October 15, 2007 @ 7:23 pm

T.I.: Tell 'Em I Said That

by: Benjamin Meadows-Ingram

VIBE's Benjamin Meadows-Ingram has interviewed T.I. countless times over the past four years. Here, some excerpts from their conversations.

I was at dinner on Saturday night when I first got the text: "So you heard about Tip?" I hadn't - it's the weekend, a man's gotta chill - but when I got the details, I was glad to hear that, if nothing else, he was at least alive, if not well. Of course, as the story continued to unfold over the course of the night and on into Sunday, it became clear just how "not well" things were on the end of one Clifford "Tip" Harris, Jr., 27.

By now the rough sketch is out there (note the sequence of events that follows is all alleged at this point - ya know, innocent before proven guilty). One of his bodyguards gets caught up trying to buy unregistered machine guns through The Gun Shop in Atlanta, said bodyguard then tells federal agents that he was buying the guns for multiplatinum rapper and current employer, T.I., and agrees to help in T.I.'s apprehension. Phone calls and conversations concerning the acquisition of illegal guns are exchanged between Tip and the bodyguard, money and guns are exchanged, T.I. is arrested in the parking lot of a suburban Atlanta mall with three guns in his car, his home is searched by the ATF, more guns are found, he spends the weekend in jail and today was denied bail on federal weapons charges.

Needless to say, none of this is good news for T.I., his family, friends or fans. While there has been little speculation at this point as to the actual severity of the sentence Tip could be facing should he be found guilty (largely because the specifics of the charges have yet to be fully detailed in court), he is a convicted felon and there are all sorts of laws about convicted felons owning guns, especially illegal ones. According to the affidavit, he's facing charges of "violating possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 5861(d); and of possessing firearms in or affecting interstate commerce, after having been convicted of a felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)." Mandatory sentencing runs in the five-year range, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to sit down with Tip on a variety of occasions and under a variety of different circumstances. During that time, I've seen him celebrate and I've seen him sulk, stressed and relaxed, boisterous and subdued. And I've come to know a man who's a lot like the rest of us - complex. What follows are a few excerpts from some of our conversations.


ON BEEF WITH LIL FLIP, JUNE 19, 2004 - At the Grand Hustle Offices, immediately following the Birthday Bash performance

VIBE: Your first day back you put it on Flip pretty heavy.
T.I.: Yeah man, because he asked for it. He really did ask for it. I really don't take kindly to people saying things behind my back - speaking my name anyway, period. Especially since I hadn't never spoke his name in a negative light. So when I'm going through my tough times, for you to take that as an opportunity to make matters worse for me. I guess he saw it as an opportunity to dethrone me. But all that he's the king of the south shit and all that, 'tell T.I. I said game over,' that's unacceptable, and he will be seen about. It doesn't necessarily gotta be violent, I hope it can stay away from that, but I'm willing to die about my respect. That's something I'm willing to die about. For real. I give respect and I demand it. I don't start nothing with nobody. If I have an issue with you, I'ma tell you to your face and I'm gonna address it appropriately. I'ma say what I need to say, I'ma say what's on my mind, you can do the same, and if I feel like you're disrespecting me, it will get physical. But other than that, I want everybody to play fair. I want everybody to be positive. I'ma say what I'ma say and I'ma do what I'm gonna do. Ya dig? But if he does the same back in return I'm gonna take it to the physical.

Would you rather avoid that?
Yeah I would rather avoid it. Just because I know that sheds a lot of negative light on the industry and on us as young black entertainers. I don't want to fan the flames because I feel we've had enough of that with Biggie and Pac, 50 and Ja - all kinds of beefs. I don't want to add to it, but this ain't about the industry right now. This is about respect. Once again, I'm gonna live and die for mine.

ON GOING TO JAIL, late OCTOBER 2004, over the phone

VIBE: Getting shot, going to jail, it helps your image in rap.
T.I.: If I had a choice between being local act with a clean record and never having to go to jail, and being nationwide with the troubles of the legal system and getting shot, I would be that local act and find me another way to make my money man. Ain't nothing worth your freedom. Ain't nothing worth your health and strength.

