caption children years_active alias birth_place home_town awards image_size name birth_date spouse image article_title birth_name occupation
t.i. performing in bumbershoot in august 2008 . 6 1996 -- present t.i.p. atlanta , georgia , united states bankhead , atlanta list of awards and nominations 220px t.i. 25 september 1980 tameka cottle -lrb- m. 2010 -rrb- t.i. at bumbershoot.jpg t.i.
 clifford joseph harris , jr. . rapper personality nightclub owner songwriter record producer record executive actor author television
t.i.

clifford joseph harris , jr. -lrb- born september 25 , 1980 -rrb- , better known by his stage name t.i. -lrb- and formerly tip -rrb- , is an american hip hop recording artist and actor 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 -lrb- p$ c -rrb- , 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 -lrb- ceo -rrb- 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 , respectively .
t.i. has released nine studio albums -lrb- `` i 'm serious '' , `` trap muzik '' , `` urban legend '' , `` king '' , `` t.i. vs. t.i.p. '' , `` paper trail '' , `` no mercy '' , '' '' and `` paperwork '' -rrb- , with the most recent seven being highly successful on the commercial market .
throughout his career , t.i. has also released several highly successful singles , such as `` bring em out '' , `` what you know '' , `` big shit poppin ' '' , `` whatever you like '' , `` live your life '' -lrb- featuring rihanna -rrb- , `` dead and gone '' -lrb- featuring justin timberlake -rrb- , `` ball '' -lrb- featuring lil wayne -rrb- and `` no mediocre '' -lrb- featuring iggy azalea -rrb- .
he has won three grammy awards , namely best rap solo performance , best rap performance by a duo or group and best rap/sung collaboration .
t.i. began to gain major recognition in 2003 , after he was featured on fellow atlanta-based rapper bone crusher 's hit single , `` never scared '' .
he began to gain more prominence with the release of `` trap muzik '' -lrb- 2003 -rrb- , which includes the top 40 hits , `` rubber band man '' and `` let 's get away '' .
in 2004 , t.i. appeared on destiny 's child 's international hit , `` soldier '' , alongside lil wayne .
his sixth album , `` paper trail '' -lrb- 2008 -rrb- , became his most successful album to date , with first-week sales of 568,000 copies in the united states , making it t.i. 's third chart topping album in a row .
it included three international hit singles , `` whatever you like '' , `` live your life '' and `` dead and gone '' .
in 2013 , he was featured on robin thicke 's hit single `` blurred lines '' , alongside pharrell williams , which peaked at number one on several major music charts .
in november 2013 , t.i. announced that he had signed with columbia records , to release his ninth album , `` paperwork '' -lrb- 2014 -rrb- .
t.i. has served two terms in county jail , twice for probation violations and a federal prison bid for a u.s. federal weapons charge .
while serving 11 months in prison , he released his seventh studio album , `` no mercy '' -lrb- 2010 -rrb- .
t.i. has also had a successful acting career , starring in the films `` atl '' , `` takers '' and `` identity thief '' .
he is also a published author , having written two novels `` power & beauty '' -lrb- 2011 -rrb- and `` trouble & triumph '' -lrb- 2012 -rrb- , both of which were released to moderate success .
t.i. has also starred in the american reality television series `` t.i. 's road to redemption '' and '' '' .
in 2009 , `` billboard '' ranked him as the 27th artist of the 2000s decade .
