T.I. (Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. el 25 de septiembre de 1980 en Atlanta, Georgia) es un rapero de Atlanta. También es conocido como King of the South, Rubber Band Man (debido a su pasado como traficante de drogas) y T.I.P., su alter ego. Su nombre artístico original era "T.I.P.", que tiene su origen en el apodo con que le conocían en su infancia. Debido a su acento sureño, los fans confundían su nombre con "Chip", por lo que se lo tuvo que acortar y dejarlo en T.I. cuando firmó por Arista. Previamente, también tuvo una pelea con Lil' Flip. El que ambos se coronaran como “Rey del sur” originó la disputa, y a la vez condujo a que un DJ del sur creara un álbum llamado Fight for the Throne, que refleja con insultos y freestyles, la polémica entre ambos. El CD no llegó a ser puesto en venta por razones de la discográfica, pero puede ser descargado de Internet. Firmó en 2001 por Arista Records, una sucursal de LaFace Records. También es miembro de una pandilla underground conocida como P$C (Pimp Squad Click), además de tener su propio sello discográfico, Grand Hustle Records. Debutó con I'm Serious en 2001, incluyendo a personal como Pharrell Williams de The Neptunes, Jazze Pha y YoungBloodZ. Su segundo trabajo, Trap Muzik, rápido empezó a vender como una moto, gracias a éxitos como "24s," "Rubberband Man," y "Be Easy". El triunfo del álbum fue seguido de un calvario: Mientras estaba de gira, violó su libertad condicional de 1998 sobre una acusación de tráfico de drogas, y fue sentenciado a 3 años en prisión. The year 2006 proved to be the highlight of T.I.’s career. He received two Grammy Award nominations – Best Song Collaboration for “Soldier” and Best Rap Solo Performance for “U Don’t Know Me.” He released his fourth album, King that same year, watching it debut at Number One on the charts. The singles “Ride with Me” and “Front Back” pushed the album’s strong sales. The music success, no doubt, helped promote T.I.’s bourgeoning acting career. He was cast in the movie “ATL” as an orphaned high school senior, co-starring along with Lauren London Andre Patton, and Mykelti Williamson in the urban drama. “ATL” grossed $11.5 million during its opening weekend. Unfortunately, controversy followed T.I.’s career as much as fame and fortune. In 2004, the rapper went behind bars in Cobb County, GA for violating probation. In 2006, T.I. was arrested on an outstanding probation violation warrant from the state of Florida. He was released on bail shortly after being arrested. Other members of the hip-hop community had also come under fire from T.I.’s verbal attacks. He relished his ongoing rivalries with rappers Ludacrisand Lil’ Flip. Perhaps the biggest news involving T.I. happened on May 3, 2006. Four members of the rapper’s entourage were shot after leaving a club in Cincinnati, OH. T.I.’s personal assistant and best friend Philant Johnson was killed by the gunfire. Another member, Janice Gillespie, was seriously wounded. The event definitely left a temporary taint on an otherwise promising career in Hollywood. T.I. received a handful of Grammy nominations in 2007, for Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song (“What You Know”), Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (“My Love”), and Best Rap Album for King. Even though music was his first love, T.I. continued his acting career with full force. He filmed alongside Denzel Washingtonand Russell Crowe- two of Hollywood’s heaviest-hitters and Academy Award-winning actors, both – in “American Gangster” (2007). With Washington and Crowe on screen and “Gladiator” (2000) director Ridley Scott behind the camera, the biopic on Harlem heroin kingpin Frank Lucas seemed a surefire hit and the film to put T.I. firmly on the in-demand list of rapper-turned-actors. YahooMovie.