S. Samuel
Grammy-winning rapper T.I. has finally come to terms with a release date for his upcoming Trouble Man LP, promising to drop it in late summer.
While fans anticipate the project’s September release, Tip said he will focus on heating up the summer with new music.
Trouble is brewing for T.I. The Grand Hustle chief has announced a release date for his eighth album Trouble Man. During his visit to Angie Martinez‘ radio show on Tuesday, Tip revealed that the follow-up to 2010’s No Mercy will drop on September 4. “Look forward to those summertime anthems that we’ve grown to love about T.I.,” he previously told Fuse of the project, which has spawned the singles “Love This Life” and “Like That.” (Rap-Up)
Recently, producer Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph hit up SOHH to discuss Tip’s new LP.
“I think what we want to do is transcend and introduce a musically mature T.I.,” Sak Pase told SOHH. “I think he’s accomplished a lot with the T.I. we already know him for. Obviously his new album will have the classic T.I. records where it may be a great female record but musically, I think it may not be time to try something different but kind of mature the music a little bit more plus add a bit more sophistication to who he already is. People don’t really regard Southern artists as lyricists or true emcees or sophisticated. So I think he has an opportunity to do that now. He’s done Trap Muzik which was very successful and I think now it’s an opportunity to try something different. I want to be able to say that Tip is venturing out into different types of music and elements that could spark a different kind of light.” (SOHH)
Last fall, the “King of the South” held forth about his forthcoming Grand Hustle solo release.
“I’m embracing it,” T.I. tells me of the persona that is the title of his eighth studio album, “Trouble Man.” A minute into the title track, before I could ask why, Marvin Gaye‘s “Trouble Man” comes through the speakers of Atlanta’s Darp Studio Inc and we both nod our heads in understanding. As Marvin smoothly croons of personal struggles, T.I. smiles and nods his head yes. … “I have this one record [titled] ‘Pyro’ that I’m proud of,” T.I. told Billboard.com’s The Juice. “‘Pyro’ is a straight party record. It’s nostalgic of those crazy nights, early mornings [but] just turned up.” “Pyro” will come after the release of T.I.’s two singles, “I’m Flexin’,” featuring Big K.R.I.T. and “Hear Ye’ Hear Ye’,” feat. Pharrell Williams. (The Juice)
In October, he considered two possible album titles.
“The first of two album titles I’m debating is Kill the King because in all that I’ve gone through I’ve observed how people respond to my circumstances, and I always wonder ‘Why y’all coming at me like this?’ But I thought, ‘How do you expect them to act?'” he explains. “Life is a game of chess and the object is to kill the king. If you anoint yourself king, you have made yourself a target. The second one is self-explanatory – Trouble.” Keen on reclaiming his Southern hip-hop crown, T.I. has little patience for skeptics who believe his star has dimmed. (Rolling Stone)
Trouble Man is scheduled for a September 4th release.
Check out a recent T.I. interview below:
