T.I.

Un article de Vev.

Modèle:Pp-semi Modèle:Otheruses4 Modèle:Infobox musical artist

Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. (born September 25, 1980), better known by his stage name T.I., and also by his alter ego T.I.P., is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, record, philanthropist, and executive producer as well as the co-CEO of Grand Hustle Records.

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Background

T.I. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in the Bankhead neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, the son of 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). T.I. wrote about 30% percent of Bow Wow's third album Unleashed as well the 3rd verse and chorus to his single "Let's Get Down".<ref>"Bow Wow Says 'Let's Get Down'"</ref> 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" and "I'm a Flirt remix".

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Music career

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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.

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Trap Muzik

T.I. released Trap Muzik in the summer 2003 and it debuted at #4 and sold 193,000 copies in its first week.<ref name""> Billboard

.    "Trap Muzik's First Week Sales"

. Retrieved on January 20, 2007. </ref> 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.

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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.Modèle:Who 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.

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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.<ref name""> Billboard

.    "T.I. Rules As 'King' Of Album Chart"

. Retrieved on January 20, 2007. </ref> 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. He guest appeared on albums for UGK, Young Jeezy, BG, Young Buck, P$C, Pharrell, Common, Jamie Foxx, and his recently signed artists Young Dro & Governor.

In Spring 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 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.

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

T.I. 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 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).

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

T.I. is done working on his fifth album T.I. vs. T.I.P.. The album was released on July 2007 and it was released a day earlier in United Kingdom. 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. In addition, the song is used on a trailer for the HBO hit series Entourage.

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. <ref> Hasty , Katy

  . 
 "
   T.I. Is Top Dog Again On The Billboard 200 
     
 " , Billboard magazine
  , 2007-07-11
 
  . Retrieved on 2007-07-11
 . </ref> 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.

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

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Paper Trail

T.I. has confirmed through one of his representatives that he is working on a new studio album while being under house arrest pending his gun charges. He has completed 6 tracks for the album already. The album will be titled Paper Trail<ref>http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=16203</ref>, which comes from lyrics he has written down on paper. Like many other rappers, such as Lil' Wayne,T.I. abandoned this style of rapping after his debut album I'm Serious by just memorizing lyrics. "He wanted to take more time to really put something down (this time)," explains his rep.[1] The album is expected in 2008 around September.

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Other music projects

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P$C

Main article: 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.

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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.<ref>http://allhiphop.com/blogs/djsproducers/archive/2007/07/16/18266757.aspx</ref>

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.<ref>http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.5764/title.t-i-s-grand-hustles-for-2008</ref>

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Other Ventures

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Grand Hustle Records

Modèle:Further 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.

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Acting career

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

T.I. performed in a 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. The movie is based on the life of Frank Lucas, with T.I. casted as his nephew. T.I. stated working with the Oscar-winners is an honor and he feels like he is going to school and learning the best from them.<ref>"T.I. To Star With Oscar Favorites Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe"</ref> The film was released to theaters on November 2nd. T.I. was featured on the soundtrack which also features his co-stars Common and RZA which Hank Shocklee produced.<ref>"Common Exclusive: MC To Act Alongside Angelina Jolie In Ultra-Violent 'Wanted'" </ref>

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.<ref> "T.I. To Star With Danny Glover; Readies Grand Hustle Films" </ref>

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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.<ref>"Tip Goes In"</ref> 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. <ref>"Hustle & Flow" Earns Oscar for Original Song for "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp"</ref> 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.

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Clothing

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

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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.<ref>"Bad Boy on StreetCred.com"</ref>

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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.

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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 he wasn't talking about anyone, he simply made the record to see whoever has a problem with him so they could speak their voice. Ludacris and T.I. ended their feud. They have been seen greeting each other on "MTV My Block: Atlanta".

New information has derived of this so called beef. T.I. approached Ludacris on stage at a concert. This occurred only 2 days before his arrest on weapon charges. Recently on Grand Hustle's latest mixtape, Respect This Hustle, T.I. responded to Ludacris' "I Get Money (Remix)" verse on the 2nd track. It is titled Do U Potna and features Young Jeezy and Big Kuntry King.<ref>http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/respect-this-hustle</ref> T.I. states that the apology he made at the award ceremony was for "BET not DTP".

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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,<ref name""> All Hip Hop

.    "Sources Say Lil Flip And TI Have Physical Confrontation"

. Retrieved on January 20, 2007. </ref> 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.<ref name""> Houston Press

.    "Where's the Beef? Right here in H-town"

. Retrieved on January 20, 2007. </ref>

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".

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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.<ref>"T.I. and Ludacris' manager have an altercation"</ref>

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.<ref> "T.I. Takes Home BET Award, Apologizes for Scuffle"</ref>

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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.<ref name""> Hip Hop Game

.    "T.I.'s Artist Page At Hip Hop Game"

. Retrieved on January 20, 2007. </ref>

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.<ref name""> Access Atlanta

.    "More Good Deeds by Atlanta's T.I."

. Retrieved on December 25, 2006. </ref>

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Personal life

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Family

T.I. has been dating Tameka "Tiny" Cottle from the '90s 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,<ref>"T.I. MTV Article" </ref> 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.

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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.<ref name""> The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

.    "Atlanta rapper T.I. arrested on weapons charges"

. Retrieved on October 13, 2007. </ref>

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.<ref name""> MTV News

.    "T.I. Sentenced 3 Years in Prison"

. Retrieved on January 9, 2007. </ref>

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.<ref name""> XXL

.    "T.I. Briefly Jailed for Probation Violation"

. Retrieved on January 9, 2007. </ref>

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.<ref>T.I. arrested in ATL on weapons charges</ref> <ref>DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PRESS RELEASE: On arrest of rapper T.I. for possession of illegal firearms</ref>

T.I. walked out the courthouse in downtown Atlanta on October 26 after posting a $3 million bond, $2 million in cash and $1 million in equity on property he owns. The rapper must remain at home except for medical appointments and court appearances. The only people allowed to live with him are his girlfriend and children. Visitors must be approved by the court. More than sixty supporters, family members, friends and fans stood outside the federal courtroom during the hearing.<ref> Judge Orders T.I. Released on Bond</ref>

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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<ref name""> Cincinnati

.    "Member Of Rapper's Entourage Killed In Shooting Along I-75"

. Retrieved on January 20, 2007. </ref> 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.<ref name""> SOHH

.    "T.I.'s Personal Assistant Killed in Cincinnati Shootout"

. Retrieved on January 20, 2007. </ref> 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.

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