ON HURRICANE KATRINA, SEPTEMBER 2005, on set at the filming of ATL (Warner Bros, 2006)

VIBE: Do you remember the first time you saw the news about New Orleans? What were you doing?
T.I.: I was at my house. I just got back from doing the movie [ATL]. Chillin, seeing the news, and I was like, Damn - that's fucked up. And then the next day, when I seen the news and I seen that no one was coming and wasn't nobody comin'... I was really upset when I heard about the violence that was going on in the Superdome. And then I seen babies out there – people swimming with their babies. And I seen how the government wanna come in and they rescue - they went to everybody else's rescue. Shit was unfair.

Do you think it makes a statement about the government and about the country?
I mean, what was the statement that it made? I'm not surprised. I never expected George Bush to do nothing for me. You know, that was what the Vote or Die campaign was about. Vote or die. You vote this motherfucker out of office, or we gon' die trying to come up.

ON HIS TEMPER, JANUARY 2006, while driving through Atlanta in his Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

VIBE: You still dealing with your temper? How's that coming along?
T.I.: Better. Better now than I was before. I'm better now than I was then. I still relapse from time to time and I'll get into it with this motherfucka or that motherfucka about this or about that. It'll lead on to whatever extremes it leads on to.

Do you find yourself questioning your reactions sometimes, especially when it comes to your temper?
Yeah! I do, a lot of times. 'Cuz I know I'm... I know I done took shit... I'm the kind of nigga who go overboard all the time. Like, if somebody break in my house, and threaten my family, my momma, my children... somethin', you know, some shit like that go down... then there is a valid cause for me to go through all the extremes that I am prepared to go through. Whatever consequences come with it, I'm willing to deal with it, I feel like it's worth it to me. But for bullshit to happen in the streets, in the club, it's little fuck shit? It's not worth it. And that's where I be takin' it to. And it ain't called for. That shit make you look like some kind of renegade, commando kind of… on some real kamikaze shit. On some terrorist shit. I ain't no bullet, I ain't no terrorist, I don't mean nobody no harm, I'm a nice guy. And I want everybody to mind they business, leave me alone and play fair, and imma play fair.

ON HIS BEST FRIEND'S MURDER AND TINY's MISCARRIAGE, at the Shore Club in Miami MAY 10 2007

T.I.: My ability to deal with all these difficult situations so calm and collected, it scares me sometimes. We done been through a lot of tragic shit in our time and I ain't shook. I still stand up like I used to stand up, walk like I used to walk and if I had to do it all over again I would. Without a second thought. I feel like God is with me. God with me and when I make mistakes…when the mistakes don't affect me as much as they affect the people around me, that hurt me more than anything. I'd rather be shot myself than be in a shootout and be the one that's not shot. Like, we been in tons of shootouts man, me and Phil, me and whomever. Sad to say, it seem like that's what we do and as much as we wanna leave it behind and let it go, I'm just kinda starting to set into the reality of sometimes it seems like the stronger people are put through more so the weak people don't have to go through it and suffer as much.

Did you or do you blame yourself for Phil's death?
Sure. Sure. Sure. But they said I ain't supposed to. Everybody. God. It's in the Bible to say you not to challenge God's word, God is without mistakes. It says you got to have enough faith in the Lord's will to follow without question. So yeah I do and I have, but I know that I'm not supposed to. So I don't allow myself to continuously dwell on it 'cause I know that I ain't supposed to.

Were you surprised it got to that level?
Nah. Not at all. I'm looking for that shit all the time. All the time. Even when I'm not supposed to be.

Always got one eye open.
[LAUGHING] I've always got both my eyes open. We all too familiar with that shit, bro. We just know that shit too much not to be looking for it. If we ain't looking for it, we slipping 'cause we know it can happen. We've seen it too many times before.

Do you think you'll ever be able to get past that?
Doubt it. I been through too much shit. Ima always be paranoid.

There's never a time when TIP gets to put his loafers up and be like that shit is literally behind me?
Nah. Hell nah. Never. That's when it happens. When you do that, that's when it happens. After the King album came out I though I was above that shit. I thought that shit was behind me. It wasn't 'til that night right then when I was going through that shit I was like 'Here we go with this shit again.' And right then I was back in my old saddle.

What would you say is your darkest moment ever? What shit had the most impact on you?
All my dark moments bleed together. They all cause for one great moment of thought. They all have the same impact.

Article tags: Lil Flip, T.I. 

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