|
The following biography
is from
Wikipedia.org
The
Free Encyclopedia.
Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980
in Atlanta, Georgia), best known by the stage name T.I., is an American rapper,
actor, and philanthropist.
****
Background information
Birth name Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.
Born September 25, 1980
Origin Atlanta, Georgia,
United States
Genre(s) Hip hop
Years active 2001present
Label(s) Warner Music Group
Grand Hustle
LaFace (2001-2002)
Website http://www.trapmuzik.com/
****
Background
T.I. is from the streets of Westside Bankhead Zone
1. His original stage name, T.I.P., stems from his childhood nickname "Tip",
which he got from his grandfather. Due to his southern drawl, 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).
T.I. has four children. Their names are Messiah
Ya'Majesty Harris,Domani Uriah Harris, Deyjah Harris, and Clifford Joseph "King"
Harris by a (Dara Stultz)
He is the leader of a rap group known as P$C (Pimp
Squad Click). His debut album I'm Serious was released through Arista Records in
2001, which spawned the single of the same title which featured reggae vocalist
Beenie Man. His debut album included Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes (who
named him the Jay-Z of the south), Jazze Pha and Youngbloodz. However, the album
did not sell very well, and he was dropped from the label. Undaunted, he formed
Grand Hustle Records and released several mixtapes with the assistance of DJ
Drama, which created an underground buzz. He resurfaced in the summer of 2003 on
Bonecrusher's song "Neva Scared". He parlayed this attention towards the release
of his second album, Trap Muzik. It was more of a success than his debut album
because of the singles "24s", "Be Easy", "Rubber Band Man", and "Let's Get
Away". The success of the album was followed by some controversy: while on tour,
T.I. was charged with violating his probation over a 2003 drug charge, and
turned himself in. He was sentenced to three years in prison. While there he was
granted rights to film the music video for "Let's Get Away".
Rise to fame
After his second CD Trap Muzik sold over 900,000
copies in the U.S., T.I. released Urban Legend in late 2004. Urban Legend
instantly generated crossover success with the hit single "Bring 'Em Out". He
used a sample from Jay-Z's "What More Can I Say" from The Black Album to create
the hook, and featured production from Ruff Ryders's producer Swizz Beatz. The
album featured Trick Daddy, Nelly, Lil Jon, B.G., Mannie Fresh of the Big
Tymers, Daz Dillinger, Lil' Wayne, Pharrell of the Neptunes, P$C and Lil' Kim.
The album debuted at number 5,6876 on the Billboard 200. At the beginning of
2005, T.I. enjoyed success alongside Lil' Wayne on the Destiny's Child song
"Soldier", which proved to be a worldwide smash hit.
His latest album, King debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 chart on April 4, 2006, selling over 520,000 copies in its first
week. 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. He also produced the soundtrack to the film Hustle & Flow and
released the collection through Grand Hustle/Atlantic. He also did the same for
the debut album of his group P$C, 25 To Life. He has also starred in the film
ATL.
On television, T.I. was seen on MTV's Diary and
Punk'd after being tricked by Ashton Kutcher on his way to his own concert held
at Fresno, California.
On a recent MTV interview, T.I. has stated that in
early 2006, after the sequel to his movie ATL hits theatres, his next studio
album, T.I. vs. T.I.P., will quickly hit afterwards,in 2007. T.I. will also be
making appearances on upcoming albums by Beyonc้, Justin Timberlake, and Young
Dro. [1]
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. T.I. had overheard people claiming that Lil Flip
had disrespected him at a show he did in Atlanta and he felt obliged to respond.
He freestyled over Jay Z's 99 problems ("Lil Flip aint one") and Ray Cash's
"Pussy Ass Niggas" with UGK rapper Bun B. Flip responded with numerous
freestyles, and released an underground album where most of the tracks were
devoted to dissing T.I. and others.
T.I. also 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 resembeled a Trap Muzik shirt was seen being
beaten, and, whether the resemblance was intentional or not, the feud between
T.I. and Ludacris progressed. T.I. later recorded a song with G-Unit rapper
Young Buck originally featuring Lil Jon. T.I.'s verse seemed like a diss to
Ludacris and Young Buck did not want to be apart of it. Young Buck told Ludacris
about this and Ludacris decided to get on the same song and diss T.I. In his
song "You know who", he mentions Word of Mouf, maybe subliminally, but there
none the less.
T.I.'s verse was omitted from the original track
listing and replaced with The Game. According to website [2], T.I. was on a
Houston radio station talking about the situation between himself and Lil' Flip.
