on Bone Crusher’s single “Never Scared,” T.I. entered a joint venture deal with Atlantic Records for the distribution of Grand Hustle projects.

The very first project that benefited from this joint venture was T.I.’s second album Trap Muzik (released in August 19, 2003). On this album, T.I. started to infuse elements of trap into his brand of hip hop. In this regard, Trap Muzik may be counted among the seminal projects that pushed the trap sub-genre into the forefront of the industry during the early and mid-2000s.

In addition, T.I.’s Southern pride was on full display in the handful of guest appearances on this album: 8Ball, MJG, and Jazze Pha from Memphis, Mac Boney from Atlanta, and Bun B from Houston. To validate T.I.’s bounce-back, Trap Muzik garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success (capped off by a platinum certification).

The following year, T.I. released his third album Urban Legend. In this project, T.I. continued to pioneer the trap genre even as he impressed critics with his mastery of flows and lyricism. Three singles were released from the track list, with the first single (“Bring Em Out”) becoming the first-ever T.I. song to enter the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Pharrell made a guest appearance (his second time to do so in a T.I. album), as did Lil Kim, Nelly, and Lil Wayne. Urban Legend went on to become T.I.’s second straight platinum-certified project.

However, the production of Urban Legend was mired in controversy. From March 2004 to May 2004, T.I. served a prison sentence for violating probation. (The probation, meanwhile, stems from drug-related convictions in 1997 and 1998). As such, T.I. recorded his songs for the album through a work release program.

More Collaborations, More Awards

In 2005, T.I.’s solo career took a bit of a backseat to his involvement in the Pimp $quad Click (P$C) group. On September 20, 2005, the group released their one and only studio album 25 to Life.

The album featured collaborative tracks from P$C members T.I., Big Kuntry King, Mac Boney, AK, and C-Rod, as well as features from Young Jeezy, CeeLo Green, and Lloyd. The album’s lone single, “I’m a King,” was also featured in the soundtrack of the 2005 Terrence Howard film Hustle & Flow. Though reviews for 25 to Life were lukewarm, it went on to be certified gold.

The next couple of years would see T.I. gaining plenty of industry recognition. At the 2006 Grammy Awards, he received two nominations: Best Rap Solo Performance for “U Don’t Know Me” (from his album Urban Legend) and Best Song Collaboration for the Destiny’s Child song “Soldier” (to which he and Lil Wayne contributed verses).

While neither Grammy nod ended up in a win, T.I. had a dominating performance at the 2006 Billboard Music Award. His haul included Rap Artist of the Year, Rap Album of the Year, and Video Clip Artist of the Year. For good measure, he was also named Best Male Hip-Hop Artist at the 2006 BET Awards.

T.I.’s fourth studio album King (released in March 2006) became his third consecutive platinum-certified project. King also earned T.I. three Grammy nominations: Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance.

At the 2007 Grammy Awards, he racked up a pair of wins: Best Rap Performance for “What You Know” and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “My Love” (a Justin Timberlake track co-produced by Timbaland).

A Memorable Finish to the 2000s

The hits kept on coming for T.I. as the decade came to a close. On July 3, 2007, he released his fifth studio album T.I. vs T.I.P., which employs a concept inspired by the different directions that the rapper’s life had taken. The album offers six songs from the perspective of the street hustler T.I.P.; six songs from the point of view of businessman T.I.; and three final songs that portray a “confrontation” between the two personas.

Though the album drew mixed reviews, it became yet another platinum-certified hit for the King of the South.

However, T.I. once again ran afoul of the law on October 13, 2007, when he was arrested and charged with two felonies related to possession of firearms. (Incidentally, he was arrested mere hours before he was to perform at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.) T.I. was subsequently placed under house arrest, and as he awaited his federal trial, he kept himself busy with writing songs for his next album.

The album went on to be entitled Paper Trail, which references T.I.’s act of jotting down the album’s lyrics on paper. (Prior to Paper Trail, T.I. had not committed his lyrics to paper since his debut album I’m Serious.) Propelled by the strong emotions that T.I. felt as he awaited his trial, Paper Trail dominated the charts.

Four of the album’s singles reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100; “Whatever You Like” went on to hold the number one spot, where it would be followed by the Rihanna-assisted “Live Your Life.” (With this, T.I. joined a short list of artists with consecutive number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100.) To date, the double-platinum certified Paper Trail remains T.I.’s most successful album.

