ShockHound

b. Clifford Joseph Harris Jnr., 25 September 1980, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Rapper T.I. was one of countless up-and-coming artists to emerge from the south of the USA during the early twenty-first century. 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 (originally as T.I.P.). A few problems with the law could not derail his dream, and he signed a recording contract with Arista Records, resulting in the release of his 2001 debut, I'm Serious. On this collection the young rapper collaborated with the Neptunes, Jazze Pha, DJ Toomp, and Beenie Man. The album failed to storm the charts (peaking just within the Billboard Top 100), resulting in T.I. leaving Arista shortly after. In the ensuing period, he issued a few releases independently on the Grand Hustle label, put together several mix tapes, and appeared on Bone Crusher's "Never Scared". T.I. was not without a major label contract for long though, as he signed with Atlantic Records and released his second album, Trap Muzik, in 2003.
T.I. put his new-found fortune to good use, teaming up with his uncle to start a company that refurbishes homes in some of Atlanta's less fortunate neighbourhoods. A different turn of events led to him being sentenced to three years in prison in April 2004. The rapper had violated a probation order in place since a 1998 conviction on a controlled substance charge. He was given an early release, however, and returned to the music scene in some fashion with the hit single "Bring 'Em Out" and the US Top 10 album Urban Legend. The album stuck around the charts for a lengthy period, helping establish T.I. as one of the premier southern rap stars of the new millennium. He enjoyed further success at the start of 2006 with the Top 5 hit single "What You Know" and the chart-topping album King. His appearance on Justin Timberlake's hit "My Love" earned both artists a Grammy Award for Best Collaboration early the following year. During this period T.I. also made his acting debut in the movie ATL and completed the recording of his next studio album, T.I. Vs. T.I.P.
DISCOGRAPHY: I'm Serious (Arista 2001)**, Trap Muzik (Atlantic 2003)***, Urban Legend (Grand Hustle/Atlantic 2004)***, as T.I. Presents The P$C 25 To Life (Grand Hustle /Atlantic 2005)**, King (Grand Hustle/Atlantic 2006)****, T.I. Vs T.I.P. (Grand Hustle/Atlantic 2007)***.
FILMOGRAPHY: Beef 3 (2005), ATL (2006).

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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