Q&A: T.I.

by Toshitaka Kondo

Everyone faces adversity, T.I. just faces it at very inopportune times. 2003's "Rubber Band Man," his breakout hit, brought him to the cusp of superstardom -- and then he was jailed for probation violations. He bounced back with a starring role in the movie ATL and "What You Know,” the huge first single from the critically acclaimed King. However, adversity struck again when his best friend Philant Johnson was murdered in front of him during a shootout on a Cincinnati, Ohio, highway after a concert afterparty. Again, he came back, going platinum in 2007 with T.I. Vs. T.I.P., winning a Grammy for an appearance on Justin Timberlake’s “My Love,” and landing a General Motors endorsement deal. In late 2007, he was faced with his biggest challenge, catching a federal weapons charge that threatened to keep him in jail for up to 30 years. After working out a plea deal that calls for 1500 hours of community service and a (postponed) year in jail, T.I. showed resiliency with the recently released, introspective Paper Trail. The album moved an impressive 568,000 copies its first week and spawned the first two number one songs of T.I.'s career: “Whatever You Like” and “Live Your Life,” featuring Rihanna. Rhapsody got the King on the phone to get his thoughts on addressing Philant on Paper Trail, ending his feud with Shawty Lo, and the comments Jim Jones recently made about him.

[Click the "Continue Reading..." link to listen to a playlist featuring the music discussed in this post.]

Producer Jim Jonsin was saying you already had all the melodies down when you got in the studio to record “Whatever You Like.”
Jim Jonsin and I are doing B.o.B.’s [album] together with Grand Hustle and [Jim’s label] Rebel Rock. We were actually meeting about B.o.B. and Jim slipped me a CD with three beats on it. I listened heading to the airport. On the way back from the airport, I hopped in the same car that had the CD in it. On the way home, I came up with that record. That was really just playing around. I didn’t say, "Okay, let me record my first single." At one point I wanted “What Up, Whats Haapnin’” to be my first single. Then we said we’d go with The-Dream record, “What I Do.” From there, we recorded “Whatever You Like.”

By the sixth album, a lot of rappers seem bored or uninspired, but you’ve dropped one of the better albums in your catalog.
To be perfectly honest with you, album number five, I was bored. That’s why I tried the concept album so I’d have something to interest me, which may have gone over people’s heads in a lot of ways. So, it may have been hit or miss. This album, I was more excited about doing because it was a lingering question of whether or not I’d be around to do it.

Could be one of your last albums?
More like, if I was never inspired to do a great album before, now I am. Not necessarily being the last time, but me having something to say. With T.I. vs. T.I.P., I was just real angry. I had lost a lot of faith in the game and my purpose in the game. So most of that album I spent talking about me. Not really about hip-hop or my appreciation for hip-hop.

What made you decide to address Philant on “Dead and Gone,” as opposed to on T.I. Vs. T.I.P.?
I was too upset and wasn’t comfortable talking about it. It was times when I did talk about it, but it didn’t artistically come across as being of the standard that I would’ve wanted it to be presented. [Justin Timberlake] knew my situation and what I had been through the past year or so and came up with [the beat and hook]. After I heard it, the verses just kind of came to me. It then seemed appropriate. Almost an obligation.

Was it cathartic to talk about Philant on wax?
Not really. I didn’t feel any better or worse about it. It wasn’t like a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders. I thought [Philant would] be proud. But it wasn’t like, "Okay, now I feel better." It wasn’t that magical.

Did you have a chance to speak to Philant’s family about that song?
I speak to his mom often. I haven’t really spoken to them about that song in particular. Last time I spoke to her really I was asking for permission to name my youngest son [Major Philant Harris] after him.

When we last spoke for a Complex interview, you talked about how the rap game was getting a little too stupid for you and you might retire. Do you still feel the same way?
Part of me do. I think I’ll just take my time after this project and see how I feel when it’s time to work on the next project. There’s enough for me to do in fashion and film to keep myself busy. I’m not gonna rush into another project. I think I rushed into making T.I. vs. T.I.P. I never gave myself enough time to sit back and figure what it was that I wanted to do and how to do it. That’s why the album kind of seemed rushed. It was just me working into routine. I had done an album every year. It was just about time. So, I didn’t take that into consideration. There’s a lot of things I didn’t take into consideration. A lot had transpired in the past year or so. Maybe I might need a little more time to develop the next project than usual.

Given the great sales and critical acclaim of Paper Trail, artistically, do you feel like the case might have been a very beneficial thing?
Catching the case was a good thing for me. But I won’t necessarily say because of the album. It allowed me to make the necessary adjustments in myself and my organization and in my life that I may not have normally made. Also, it showed me where people’s loyalties [are]. If people around me who I entrusted with my life and my family’s lives didn’t remain loyal under these circumstances, who’s to say what would’ve happened had someone had to put a gun in their face and said, “Show me where he live.” So, it’s best for me to find out their true colors in circumstances like these. Although they’re unfortunate and excruciating, they’re still better than a clear “Sean Taylor” situation.

When the video for “What up, Whats Haapnin'” dropped, a lot of people were saying you “ethered” Shawty Lo’s career. What made you go so hard after initially saying you weren’t gonna entertain him?
I didn’t really go hard, believe it or not. I wanna be clear. I’m not perpetuating any negativity. The whole issue was always a non-issue for me. He made claims that everyone knew weren’t true. For someone to say that I’m not from somewhere that I clearly am, I think that in itself, if not proven to be the absolute truth, is a checkmate in itself. And if I have the support of the people that you supposedly run, there’s another thing. It was just a losing battle from the beginning. I don’t think it was necessarily anything that I did. I think it was kind of done to themselves. But I didn’t say, "Let me go extra hard here." I wasn’t trying to go at nobody. I was just telling exactly how I felt.

