T.I.’s impact on rap has been underrated and underappreciated. He’s one of the best and most influential rappers to ever come out of Atlanta, which is saying something. Many credit him for popularizing Trap music thanks to his classic sophomore album Trap Muzik.
Outside of rapping, the Atlanta entertainer is also an accomplished actor and philanthropist. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been without controversy. This is the evolution of T.I.
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Born Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., T.I. is the son of Clifford “Buddy” Harris Sr. and Violeta Morgan who resided on the west side of Atlanta near Bankhead highway. His father was from New York City and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, which ultimately took his life.
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At an early age, T.I. was interested in pursuing a music career. He and local Atlanta rapper, Big Kuntry King, sold mixtapes out of the trunk of their car. T.I. later signed with Arista Records and dropped his first record in 2001.
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Released a year later, Urban Legend spawned T.I.’s first top ten hit “Bring Em Out,” which was produced by Swizz Beatz. The album was also a success and staked his claim as one of the best rappers from the south.
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His most popular release up to this point, King was his first album to debut No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It included popular singles “What You Know” and “Live in the Sky.” The album was nominated for best rap album at the 2007 Grammys.
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In 2007, T.I. was arrested and charged with possession of three unregistered machine guns and two silencers, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He eventually pled guilty and served a year in prison.
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In 2010, Harris married Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, who was a former member of the Atlanta R&B group Xscape. They went on to have four children together.
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In September 2010, both Tiny and T.I. were arrested for drug charges. A month later, Harris was sentenced to 11 months in prison for violating the terms of his probation. Because of his prison sentencing, he changed the name of his upcoming album to No Mercy.
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While ATL was his breakout role, T.I. appeared in many more movies throughout his career including American Gangster, Takers, House of Lies, Ant-man and many others.