ti: the working class

H
H
CAN I LIVE
THE WORKING
CLA$$
MILLIONAIRE
Y
ou could make a case for Clifford “T.I.” Joseph Harris, Jr. being the hottest rapper on earth. And on the day
before the release of Paper Trail—his sixth album and undoubtedly the most anticipated of his career—
hip-hop’s top dog had to put in a full day’s work introducing his latest work to the masses. And who did he
pick to accompany him on his busy day? SMOOTH, the mag with all the swag.
By Mitchell S. Jackson
Photographed by John Ricard
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3:30 P.M.
CAN I LIVE
Backstage at MTV, there are about 10 people in the green room.
Atlantic Records executives like Mike Kyser mingle with
employees of T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records as DJ Drama kicks it in
the background. While T.I. consults with his stylist for his
appearance on MTV Tr3s’ Mi TRL, the execs discuss the following night’s album release party, and, most importantly, who T.I.
will bring out onstage for a surprise performance.“We need a
moment,” one exec says, which seems to be a running theme.
When T.I. finally wanders into the dressing room, complaining of a tight neck and a headache, he’s wearing a black
shirt, dark denim jeans, and black Prada sneakers. There’s a
Louis Vuitton Damier print wallet peeking conspicuously from
his back pocket. “Man, you don’t never stop running your
mouth,” he says to Pee Wee, the youngest member of the crew,
who is also the resident comedian. Kyser is flipping though an
issue of SMOOTH, and T.I. jokes with him about writing down
the numbers for the ads in the back.
4:00 P.M.
MTV handlers call for T.I., and he swaggers to the edge of the
set. Stepping out of the backstage darkness, his diamond dog
tags, diamond cross, and diamond Frank Mueller watch glitter
in the bright lights of the studio. If he’s at all nervous about
this live interview, he doesn’t show it, at least not to any of the
crewmembers who watch from the sidelines. After the interview (all four minutes of it), T.I.’s back in the green room,
devouring pizza and soda with his crew and flipping through
magazines until Kyser, who seems to be the taskmaster for
the day, says it’s time to roll out.
4:30 P.M.
Outside the MTV building in Times Square, the crew disperses,
filling up an armada of cars and trucks. The publicist and your
intrepid SMOOTH correspondent are stuck without a ride, until
a black van carrying T.I.and DJ Drama pulls up.It’s already filled,
but T.I. tells us to get in anyway. It’s hard to imagine another
star of his stature sitting four to a seat in the back of a van.
En route to BET, there’s a group discussion about T.I.’s upcoming performance on Jay Leno. “Maybe I should get some
background singers,”he brainstorms aloud,and everyone in the
van starts spitballing ideas on how to make it happen.
5:00 P.M.
The crew is escorted upstairs to the BET green room. Before
everyone can get comfortable, T.I.—still suffering from a
headache and lack of sleep—is told he’ll have to go on-set for
his sound check. The crew follows him. DJ Drama gets behind
the turntables and starts the music. T.I. performs “Whatever
You Like,” at one point dancing around like a member of an
old Motown group and singing his hook in an exaggerated
falsetto.“Y’all didn’t know nothing about that right there, did
you?” he says on the mic, getting a laugh from the crew.
Back in the green room,T.I. slumps on the couch, not a performer anymore but an ordinary man feeling the effects of
sleep deprivation. The local news is broadcasting headlines of
“THERE’S NO
PRESSURE. ANYTHING
I DO RIGHT NOW
IS BETTER THAN
WHAT I COULD’VE
BEEN DOING.”
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“THERE ARE A LOT
OF THINGS THAT I’D
LIKE TO OBTAIN,
BUT MOSTLY, I’M
WORKING FOR
PERFECTION.
I’M WORKING
TOWARDS MY SPOT
IN HISTORY.”
the historic Dow Jones crash. A conversation ensues about
the effect it will have on the economy.“A lot of people, when
they say ‘America,’ they’re only talking about ‘me and the
people I know,’”T.I.says.“And f-ck everyone else.”Meanwhile,
various well-wishers poke their heads in, BET Vice President
Stephen Hill among them.
6:15 P.M.