But you know shooting the video at Shawty Lo’s projects, Bowen Homes, made it seem like the ultimate disrespect.
I got a lot of partners and support in the Bowen Homes. It’s not like Bowen Homes is an off-limits place for me. It never has been. Of course, when you see me there, it seems shocking because someone made it seem otherwise. And that was never the case.

How did it all go down in terms of you guys making peace?
The last time I spoke to him it wasn’t like that. I think my uncle had arranged [the call]. We pretty much hung up the phone agreeing to disagree. That was at least four to six weeks before he came out and said it was over. We never discussed it being over when we spoke. There was no infamous sit-down or intricate conversation where we squashed our differences. I just never dealt with the issue, period. I just stopped answering questions about it. I was done. I’m glad to hear that he’s not dealing with it anymore and wasting his time, because really, it’s silly, to be honest with you. It doesn’t benefit anybody. I actually heard from Alfamega that [Shawty] came to my club one night and performed an apology song. I didn’t hear this with my own two ears, but that’s what Alfamega told me and some more of my people who were in the club that night. I was like, "Man, that was real stand-up-ish. I appreciate that." This was right before he said it was squashed. I still hadn’t spoken to him about it. At the end of the day, we all gotta grow up. If we can’t look ourselves in the mirror and say, "Okay man, you’re tripping," then we’re gonna spiral out of control into destruction. It’s just good that he recognized that time and reacted accordingly.

What was it like finally getting in the studio with Ludacris, after putting aside your differences?
I’ve always been telling people, we never had a real issue. It was maybe disagreements between the two organizations. But nothing specifically that he and I had to sort out. We always maintained a healthy competitive spirit. I did his record [“Wish You Would”] at my house. He did his verse [for “On Top of the World”] at his house and brought it to my house and we finished it.

Initially, Kanye was supposed to be on “On Top of the World” right?
We do have a version with Kanye. But once we did “Swagga Like Us,” we couldn’t have two Kanye features. Def Jam wouldn’t think of it. You can only have so many Kanye clearances. I never even tried to [clear it] because I knew. It ain’t even like that, though. I think “Swagga Like Us” was a better look for me. But one day, I may definitely use that verse -- with his permission, of course.

Are you planning to shoot a “Swagga Like Us” video?
I hope so. I would like to think so.

Is it crazy that you never had a number one hit before, and then you go through the adversity of the case, and now you have two number ones with “Whatever You Like” and “Live Your Life”?
It’s something else. It just shows how much life is a blessing. How God can turn any situation around and take you from the lowest point in your life to the highest point as long as you walk in faith and believe in him. That’s what I meant in “No Matter What” when I said, “God’ll take you through hell just to get you to heaven.”

Does it make it that much tougher to start serving your year-long sentence in March after reaching such a high point?
My displeasure has nothing to do with record sales or professional endeavors. It’s more family and personal. But it’s evened out with the pleasure and contentment of coming closer to putting this all behind me.

What’s going on with Young Dro?
Dro just picked his first single. It’s called “Do It in the Shower.” It’s a hot record, too. Dro missed his calling. He was supposed to be a comedian. If you sit around Dro and don’t laugh, something is wrong with your funny bone. We’re going to start working this single real heavy. And I’d say [his album is coming out] the first quarter next year.  He going back and fourth [on the title]. I heard The Young and the Restless. I heard P.O.L.O. (Players Only Live Once).

You and Jim Jones have always seemed to be pretty cool. Did his comments to Complex surprise you?
I still haven’t saw it with my own eyes. I’ve only heard it from people who asked me about it. They ask me about something I have no knowledge of. Just as I said with the 50 Cent comment, I can’t deal with it based off of what I see or read. I have to ask this person. I have to hear what this person says out of his own mouth. Because things can be taken out of context so much. You definitely don’t wanna jump to conclusions one way or the next. So, I would definitely have to hear it with my own. I just spoke to Juelz a couple weeks ago about doing another record together [for his album]. So, we’ll see each other. That’s my thing about it. I saw Jim not too long ago, about two or three weeks ago at BET for 106 and Park’s 100th episode or something they were doing. We spoke and everything was cool. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon and have a chance to speak on it. But even from what I heard, it doesn’t sound like much. It’s always gonna be somebody who didn’t get to get on it or who wished they were on it or felt like they should’ve been on it. I’m not worried. I’m moving forward.

Comments

[frank talk]

wow, grown man talk right there!

[Whitney Lindsay]

Dats what im talkin bout tip. You a grown *ss man and dnt have time 4 unimportant things around you.

[Mike B]

You cant do nothing but respect T.I. Thats how a man suppose to handle situations real talk. You aint got sh*t to prove to this world bc only God can judge you.

[Todd]

I gotta admit, after all the b-s you've dealt wit and still remaining on top, true heart. Stay true n do your thing. God bless

[optee]

This was a dope interview, though I think he keeps dodging the Jim Jones issue, on 9/30 I copped Madlib, Murs, Heltah Skeltah, and DJ revolution's albums and put Paper Trail down after picking it up...not sure why, b/c Trap Musik was my sh*t, but now I feel like I should have copped it....but for me to give it a fair listen I have to get tired of Large Pro's album and that right this sec is one of the best albums I've heard in a Minute!

[lisa]

its good that you focused. god must have agood plan for you.

[chuks]

wicked interview

chuks

london