They since have discontinued this feud after a closed door meeting between the
two.
However, 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"). However 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 man, but nah, I ain't Flip". T.I. is
seen making a laughing gesture towards the video camera.
In June of 2006 rapper Ludacris released a track
titled "War With God", which disputedly seems to be starting a second round of
feuding between the two Atlanta native rappers. In the song "War With God"
Ludacris begins by stating "I'ma take the subtle approach first, I'm just
getting started". He continues with lines such as: "You ain't did
three(mil)"..."Call yourself whatever you want, except the multi-million
man"..."Disrespecting those doing time with real criminals", and ends by
challenging him to make a diss record. There has yet to be any response from
either side about the track. Ludacris recently stated that he was not dissing
T.I and that the record was in response to the records he heard with subliminal
disses against him, so he made "War With God" in response to those.
Controversy
In the early hours of May 3, 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[3] 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.[4] It is believed that the altercation began
at the Ritz when members of T.I.'s entourage began throwing money from the stage
into the crowd, [5] 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
his protege Young Dro -- 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
got money, so why are you throwing money at us?'"[6]
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. The person
that died was T.I.'s personal assistant and best friend Philant Johnson.
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. [7]
Discography
Albums
Album cover Album information
I'm Serious
Released: October 9, 2001
Chart positions: #98 US Billboard 200, #18 U.S. R&B
U.S. Sales: 248,000
Last RIAA certification: Uncertified
Singles: "I'm Serious"
Trap Muzik
Released: August 19, 2003
Chart positions: #4 Billboard 200, # 1 U.S. R&B, #2
U.S. Rap
U.S. Sales: 900,000
Last RIAA certification: Gold
Singles: "24's", "Be Easy", "Let's Get Away",
"Rubberband Man"
Urban Legend
Released: November 30, 2004
Chart positions: #7 Billboard 200, #1 U.S. Rap
U.S. Sales: 1.2 Million copies
Last RIAA certification: Platinum
Singles: "Bring Em Out", "U Don't Know Me",
"Motivation", "Get Loose"
King
Released: March 28, 2006
Chart positions: #1 Billboard 200
U.S. Sales: 1.4 Million Copies
Last RIAA certification: 1x Platinum
Singles: "Front Back (promotional)" "What You
Know", "Why You Wanna", "Live In The Sky".
T.I. vs. T.I.P.
Released: Spring 2007
Chart positions: N/A
U.S. Sales: N/A
Last RIAA certification: N/A
Singles: "Layin' Da Trap" (To Be Released in Early
2007)
Singles
Year Song U.S. Hot 100 U.S. R&B U.S. Rap UK singles
Album
2003 "I'm Serious" I'm Serious
2003 "24's" #78 #27 #15 Trap Muzik
2003 "Be Easy" #55 Trap Muzik
2003 "Rubber Band Man" #30 #15 #11 Trap Muzik
2004 "Let's Get Away" (featuring Jazze Pha) #35 #17
#10 Trap Muzik
2004 "Bring Em Out" #9 #6 #4 #59 Urban Legend
2004 "Soldier" (Destiny's Child featuring T.I. and
Lil' Wayne) #3 #3 #4 Destiny Fulfilled
2005 "U Don't Know Me" #23 #6 #4 #17 Urban Legend
2005 "ASAP" #75 #18 #14 #35 Urban Legend
2005 "I'm a King" (P$C featuring T.I. and Lil'
Scrappy) #67 #16 #4 T.I. Presents: 25 to Life
2005 "Do Ya Thang" (P$C featuring T.I.) #16
T.I. Presents: 25 to Life
2005 "Get Loose" (featuring Nelly) #70 Urban
Legend
2005 "Motivation" #62 Urban Legend
2006 "Front Back" 1 (featuring UGK) #46 King
2006 "What You Know" #3 #1 #1 King
2006 "Why You Wanna" 2 #29 #5 #4 #22 King
2006 "Shoulder Lean" (Young Dro featuring T.I.) 2
#10 #1 #1 Best Thang Smokin'
2006 "Top Back" 2 #62 King
2006 "My Love" (Justin Timberlake featuring T.I.) 2
#29 FutureSex/LoveSounds
2006 "Live In The Sky" (featuring Jamie Foxx) 3 TBR
TBR TBR TBR King
2007 "Layin Da Trap" (featuring Young Jeezy) 3 TBR
TBR TBR TBR T.I. Vs. T.I.P.
