December 21, 2004 @ 1:57 pm

VIBE Cover Story: T.I. - King of the South?

While Jay-Z and Nas were tussling over the King of New York title, a lesser known Atlanta rapper called T.I. was quietly plotting a takeover. Vibe's special double-cove

Since he popped up on the scene in 2001 with visions of grandeur, Clifford Harris Jr.has been called a lot of things: He went from Tip the hustler to T.I. the rapper (he thought people would confuse him with Q-Tip). But when the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams stood up and called him the "Jay-Z of the South," a lot of folks who had long dismissed the Bankhead, Atlanta native as a "young, pompous, arrogant, son of a bitch" (his words, not VIBE's) were compelled to take a second look. After all, Pharrell clearly knows something about dropping heat. "He's one of the greats that God let slip through," says Pharrell. "It's easy to blow up when you have a catchy hook. But since T.I. made music for dope dealers, it took the rest of the world a minute to catch up." Pharrell is just calling it the way an army of Southern rap fiends has seen it for years. Pound for pound, T.I. is the most exciting rapper working below the Mason-Dixon Line today. And that's not to take anything away from Ludacris (you don't move more than 8 million albums if you can't spit) or anyone else slanging their drawl on wax. But while Chris Lova Lova's playful image and clearly enunciated flow has made him more overnight pop star than Southern son, T.I. has proven that he can tap into the heart of the Dirty streets that raised him. "I definitely see him following in our footsteps," says 8Ball, of legendary Memphis rap duo 8Ball and MJG. "He's spitting the truth and being himself, no matter what people say about him." David Banner adds, "What I love about T.I. is that there's no debating where he's from. He's straight from the South, and he's not compromising." In the South, if you don't give a damn, then we don't give a fuck. It's that attitude that drives all of the region's best music: from the blues to rock to country to crunk. Southern rap is no different. Back when Lil Jon was still working as an A&R at So So Def, artists like Scarface, UGK, and 8Ball and MJG were building legendary careers on nothing more than their balls and their words. They cut records for all of those operating outside the system. It was an independent sound for an independent way of life. Albums like Scarface's The Diary, UGK's Ridin' Dirty, and 8Ball and MJG's Comin' Out Hard became certified classics by capturing what happens when everything's been taken away-leaving only the hustle, the love, and the respect. Spend any time with T.I. or his music, and you'll find that he clings to these three pillars as if they were the holy trinity. To Read The Rest of This Story, Get This Issue At Your Local Newsstand Now! Click Here! To Receive a Full Year of VIBE for $11.95! To discuss T.I.'s cover story, his new album, and if he's really the JAY-Z of the south click here To hear tracks from T.I.'s new album, Urban Legend, click here To listen to T.I.'s "Bring Em Out" click here To watch T.I.'s video for "Bring Em Out" click here

Article tags: VIBE, Cover, Story, T.I, King, South 

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http://www.vibe.com/news/magazine_features/2004/12/vibe_cover_story_ti_king_south/

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