- published: 20 May 2016
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Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. (born September 25, 1980), better known by his stage names T.I. and Tip (stylized as TIP), is an American rapper, actor, and entrepreneur from Atlanta, Georgia. He signed his first major-label record deal in 1999, with Arista Records subsidiary, LaFace Records. In 2001, T.I. formed the Southern hip hop group Pimp Squad Click (P$C), alongside his longtime friends and fellow Atlanta-based rappers. Upon being released from Arista, T.I. signed to Atlantic Records and subsequently became the co-chief executive officer (CEO) of his own label imprint, Grand Hustle Records, which he launched in 2003. T.I. is perhaps best known as one of the artists who popularized the hip hop subgenre, trap music, along with Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane.
T.I. has released nine studio albums, with seven of them reaching the top five of the US Billboard 200 chart. Throughout his career, T.I. has also released several highly successful singles, including "Bring Em Out", "Whatever You Like", "Live Your Life" (featuring Rihanna), "Dead and Gone" (featuring Justin Timberlake), "Ball" (featuring Lil Wayne) and "No Mediocre" (featuring Iggy Azalea). He began to gain major recognition in 2003, following his first high-profile feature, on fellow Atlanta-based rapper Bone Crusher's hit single, "Never Scared". He earned more prominence with the release of Trap Muzik (2003), which includes the Top 40 hits, "Rubber Band Man" and "Let's Get Away". The next year, T.I. appeared on Destiny's Child's international hit, "Soldier", alongside Lil Wayne. His subsequent albums, King and T.I. vs. T.I.P., generated high record sales and were supported by popular singles, such as "What You Know" and "Big Shit Poppin'", respectively.