1 used only as a promotional single
2 currently active on charts
3 to be released
Music videography
"I'm Serious" (featuring Beenie Man)
"Be Easy/Look What I Got"
"24's"
"Let's Get Away" (feat. Jazze Pha)
"Rubber Band Man"
"Never Scared" (BoneCrusher feat. T.I. & Killer
Mike)
"U Don't Know Me"
"Bring Em Out"
"Soldier" (Destiny's Child feat. T.I. & Lil' Wayne)
"Round Here" (Memphis Bleek feat. T.I. & Trick
Daddy)
"Three Kings" (Slim Thug feat. T.I. & Bun B)
"Touch Remix" (Amerie feat. T.I.)
"ASAP/Motivation" (feat. P$C)
"I'm A King" (P$C feat. T.I. & Lil' Scrappy)
"Set It Out" (P$C)
"Do Ya Thing" (P$C feat. T.I. & Young Dro)
"Front Back" (feat. UGK)
"What You Know"
"Why You Wanna"
"Shoulder Lean" (Young Dro feat. T.I.)
"Drive Slow (Remix)" (Kanye West feat. Paul Wall,
T.I. & GLC)
"Live In The Sky" (feat. Jamie Foxx)
"My Love" (Justin Timberlake feat. T.I.)
Video Cameo Appearances
"You Don't Want Drama" (8 Ball & MJG)
"Don't Stop" (Beanie Sigel feat. Snoop Dogg)
"Welcome To Atlanta" (Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris)
"Get It Poppin" (Fat Joe feat. Nelly)
"U Know What's Up" (Donell Jones feat. Left Eye)
"85" (Youngbloodz feat. Big Boi)
Guest Appearances
"2 Glock Nines" (Beanie Sigel)
"Bang" (Young Jeezy featuring Lil' Scrappy)
"Breaking Old Habits" (The Notorious B.I.G. feat.
Slim Thug)
"Bumping My Music Remix" (Ray Cash feat. Pimp C,
and Project Pat)
"Cannon" (Busta Rhymes)
"Cash Flow" (Eve)
"Changed Man" (Tupac Shakur Better Dayz Disc 1
Track 4)
"Drive Slow Remix" (feat. Kanye West, Paul Wall, &
GLC)
"End Of The Road (Jim Jones feat. Bun B)
"Fucking Around" (Trick Daddy feat. Young Jeezy)
"Gangsta Boyz" (Boyz N Da Hood feat. Lil Wayne)
"Get Yours" (Lil' Kim feat. Sh-Dash)
"Goodies" (Ciara feat. Petey Pablo)
"Grand Finale" (featuring Lil Jon, Bun B, Jadakiss,
Nas, and Ice Cube)
"I'm A "G" (Bun B.)
"I'm A King" (P$C feat. Lil' Scrappy)
"If I Hit" (112)
"In The Trunk" (The Replacementz)
"It's Goin Down 2Nite" (112)
"Keep Spinnin" (Petey Pablo,Baby,TQ& Mannie Fresh)
"Lacs and Preeces" (Slow Motion)
"Let Me Love You (Remix)" (Mario feat. Jadakiss)
"Look At The Grillz" (8Ball & MJG feat. Twista)
"My Girl" (Young Dro)
"My Love" (Justin Timberlake)
"Never Scared" (Bonecrusher feat. Killer Mike)
"Now What" (Juelz Santana)
"Pretty Toes" (Nelly feat. Jazze Pha)
"Re-Akshon Remix" (Killer Mike Feat. Bun B &
Bonecrusher)
"Ridin' ATL Remix" (Chamillionaire, Lil' Scrappy,
Big Boi & Young Jeezy)
"Ridin" (Trick Daddy)
"Round Here" (Memphis Bleek feat. Trick Daddy)
"Shoulder Lean" (Young Dro)
"So Gangsta" (Choppa City)
"So Many Diamonds" (Paul Wall)
"Soldier" (Destiny's Child feat. Lil Wayne)
"Still Down" (Ashanti)
"Stomp" (Young Buck feat. Ludacris)
"Three Kings" (Slim Thug feat. Bun B)
"Touch My Body" (Danity Kane)
"Touch Remix" (Amerie)
"Try Me When You See Me" (Drag-on)
"Uh Hun" (Trey Songz)
"Where You Wanna Be" (Brandy)
Mixtapes
"T.I. & P$C: In Da Streets"
"T.I. Da Trunk, Volume 4" (DJ Burn One)
"Gorilla In Da Trunk, Volume 5" (DJ Burn One)
"Gorilla In Da Trunk, Volume 6" (DJ Burn One)
"Gorilla In Da Trunk, Volume 7" (DJ Burn One)
"Grand Hustle Presents Gangsta Grillz: Down with
the King" (DJ Drama)
"Lil Flip vs. T.I.: Fight For The Throne" (DJ
Rukiz)
"Lil Flip vs. T.I.: Fight For The Throne, Part 2"
(DJ Rukiz)
"Lil Flip vs. T.I. (DJ Lt. Dan & Chops")
"Ludacris & DTP vs. T.I. & PSC" (DJ Bobby Black)
