Pages tagged “t.i.”

Hip-hop and presidential politics: two great tastes that taste great together. Sure, we already know that most rappers are firmly in the tank for Obama, but in the weird pop-cultural bouillon that has been the election season it was only a matter of time before they flipped the keys, as the canny Nasir Jones put it. The students of Atlanta's Ron Clark Academy have done just that with a little song-and-dance number about the 2008 election that's already spreading like wildfire across the grassy plains of the interwebs.

"I had straps in my ride / gotta go to prison / you waitin' on me to die you gonna be waitin' for a minute."
T.I. - "Ready for Whatever"

It's no great secret that T.I.'s recent escapades have left him staring down a year in prison (let it be a cautionary tale for any of you out there planning to buy silenced submachine guns from undercover police officers in a Walgreens parking lot).

It's turning out to be quite the season for hip-hop lovers. T.I.'s Paper Trail was released Tuesday, Missy Elliott's much-delayed Block Party will (hopefully) finally hit Nov. 11, Kanye West has moved up his new album to "sometime in November," 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct debuts Dec. 9, and now Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 record is rumored to drop Dec. 2.

The King holds court

Tip Harris wrote and recorded most of Paper Trail while under house arrest; the title is as much a nod to his criminal record as his return to writing lyrics on paper. T.I. is a different beast here than the scrappy ATLien he wrestled with on T.I. vs. T.I.P. He's still cocky, but sobered by maturity.

T.I. has the #1 single on iTunes right now with his latest track, "Whatever You Like." The song is yet another "single" from the much-hyped and much-delayed Paper Trail, which has been pushed back once more from Sept. 9 to Sept. 30.

The hip-hop feuds of yore were relatively simple affairs. An artist would release a diss track, the target would respond, and they'd go back and forth for a while until they got tired of it, usually releasing a collaboration track in the process (get money!). With the crews of modern hip-hop, it gets a little more complicated. Now there's feuding factions for a rapper to contend with, intra-posse squabbles, and enough court intrigue for a drama on premium cable.

The film world just can't seem to get enough of T.I.P. The ATL's King certainly has big things poppin' lately: right after news that he'll be converting his 1,000 hour community service sentence into a reality TV show, it's been revealed that Screen Gems authored a deal with him to star in the upcoming gangster flick Bone Deep along with Matt Dillon and Idris Elba. T.I. will also be producing with partner Jason Geter as part of their Grand Hustle Entertainment production company.

Hot on the trail of the news that the members Velvet Revolver won't become reality TV stars in their search for a new lead singer, comes the news that rapper/house arrestee T.I. will.

Grammy Award-winning rapper T.I. will release his third effort, Paper Trail, on Aug. 12. He's been hard at work on the album over the past few months, recording in his home studio while under house arrest for pending weapons charges.

The album's first single, "No Matter What," is currently available for purchase here, or you can stream it here.

Luckily, for his fans (and his record company), it appears he finished the album before being sentenced to a possible year in jail or 1,500 hours in community service, back in March.

T.I. will also continue to uphold the rapper-turned-screen actor tradition (Common, Mos Def, Ice Cube, etc., we're looking at you), and will start in the upcoming For Sale, as well as guest starring in HBO's Entourage.

Related links:
News: Award-winning T.I. off to jail on gun charges
TrapMuzik.com
T.I. on MySpace

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

Somewhere in Georgia's Henry County, tucked away in his home with a 24 hour GPS system monitoring his every move, lives an (allegedly) unarmed and sober rapper named T.I. (née Clifford Harris Jr.). The 27-year-old was recently arrested when cops found him (allegedly) in possession of three machine guns, two silencers and three other firearms that were in the car he was driving and six additional firearms which were found in his home.

Harris managed to get himself out of jail last October on $3 million bond. And according to a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the rapper also known as T.I.P. has been using his newly acquired spare time to continue work on his next album, entitled Paper Trail.

He told the magazine that he's collaborated with Danja, DJ Toomp, Little C and Keith Mack, among others. No word yet on when the album will drop, but when it does it will be a throwback to his first album, I'm Serious, as T.I. reportedly wrote out its lyrics long-hand before entering the studio, just as he did with Serious.

"I’ve got about thirty-some tracks done, but I’ve got like sixteen that I’m in love with and I’m still working," he told RS. "After you get those sixteen, you try to make sixteen more to top them and you pick the best."

Related links:
Paste: Award-winning T.I. off to jail on gun charges
T.I. on MySpace
TrapMuzik.com

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

Saturday evening should have been a triumphant night for rapper T.I.. He'd perform at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in front of a hometown Atlanta crowd, pick up two awards (for best CD and best ring-tone, respectively), and then hit up all the after-party festivities, enjoying a celebration fit for a king. But things went awry in the afternoon, as agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives busted the MC and one of his bodyguards for assembling an illegal stash of firearms.

As T.I. (born Clifford Harris, Jr.) has a history of felony convictions (including past gun-related charges), it is not legal for him to possess firearms. So, the bodyguard purchased three machine guns, two silencers, and a pistol on Harris' behalf, according to an undercover ATF agent who made the sale. The whole deal went down at an Atlanta shopping center, not far from where the Hip-Hop Awards were set to take place. Shortly thereafter, ATF agents found six additional firearms (five loaded) at Harris' College Park home.

Federal prosecutors painted a grim picture of T.I.'s future, talking up "a potentially long prison sentence" for the performer. At Harris' first appearance in federal court on the charges today, Judge Alan Baverman ordered the rapper to remain in custody without bond until his trial, the date of which remains unsettled. Harris' attorney Dwight Thomas says that the defense is out for "complete exoneration in this case."

All of this comes a few months after the release of T.I. vs. T.I.P., an album upon which the rapper explored his dual roles as emergent businessman and hardened gangster, respectively. Unfortunately for Harris, it looks like T.I.P. has won this round.

Related links:
TrapMuzik.com (T.I. Homepage)
Paste: BET Hip-Hop Awards honor T.I., Kanye, 50 Cent
T.I. on MySpace

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.