T.I. has become one the most successful rappers to come out of Atlanta, and he hasn't forgotten his roots not one bit.
In a new ABC News profile, the rapper, born Clifford Harris, shares how his past as a hustler living in the downtrodden Center Hill neighborhood made him who he is today. Tip has become a voice of the people since his debut in 2001 and his first hit album, Trap Muzik, in 2003.
The lasting effects of the drug war, crack epidemic and mass incarceration has influenced him to get out but also reminded him to fight for those left behind. Being poor left few options for Black people to survive. Selling drugs was one way.
"The way… the rate you're going, you're gonna die," Tip recalled his uncle telling him. "And we don't [want to] worry about how we're gonna bury you, so just sign this paper, so we'll have, you know, a way to send you off nice once you go out there and get your head blown off."
Now that he has become an international superstar, he has used his platform to give back. Several of his business ventures tackle homelessness, gentrification and the increasing number of food deserts in Atlanta. His charitable organization, K.I.N.G., helps homeless veterans and provides educational options for those in need.
Tip's latest business venture is a series of revitalization projects that will create a grocery store, build affordable housing and create job opportunities. As he told Inc., the "Buy Back the Block” initiative has purchased nine properties to do just that. Rapper Killa Mike, Dynasty Real Estate Development and APD-Urban Planning and Management are also involved.
"With as much growth and opportunity that's going on in my community — and, you know, Mike's community as well — we refuse to be left behind," he said.
The rap game owes him a lot. He is one of the originators of the trap subgenre of rap, and throughout his nearly two-decade spanning career, he serves as its caretaker. The Fader reported that T.I. opened a trap museum, showcasing the major MCs in the "trap" subgenre. Newcomers like 21 Savage and OGs like Rick Ross, Future, Gucci Mane and the late Shawty Lo are all a part of the museum's exhibits.
"These are the most recent ones of us who have had to overcome — Meek Mill, Kodak Black, Ralo, Kevin Gates, to name a few — these are the guys that will be celebrated here, and I think it's extremely important that everyone knows that either death, prison or music is probably the likely outcome to the lifestyle," Tip said.
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