"Out On Bail" (The Untouchables)
"Southern Smoke 11: Game Over" (DJ Smallz)
"T.I.-King Of The South!" (DJ Wally Sparks)
"T.I.: Collab Edition #14: Return Of The Rubberband
Man" (DJ Keys)
"T.I. and Young Jeezy: ATL's Most Wanted" (DJ Jelly
& MCm Assault)
"T.I.P & P$C: The Indictment" (DJ Drama)
"The Best Of T.I.: Bankhead Ambassador" (DJ Folk)
"The Best Of T.I. (The New King Of The South)" (DJ
Kurupt)
"T.I. Best of the South, Part 2" (DJ Jelly)
"T.I. King of Kings" (Kochece,Hele-helvectiva, & DJ
Unexpected)
"T.I. Leaders of the New South, part 4" (DJ Quess)
"A-town vs. H-town: Face Off, part 6" (DJ Radio)
"T.I.: Urban Legend: Chopped and Screwed (Chopped
and Screwed by Paul Wall)
"T.I.: The Leak" (DJ Drama)
"T.I.: The Leak" (Chopped and Screwed)(DJ Drama)
"T.I.: Boyz from Da Hood-Let's Go Remix**
"Young Jeezy and T.I.: Hustle & Snow"
Filmography
T.V.
2005: The O.C.
2005: South Beach
Film
2006: ATL (film)
2007: ATL 2 (film)
2007: American Gangster
2007: Ballers
Awards & nominations
2004: Vibe Awards - WON - Best Street Anthem "Rubberband
Man"
2005: Vibe Awards - WON - Best Street Anthem "You
Don't Know Me"
2005: BET Awards -Nominated - Viewer's Choice
2005: BET Awards -Nominated-
2005: Grammy Awards -Nominated-
2005: MTV Awards - Nominated - Best Rap Video
2006: Grammy Awards -Nominated-
2006: BET Awards - WON - "Best Male Hip Hop Artist"
2006: BET Awards -Nominated - Viewer's Choice
2006: Ozone Awards - Nominated - Best Rap Album
2006: Ozone Awards - Nominated - Best Male Rap
Artist
2006: Ozone Awards - Nominated - Best Lyricist
2006: Ozone Awards - Nominated - Club Banger (What
You Know)
2006: Ozone Awards - Nominated - TJ'S DJ'S
Tastemaker Award
2006: MTV Awards - Nominated - Best Male Video
2006: MTV Awards - Nominated - Best Rap Video
2006: Teen Choice Awards - Nominated - Male Artist
2006: Teen Choice Awards - Nominated - Rap Artist
2006: Billboard Awards - Nominated -R&B/Hip-Hop
Artist (Male)
2006: Billboard Awards - Nominated - Rap Album
(King)
2006: American Music Awards -Nominated - Rap/Hip
Hop Male Artist
2006: American Music Awards -Nominated- Album
(King)
Trivia
According to his 2000 police record, his height is
listed as 5'9.
Owns his own club, Club Crucial.
Has his own film company, Grandhustle Films.
Listed as Notable Mention (future moguls) along
with Kanye West.
He was voted number 1 best dresser in XXL 9th
anniversary edition.
Won for Most Stylish Male at the 2005 BET Awards.
****
The
above biography has been copied in part or in whole
from an article on
Wikipedia.org
"The Free Encyclopedia." It has been modified under
the GNU Free Document License Section 5 in the
following manner: (1) All links within the article
have been removed, including text links such as
"[#]"; (2) The "[Edit]" text and link have been
removed [if you would like to update the article,
you may do so from the original page]; (3) the table
of Contents links and text have been removed; and
(4) all of the sections of the original article have
not been copied. All of the above text is available
under the terms of the
GNU Free Document License.
URL of Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T.I.
Date Article Copied:
September 2006
We
will try to replace this article with an original
biography in the near future, but we hope this will
be of help to our visitors in the mean time. |