Apparently, the pizza at MTV wasn’t enough, because T.I.
wants to walk to the pizzeria across the street. As soon as
he says this, the crew perks up, as if everyone else just
discovered they were still hungry, too. The dozen-plus
entourage all follow him out. When T.I. walks through the
front doors of the CBS building where they film 106 &
Park, dozens of screaming young fans greet him. He signs a
few autographs and then hurries across the street to the
pizzeria.“Y’all got some Italian icees?” he asks the counterperson.Outside the pizzeria,a new crowd swarms,snapping
pics on their cell phones and whispering amongst each
other.While he waits for the beef patties he orders,T.I.walks
out into the crowd, giving high-fives, signing more autographs, and posing for pictures.
Back at BET, he ducks out to get a massage in another
room. When he returns, it’s almost showtime, so he chooses his wardrobe for his performance. This time, he picks
black jeans, a black button-down, an army-green vest, and
black and green Air Force Ones. The stylist gives him a few
pairs of shades to choose from, and he tries each of them
before settling on a pair with gold frames.
7:25 P.M.
The crew heads down to the 106 & Park set.T.I. waits in the
wings while Terrence J introduces him. The crowd of zealous teenagers rushes to the edge of the small stage when
T.I. walks out on-set. From the performance he gives, you’d
never guess that he’s functioning on very little sleep or that
he’s still suffering through a headache and neck pain.During
his interview afterward, he interacts with the crowd so
much that Terrance J comments on it.“A lot of artists come
in here and don’t say nothing to the crowd,” he says.
“But T.I.’s been interacting the whole time. I got to give
it up to you, man.”
8:15 P.M.
After 106 & Park, the crew crowds back into the van. The
next stop is a secret Hot 97 location for an interview with
Funkmaster Flex. On the way there, T.I. calls his business
partner and Grand Hustle Records co-CEO Jason Geter to get
confirmation on a performance later that evening. The
details are sketchy. Via speakerphone, Geter explains that
it isn’t a show, merely an appearance, and although the
fee is smaller than what T.I. normally asks, this is about
building a worthwhile relationship. T.I. accepts that logic.
“If they had hundred stacks on deck, they could get a show,
though,” he says.
8:35 P.M.
At the Hot 97 location, there’s a swollen security guard at
the front door.“If you’re carrying, just let me see some ID,”
the guard says, “because I’m carrying.” “Well, I’m definitely
not carrying nothing,” says T.I. as he slides past. Upstairs,
the waiting area looks more like an apartment undergoing
renovation than the most popular station in New York.
Flex enters what looks like a makeshift studio about five
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To be taken seriously and respected is more important than
being admired.
When you went through your troubles last year,
did you ever think that you could lose everything
you’d built?
Of course. But then I felt like if it was gonna be over, then
it would have been over already.If that was my purpose and
my place, if that’s where God wanted me to be, then he
would’ve already put me there.
Are you making any preparations for your upcoming
prison term?
Oh, absolutely. I definitely had to prepare, so that while I’m
gone, my family can maintain the way they’ve been living.
You definitely want to put things in place to continue to
generate revenue. That’s the most you can do.
The title Paper Trail is feeling ironic in light of the
current financial crisis. Are you scared that it’s going
to hurt your sales?
I don’t think it’s really going to affect me that much. If
9/11 couldn’t affect Jay on The Blueprint, then I think I’m
safe.
Is there anything you’re still working for? Some
luxuries that you’d still like to buy?
There are a lot of things that I’d like to obtain, but mostly,
I’m working for perfection. I’m working towards my spot
in history. Working to create the most magnificent legacy
I can leave behind for my children, and to make my father
and family and everybody who supported me proud.
minutes before airtime. He tells T.I. that he wants to focus
on his current business, not his legal troubles.The interview
ends up revolving around sports and vintage cars, the latter of which is Flex’s specialty.
a daunting 14. The manager says he’ll accommodate, and
while everyone waits outside with the paparazzi who are
snapping away at other famous Waverly guests, T.I. stands
still long enough to do his SMOOTH interview.
who do this on this level do it with the expectations of
being the absolute best. So, of course, a part of me says
I want to have the absolute best release of the year.
But at the end of the day, I just want my work to be
appreciated.
Your album comes out tomorrow. Are you feeling
any pressure?
Nah, I’m just anxious to deliver my hard work to the world.
There’s no pressure. Anything I do right now is better than
what I could’ve been doing.
On “Live Your Life,” you talk about how a rapper can
get himself out of poverty and still not be happy
because of a lack of morality. How important is that
to you? Would you sacrifice a little success to maintain your morals?
