T.I.

T.I., born Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. on September 25, 1980, is a rapper, actor and entrepreneur from Atlanta, Georgia, widely credited as one of the architects of the trap subgenre that reshaped Southern hip-hop in the 2000s. Often dubbed the King of the South, he built his reputation on a smooth yet commanding delivery, vivid depictions of street hustle, and an ear for club-ready hooks.

He founded and leads Grand Hustle Records, the label through which he has developed and mentored other artists while releasing a run of commercially and critically successful albums. His catalog spans hard-edged trap anthems and radio-friendly crossover hits, with tracks like «Whatever You Like» and «Live Your Life», the latter featuring Rihanna, showing his ability to move fluidly between street narratives and pop sensibility. Collaborations such as «Swagga Like Us» with Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne, and «Dead and Gone» with Justin Timberlake, underline his standing as a connector across the wider rap and pop landscape.

Beyond music, T.I. has built a substantial acting career, appearing in films including Ant-Man, Takers and ATL, further extending his influence as a multi-hyphenate figure in entertainment. His body of work, spanning eleven studio albums, helped define the sound and attitude of Atlanta hip-hop and paved the way for the trap-driven sound that would come to dominate mainstream rap in the following decade.