T.I.

TI was born in 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia and was raised by his grandparents. He started rapping at age 7, skipping school to hang out with friends. As a teenager, he became involved in street life and dealt with drugs - by the age of 14, Clifford had already been arrested several times. However, fate was happy for the young musician - he was noticed by the managers of the record companies and signed a contract with him even when he was a teenager. TI's first album, produced by The Neptunes, was called "I'm Serious" (2001). Despite contributing to the recordings of many fellow rappers, sales and critical reception of the album were very modest. Critics claimed that the artist demonstrates potential, but so far his tracks sound too monotonous. The release of the album resulted in the artist's separation from his first label, Arista Records. TI launched its own label, Grand Hustle Records, where, with the help of fellow DJ Drama, began releasing mixtapes of various artists. On the same label he also released his second recording, "Trap Muzik" (2003). This release was more successful; however, in the same year, TI went to jail, as, apparently, did not abandon his drug dealer business. A month later, he managed to get out of prison, where he managed to illegally shoot a video clip. In 2004, TI released their next album, "Urban Legend". This disc was already truly successful - two Grammy nominations and a number of other awards.