It’s very important. I’m a rapper and a businessman, but
I’m a man first. I think moral standards and principles are
what a person stands for, how serious he is about his
beliefs, that’s more important than any amount of money.
10:00 P.M.
Afterwards, the van searches for the Waverly Inn in the
West Village, where T.I. will meet with his lawyer to discuss
business.“Where the hell are we?” he asks after driving in
circles for ten minutes.“I’m hungry as shit. I could’ve went
uptown and got me some food.” Eventually, we find the
restaurant along a dark, tree-lined street. When T.I. steps
out of the van, paparazzi cameras flash. Unfazed, he and his
business partner Geter walk into the restaurant and tell the
manager that his party has gone from an intimate four to
110 SMOOTHMAG.COM
What are the expectations? Are you concentrating
on your first-week sales?
Of course, all of us have a competitive spirit. All of us
On “Swagger Like Us,” you talk about the different
things that listeners get from Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne,
Kanye, and you. What’s your lane?
I’m real diversified.I think I’ve proven that I can do just about
anything. It’s all about what I feel like doing. Like I said, you
go to Jeezy for the birdplay, Weezy for the wordplay, Yeezy
for diversity, and me for controversy. And that’s how I feel.
A lot of people are great at being artists, but when it comes
to people really spitting what they’ve lived and what they’ve
been through on a beat, I think I’m the best at doing that
right now. It’s like, you always had other people who could
rap. You had Big, who was an outstanding, phenomenal
lyricist, and so is Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Big Boi, and so many
others. But when Pac spit, you could tell that he was speaking sincerely about his experiences.That’s why you felt him.
And I think that’s my lane right now.
When we were talking about the economy earlier,
you said something about “rich people,” as if they
were in another class than yourself. It’s like you still
see yourself as one of the common folk.
H
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CAN I LIVE
“I’M JUST A
WORKING-CLASS
MILLIONAIRE. I’M
JUST DOING MY
THING AND DOING IT
WELL ENOUGH TO
ASSUME A CERTAIN
LEVEL OF SUCCESS.”
Man, I am. I ain’t rich. I might seem rich to somebody who
ain’t got no money, but to me, man, Trump is rich. Hugh
Hefner is rich. Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Bill Cosby, Bill
Gates, Steve Jobs, those people are rich. I’m just a workingclass millionaire. I’m just doing my thing and doing it well
enough to assume a certain level of success. I’m still trying
to get to that $100,000,000 mark.
You’ve been out there encouraging the youngsters
to vote. If you could speak to Obama and have him
address some issues that affect the people of Atlanta,
what would they be?
Man, as far as choosing sides, I’m trying to stay out of things
as much as I can, because I think that somewhat hurts more
than helps. You don’t want to make it a Black and White
thing,where all the Blacks support Obama and all the Whites
support McCain.You want people to support the person who
is most credible and most intelligent. I think McCain and
Obama should focus on the issues that are relevant and not
create new ones.
You seem to be a level-headed dude for someone
in your position. Does this come from having the
right people around you? Is there someone you can
always count on to let you know if you’re steering off
course?
Several of them. You’re around them right now. Jay, Doug,
C-Rod. That’s what they’re here for. That’s how we got this
far and stayed this long. Those are the same guys who’ve
been around forever.
Looks like our table’s ready.
Okay, I need to go see about making me some more
money.
11:15 P.M.
After dinner, the crew pulls up at the Marquee nightclub.
There are hundreds of people outside waiting to get in, not
to mention the reporters and their forest of microphones
and recorders. T.I. poses for pics on the red carpet and
answers a few questions before being escorted inside.
Security carves out a small space for him and a few members of his crew alongside labelmate Trey Songz and Grand
Hustle artist Alfamega. A crowd builds around T.I., squawking girls and gawking guys, all flashing cameras.“Oh, I love
you!”one girl squeals.“Can I give you a kiss?”There are other
celebs in the building, but none with the wattage of T.I.The
DJ runs through a medley of his hits, and when the Swizz
Beatz–produced “Swing Ya Rag” comes on, a mic surfaces
and floats over to the man everyone’s trying to glimpse.With
his crew around him, T.I. pumps up the crowd.“Pick up that
paper trail!” he says, rapping along with his song. And like
it does everywhere he goes, the crowd goes wild.