RAPPER T.I.-A BIOGRAPHY
T.I., one of the most celebrated names in the hip hop industry has carved his own unique niche in the musical world with his signature style of singing and upbeat lyrics. Once dubbed “the Jay-Z of the South” by Pharrell Williams, T.I. gradually became a force to be reckoned with and established himself as one of rap’s most successful MCs during the early 2000s. But his talents are not limited to singing alone. He is a hip hop recording artist, film and music producer, actor and even an author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of Grand Hustle Records.
Born as Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. on September 25, 1980, in Riverdale, Georgia, T.I. was raised by his grandparents in Bankhead, Atlanta, Georgia. He began rapping as early as when he was nine and was discovered and signed by Kawan “KP” Prather, a leading record executive, when he was only a teenager. Since those early days, the dream of stardom was the only thing that excited him. Music was his life and his rhymes conveyed exactly that.
Like Jay-Z, T.I. carried a balance of smoothness and toughness, along with a strong desire to prove himself. And although 2001’s ‘I’m Serious’ didn’t do as well as he had expected, he consistently grew and expanded his career by launching a string of major hits with 2003’s “24’s.” Throughout the six following years, T.I. maintained a consistent presence on urban radio stations in America as well as on the television. T.I. pictures and T.I. music videos were a regular feature on music channels.
Since those early days, T.I. has released seven studio albums – I’m Serious, Trap Muzik, Urban Legend, King, T.I. vs. T.I.P., Paper Trail, and No Mercy. The most recent five of his albums have been highly successful on the commercial market. He also has many successful singles to his name such as “Bring Em Out”, “What You Know”, “Big Shit Poppin’ (Do It)”, “Swagga Like Us” (featuring Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne), “Whatever You Like”, “Live Your Life” (featuring Rihanna), “Dead and Gone” (featuring Justin Timberlake), “Got Your Back” (featuring Keri Hilson) and “That’s All She Wrote” (featuring Eminem).
T.I. continued to flourish as the decade drew to a close, charting three chart-topping rap singles and four Top Five pop hits between 2008 and 2009. By now he was a well known figure in the hip hop music scene and the release of every T.I. music video and T.I. video song was a much awaited event of the year. Today he has clearly grown more comfortable in his role as a bankable star. Like any rapper aiming for world domination, he has a record label (Grand Hustle) and a budding film career (playing major roles in films like ‘Takers’ and ‘ATL’) and is also involved in a lot of community work.
But even today, the thing that excites him the most is making music. In the ever transforming hip hop world, his name truly deserves to be counted as a part of one of the greatest.
About the Author:
James Griffith is a freelance writer from London specialising in writing hiphop r&b music and uk grime music articles. Over the years he has developed an extensive knowledge of urban music and urban music artists and is considered one of the leading authorities on this subject. With a passion for Hip hop and R&B music since childhood, James Griffith brings great knowledge and a great understanding of this exciting music genre and his articles are both informative and entertaining too.
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