Clifford “T.I.” Harris, who may or may not retire from performing after his Dec. 19 concert, solidified his status as a regional phenomenon with his sophomore album, 2003′s “Trap Muzik.” The star Atlanta rapper told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he was ready to attract new audiences and refresh his sound with his third studio album, “Urban Legend.”
“I knew I was willing to put in the work, but in order for me to get better, I had to be honest about my past,” T.I. said.
“Urban Legend,” released November 2004, was the Bankhead native’s second album under Atlantic Records and Grand Hustle Records, the label he cofounded with Jason Geter. The LP featured notable songs like “Motivation,” “ASAP” and “U Don’t Know Me.”
The album captured the legal and emotional turbulence T.I. was experiencing at the time . In April, he was sentenced to a three-year prison sentence for a probation violation stemming from a drug conviction in Cobb County.
His wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, heard from a family friend that Houston rapper Lil’ Flip proclaimed he was the “King of the South” at an Atlanta nightclub when the crowd yelled out T.I’s name.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
The emcee immediately started writing verses to “ASAP” and “Motivation” to address his solitude and rappers’ criticisms of his growing popularity. “All of this was in my mind as I was writing on my pad,” T.I. said. “I was in a confined space with no access to the rest of the world, but it motivated and woke up certain parts of me.”
Eligible to participate in a work release program, T.I. recorded 35 songs for “Urban Legend” before narrowing the tracklist to 17 songs.
The Southern rapper wanted a breakout single for “Urban Legend” to signal artistic evolution. Craig Kallman, Atlantic Records’ then-co-president, got “Bring ‘Em Out” from producer-former Stone Mountain resident Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean.
Recorded at Silent Sound Studios, which was renamed Super Sound Studios after T.I. purchased the facility in 2018, the entertainer was reluctant to release the brassy up-tempo record featuring rapper Jay-Z’s voice looped on the song’s hook. “Bring ‘Em Out” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard pop charts, becoming his first Top 10 hit as a solo artist.
“All of my records prior to that were Southern, hood, underground and bass heavy. Most producers would give the beat to someone else, but Swizz took the time to talk me through it and get me out of my head. It’s one of the biggest records of my career,” T.I. said.
Geter said he urged T.I. to come out of his comfort zone and bring his sound to the masses with collaborators beyond his homebase. To accomplish this, T.I. enlisted producers Scott Storch, The Neptunes, Mannie Fresh and Lil Jon.
“Tip was such a good rapper, I didn’t want him to use the South as a crutch,” Geter said. “He had a lot of highs and lows he was experiencing, but he was always good at expressing himself and pulling from his challenging times the right way.”
T.I. reconnected with Aldrin “DJ Toomp” Davis, a record producer he’d worked with since the beginning of his career, for the songs “Motivation” and “U Don’t Know Me.” “U Don’t Know Me” earned T.I. his first Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Toomp said he knew “U Don’t Know Me” connected with rap listeners beyond the South after he saw T.I. get positive reactions from a performance at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
“That’s where people get booed and stuff thrown at them, but we crossed a line because he was an artist who could come from any direction, whether it was East or West Coast-inspired music,” Toomp said.
Craig “KLC” Lawson, a former in-house producer from New Orleans record label No Limit Records, collaborated with T.I. for “What They Do,” which featured Cash Money Records artist B.G. He originally made the beat for rapper Mystikal and wanted to feature Fiend on the hook.
“Countdown” was made by rapper-producer David Banner, who produced “Rubber Band Man” for T.I.’s previous album “Trap Muzik.” Banner said he wanted the song to re-create the excitement that historically Black college marching bands bring during homecoming.
“It was almost like having big bands from Southern, Jackson State and FAMU in your trunk, mixed with a little 808 to make it hump a little bit more. It’s amazing to be able to bring different aspects of the South into the music,” Banner said.
“Urban Legend” struck a chord with listeners. It sold over 2 million copies .
That wasn’t good enough for T.I. The rapper admitted he didn’t take the time to celebrate “Urban Legend’s” success. He said it made him more determined to hop back in the studio for his next album.
“The production raised my expectations of myself and my art. Everybody around me was saying enjoy the moment, but I felt we could’ve done better,” he said.
“I had the perfect storm that was lightning in a bottle. I immediately went into recording ‘King’ and started working on my next moment.”
Kallman said “Urban Legend” helped usher in a new era of Atlanta hip-hop. “He’s a really great storyteller, a compelling person who’s very honest and connects with his lyrics,” Kallman said.
“He was such a star with charisma, so it was all about playing to his core fan base, not chase pop or Top 40. The movement was blossoming in Atlanta, so we wanted to establish him as a bona fide true star and real kingpin of the genre.”
Kevin Liles, former executive vice president for Warner Music Group, Atlantic Records’ parent company, said T.I. was determined to evolve without allowing his music to lose its integrity.
“He made something special with ‘Urban Legend’ as his turning point. T.I. was a true artist willing to develop his skill and break the ceiling. He’s one of the first rappers that wanted to be with but also expand trap music,” he said.
T.I., who recently won a $71 million judgment over intellectual property infringement and reopened the Westside restaurant Bankhead Seafood weeks ago with Killer Mike, said he’s not rushing to celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary in 2024.
Still, the “King of the South” left the door open to doing something special for “Urban Legend” fans.
“I’m not going to restrict myself to this calendar year,” T.I. said. “When the opportunity is presented and it’s something innovative that the fans would appreciate, then I’ll do it.”
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