T.I. and Chris Brown premiere the music video for the latest single “Get Back Up”. The track is off of T.I.‘s ‘No Mercy’ album previously known as ‘King Uncaged’, which is set to be released in stores on December 7th. As for the message of the song, well let’s just say, “sometimes getting back up from a big fall is the best thing you can do, especially for T.I. who just got sent back to jail, and Chris Brown for his major fall, with his domestic incident with Rihanna“.
T.I. or Tip, whichever one is your preference is on the cover of the Fall Fashion issue of the YRB magazine. In his interview he gets into depth about how he became crowned ‘The King of the South’, the meaning of “King Uncaged”, his latest movie ‘Takers’. He also speaks on his young fashion line AKOO. On some more serious issues, the recent year of incarceration he had to serve out during 2009.
Below are a few excerpts from the interview as well as some photos from the shoot.
On how he became crowned ‘The King of the South’….
“I actually began rapping when I was nine years old and started looking for a deal when I was 11,” the 29-year-old ATL native recollects. “By the age of 18, when it still hadn’t happened for me, I was ready to focus on being a cocaine kingpin instead.”
Talks about the “King Uncaged” ….
“The title of the album signifies freedom in all senses,” he explains. “Physical freedom, mental freedom, financial freedom, artistic freedom, and also, just really taking advantage of all the opportunities around me.”
“On the album I’m Serious, I wrote the lyrics down,” he replies. “Everything from the “Urban Legend” album to “Paper Trail“ I didn’t write down. And on this new album, I’m doing a little bit of both.” Commenting on the difference between both methods, he says, “When I get into the booth without writing, it’s like a kinetic energy or spontaneous combustion with one continuous thought, but when I decide to sit down and write, it’s more about the technique and craftsmanship of the lyrics.”
On “Takers”….
“With Takers, my partner Jason Geter and I were fortunate to be the producers of the movie,” T.I. proudly states. “That means, we were responsible for picking the cast, choosing the director and, during the days of shooting, we made sure that what was on the script was being conveyed correctly to the screen.”
On his fashion line AKOO…
“Well, first of all I can’t draw, so I don’t really get into the sketching and designing or anything. What I do is provide direction and guidance to the designers,” he explains. “You see, I shop a lot and take pictures of things that I like, and then I go back to my designers and I ask them, ‘Do we have one of this?’ or ‘Do we have this in our collection?’ The way I do business is that I look at areas that I spend thousands and thousands of dollars myself, and then I ask, ‘How can I start a company that provides the same kind of service or product?’”
His 2009 incarceration….
“There were several moments of reflection when I was away last year,” he solemnly confides, “but you know those were all just thoughts, and now it’s time to put those thoughts in action. As far as any specific resolutions I came up with, there are quite a few. It’s all about simplifying things down now, taking it one day at a time and executing.”
“Growing up in the ghetto, all you got is your pride, your ego and your resilience because everything else around you is saying to you that you ain’t shit,” he says of how he attained his indomitable drive to succeed. “So all you really have to keep you going is what you believe about yourself in your heart and your mind. I always knew the opportunity existed to be successful in music, it was just up to me to execute and navigate through the tougher periods of my life to get to where I’m at today.”
To check out the video of the shoot click on,T.I. – YRB.
Everybody loves a comeback, and T.I. is in full force with his return. One month after the self proclaimed ‘King of the South,’ T.I., was released from prison on felony gun possession, he tweeted that the premiere of his first post-prison music single, ‘I’m Back’, off his forthcoming album ‘King Uncaged’ hit the internet, it finds Tip getting reacquainted with his hometown.
“sneak peak #2 of the “i’m back” video @ http://bit.ly/b6cCta – debuts monday @ 2pm EST on http://www.trapmuzik.com and oh yeah…the album date is pushed up 8.17.10 – King Uncaged.,” says T.I. via his Twitter account on Tuesday April 26th.
‘King Uncaged’ is already being compared to 2 Pac’s 1996 multi-platinum selling album ‘All Eyes On Me’ that was released shortly after his prison stint.
“This is the most significant return from incarceration that the game has had since then,” T.I. says. “Just given the enormous success of that project, everyone’s expecting the same results. I just want to meet the expectations, if not surpass them.”
On Monday night, the Atlanta rapper premiered the video for “I’m Back,” the first track he’s released since he ended his federal prison sentence earlier this year.
The clip debuted on T.I.’s website, and features him returning to his roots.
Tip, sitting shotgun in a black SUV, is driven to a group of buildings. The truck slowly pulls up to a warehouse in the complex and Tip exits the vehicle as the door to the building opens. T.I. quickly enters and lights a match to brighten up the dark space.
Clad in a hoodie, T-shirt and little jewelry, Tip walks up to a covered car parked inside.
When T.I. pulls back the cover, the camera finds his car, a Ferrari, waiting for him. The rapper shuffles over to the trunk of the import and inside spots a leather bag, from which he retrieves wads of cash and an expensive watch and necklace set. And his shades.
From there, Tip takes a spin in his car and gets reacquainted with his hometown.
But like the lyrics in the song, T.I. isn’t revisiting his past mistakes, he’s moving on.
“Probably just seen Wayne, Gucci Mane, me and Boosie all go to prison, now he flippin’ his whole image,” Tip raps. “Really trippin’, listen dude, for you that’s not in your cards/ Think the power’s in the gun, but overall it’s in your heart.”
The rapper, who hasn’t spoken much since he was released from prison late last month has been hard at work on his album, which is scheduled to arrive in stores and online August 17.
In an interview that was posted on his site recently, the rapper spoke about the project and promised fans a more aggressive tone on ‘King Uncaged’.
“I want to maintain the level of success I’ve been fortunate enough to do, over and over again, over the years,” Tip said. “This album is different in many ways. I think that Paper Trail was a lot more about thoughts; this is more about feelings. This is significantly more aggressive, or at least at this period in production. Who knows? I can do 10 love songs tomorrow and change the direction. At this point, right now, it’s going hard. It’s going hard like classic T.I.”
Everybody loves a comeback, and T.I. is in full force with his return. One month after the self proclaimed ‘King of the South,’ T.I., was released from prison on felony gun possession, he tweeted that the premiere of his first post-prison music single, ‘I’m Back’, off his forthcoming album ‘King Uncaged’ hit the internet, it finds Tip getting reacquainted with his hometown.
JNEL & J. Magazine 