T.I’s momentum, however, was more or less derailed when he was sentenced to prison in March 2009. He commenced his jail time in May 2009, but not before promising that he would somehow remain productive despite his incarceration.

Though he concluded this prison sentence in March 2010, he soon found himself in hot water again. Barely six months after being released from jail, T.I. (along with his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris) was arrested for drug charges.

Though the charges against T.I. were eventually dropped, he was sentenced to 11 more months in prison for violating his probation. He ended up serving his sentence from November 1, 2010 to September 29, 2011.

Notably, amidst all his jail time during this period, he managed to put together and release his seventh studio album No Mercy. Though the list of featured artists and producers was a powerhouse cast, No Mercy fell short of its predecessors’ success. The album was eventually certified gold; and it ended up peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Kingdom Continues to Grow

Entering the 2010s, T.I. had grown into a hip hop titan with a record label that was all set to create new stars in the industry. Grand Hustle got off to a great start in this decade with the release of B.o.B.’s debut album, B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. This 2010 album spawned the smash hits “Nothin’ on You” (which featured Bruno Mars) and “Airplanes” (a Hayley Williams-assisted track, which had an alternative version that featured Eminem). Putting B.o.B. on the map of the hip hop industry, The Adventures of Bobby Ray went double platinum.

Grand Hustle also hit it big with the albums of Travis Scott. From the mid- to late 2010s, T.I.’s record label played a hand in the release of three projects by Scott: Rodeo (2015), Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016), and Astroworld (2018).

All three projects attained commercial success, with Astroworld going triple platinum. In addition, Grand Hustle released albums from artists that cracked the Billboard 200. These artists include 8Ball & MJG, Killer Mike, Young Dro, Trae tha Truth, and the Huncho Jack duo (Travis Scott and Quavo).

As for T.I. himself, the decade marked new beginnings in his career. In December 2012, he released Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head, the last album released under the Grand Hustle-Atlantic Records partnership.

After several months of speculation about where the rapper would sign next, he announced in November 2013 that he had tied up with Columbia Records for the distribution of his ninth album. The album, which went on to be called Paperwork, was released in October 2014.

The following year, T.I. severed ties with Columbia Records; and Grand Hustle went on to become an independent record label. Around this time, he started reclaiming the Tip name; in an October 2015 MTV interview, he admitted that going by the T.I. moniker was “the weirdest most awkward thing.” To punctuate his move back to the Tip name, he made sure that his recent EP Da ‘Nic was billed as “a Tip project.”

After 2014’s Paperwork, Tip released two more studio albums: Dime Trap in 2018 and The L.I.B.R.A. in 2020. Both albums made it to the top 20 of the Billboard 200. As has been the case for a good chunk of Tip’s career, he dealt with legal woes right around the time of his albums’ production and release.

In May 2018, he was slapped with misdemeanor charges in Henry County, Georgia; and in September 2020, he was charged for his participation in two fraudulent initial coin offerings. Then, in 2021, he and his wife Tiny were accused of sexual abuse, grave threats, forced drugging, and kidnapping.

How, then, can one sum up the life and career of Tip Harris? The man himself has already done so, in a typically succinct and self-confident manner. In the introduction to his short-lived podcast “expediTIously with Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris,” he nonchalantly stated: “I’m a diverse individual. All of this shit is real…Is he a family man? Is he a trapper? Is he a ladies’ man? I’m all of it.”

Legacy

The legacy of Tip Harris is an array of human flaws and accomplishments. On the one hand, there’s the wildly talented artist who’s had a well-decorated career in the hip hop industry.

On the other hand, there’s the law-breaker who has been charged and sent to prison multiple times. No matter what side of the coin will be highlighted by fans and critics in the future, one thing is for sure: Tip deserves to be remembered for both the good and the bad.

Why Is T.I. Influential?

Tip’s early studio albums planted the seeds for the immense popularity of trap music. As such, T.I. owns the distinction of being a forefather of trap (alongside Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane). Indeed, the infusion of trap into the styles of subsequent artists like Drake, Travis Scott, and Cardi B can be traced back to Tip’s Trap Muzik and Urban Legend projects.

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