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T.I.

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 and executive producer as well as the Co-CEO of Grand Hustle Records.

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). There has been speculation that he served as Bow Wow's ghostwriter in his early career and still may to this day. T.I. wrote about 30% percent of his third album Unleashed as well the 3rd verse and chorus to his single "Let's Get Down". 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" & I'm a Flirt Remix (even though songs like "Top Back" and "We Takin' over" and "My Love" were released at similar time periods therefore there has been no real progression from "era" to "era"). It would be better stated that his "flow" has not changed over time, but rather that he continues to change for every song he records, illustrating his control and expertise at being able to adapt to any beat that is presented to him.

T.I. is done working on his fifth album T.I. vs. T.I.P.. The album was released on July 3rd (U.S.) 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.

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. 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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