T.I. is riding the wave of his commercial breakthrough, but only three years ago the Atlanta rapper was at a crossroads.
He had released his debut album, "I'm Serious" (2001), and even though it earned critical acclaim, the collection quickly stalled on the pop charts and was soon forgotten. The man who was born Clifford Harris was then dropped by Arista Records.
But rather than give up on his dream of music stardom, the rapper also known as Tip decided to try a new way to get back in the game. "Mixtapes" -- unofficial rap releases sold or given away by artists trying to make a name for themselves in the streets -- were popular in New York but not the South. T.I., however, realized how they could work for him.
"The same rules apply" in Atlanta as in New York, T.I. said in a relaxed tone as he reclined on the couch of his trailer on a sunny May afternoon. He is in Los Angeles shooting two music videos and will perform along with Nelly and Fat Joe on Friday at Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk.
"You've got people and you've got music," he said. "People want music, and there's only so much good music coming out. That means people are starving for new things, so we've got to give it to them. When there's a demand, that's the executive's job to supply it, in any business, whether it's music, movies, fashion, automobiles."
So T.I. formed his Grand Hustle Entertainment and started releasing a flurry of mixtapes featuring new, unreleased music from the lyrically gifted, street-centered artist. In early 2003, T.I. appeared on "Never Scared," a smash single from fellow Atlanta rapper Bone Crusher. With his burgeoning mixtape notoriety and the mainstream exposure from "Never Scared," T.I. was once again a hot property.
T.I. signed a joint venture deal with Atlantic Records, and in the fall of 2003, T.I.'s second major-label album, the largely stark "Trap Muzik," was released.
He followed it up last year with the more commercially minded "Urban Legend." The two albums have combined to sell more than 2 million copies. The gritty collections feature lyrics steeped in Atlanta street culture and production that is hard-hitting yet accessible, and they helped T.I. establish himself as one of rap's newest stars.
