T.I.

Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), better known by the stage names T.I. and Tip (often stylized as TIP or T.I.P.), is an American rapper. Born and raised in ATLanta, Georgia, Harris is known as one of the pioneers of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow ATLanta-based rappers Jeezy and Gucci Mane. Harris first became aquainted with local music executive Kawan "KP" Prather, and joined his company Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment by the late 1990s. He was led to sign his first major-label record deal in 1999 with its parent company LaFace Records, an imprint of Arista Records. His debut studio album, I'm Serious (2001) was met with lukewarm commercial reception and became his only release with the label. He then signed with ATLantic Records, where he soon reached his mainstream breakthrough and co-founded his own label imprint, Grand Hustle Records by 2003. Harris first gained national recognition following his high-profile guest feature on fellow ATLanta-based rapper Bone Crus... ()