S. Samuel
Grammy-winning rapper T.I. has given his first post-jail interview this week and said he plans on making a return to the pre-Paper Trail version of himself.
Tip’s motivation to resort to his earlier flows and styles is ultimately connected to the hardcore fanbase which supported him at the start of his career.
“When I went through all of the things I went through, the new sophisticated [2008] Paper Trail T.I., all those people were the quickest to give me their backpockets to kiss,” Tip said in an interview. “So the ones that really stayed down with me was them Bankhead natives, the ones that supported the first two albums. I feel like I’m going to stay down with who stayed down with me. I’m going to speak to the people who spoke to me. I’m going to communicate to the people who supported me through my darkest hours. Also just being a fan of music myself, I understand that the core and the foundation of my success derives from that. At one time, I was so focused and so caught up in being a role model — that I got away from what I do best which is Bankhead. Energy-wise. Subject matter-wise.” (V-103)
A couple days ago, Tip hit up Twitter and told fans his focus was putting Atlanta back on the map.
“Gotta say thanx 4all da love,support,&prayers from all who gave a sh!t… Puttin da A back on top is high up on my priority list. IT’S ON!!!,” he tweeted September 29th. (T.I.’s Twitter)
The rapper was officially released from a halfway house on Thursday (September 29) after serving nearly 11 months in an Arkansas jail.
Grammy Award-winning rapper T.I. was released early on Thursday from the federal halfway house in Atlanta where he finished up an 11-month sentence on weapons possession and drug charges, a prison official said. The 31-year-old Atlanta entertainer, whose real name is Clifford Harris, was assigned to the halfway house for the last month of his sentence after being released August 31 from a federal prison in Arkansas. (WSBT News)
Prior to his release, Grand Hustle’s DJ Drama discussed Tip’s return to studio grinding.
“I mean, it’s really just back to work,” Drama told SOHH about having Tip back in the studio. “You know what I’m saying? Like, that’s what we do. So the homie had to take another little hiatus, but you know what I mean, we’re past that and getting right to it. It’s not like we’re sitting down and playing happy camper. This is what we do and it’s time to get back to work, making music for the people and giving them what they want to hear. My goal was to keep it hot while he was gone and now that he’s here, we’ve got bigger and better things to accomplish.” (SOHH)
Check out T.I.’s first post-jail interview below:
