T.I.

Once dubbed "the Jay-Z of the South" by Pharrell Williams, T.I. gradually came into his own and established himself as one of rap's most successful MCs during the early 2000s. Like Jay-Z, T.I. -- born Clifford Harris in Atlanta, Georgia -- carried a balance of smoothness and toughness, and grew from regional acclaim in his earliest days to chart-topping records like 2008's hit-spawning Paper Trail. His iconic presence influenced new waves of Atlanta rap talent, and T.I. continued making music alongside those following in his footsteps with albums like 2020's The L.I.B.R.A. T...