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T.I. Shoots 'Hell Of A Life' Video Before Reporting To Prison Next Week

Posted 5/22/09 7:14 pm EST by in t.i.

By Rahman Dukes

Notorious BIGThe self-proclaimed King of the South might be headed off to a federal penitentiary next week, but he's still got his mind steadily focused on where it all started: the music.

In addition to the swan song "Don't Forget," featuring the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige, Tip just shot a clip for another record, "Hell of a Life," from his upcoming Paper Trail re-release. What, you thought Clifford would leave us hanging?

Flanked by members of his Grand Hustle team, including Young Dro and Big Kuntry, not to mention a bevy of beauties, T.I. shot the video in his hometown of Atlanta in a club atmosphere, with additional scenes filmed in one of his many shiny toys.

Earlier today, "Hell of a Life" leaked, courtesy of Evil Empire's Interstate Trafficking 8.0. The bouncy, radio-friendly track is reminiscent of past T.I. singles ("Whatever You Like" and "Live Your Life," for instance) with the King adding his signature vocals.


Check out our T.I.'s "Hell Of A Life" Video Shoot photo gallery

"Hit the dealership and give him every dime he ask for/ Just so I can see 260 on the dashboard/ Pimpin' 101 just come and see me, wanna a crash course/ You wanna see my money, go to college, need a math course."

It appears Tip is leaving fans something to salivate over until he plants his feet back on the streets of Bankhead after his sentence. It's safe bet to say he'll pick up right where he left off.

T.I. Looks On As The Atlanta Hawks Eliminate The Miami Heat

Posted 5/3/09 6:17 pm EST by in t.i.

Nothing like taking in a game on an easy Sunday afternoon. T.I. was at Atlanta's Philips Arena and witnessed a royal trouncing of the Miami Heat today by the hometown Hawks. The game wasn’t even close after the first quarter as the ATL Birdmen crushed Dwayne Wade and M.I.A. 91-78.

After the game, a couple of the players came up to Tip, who was sitting–near the court, and accepted an enthusiastic congratulations from the Grammy winner. Tip is due to go to prison some time this month. He’s been working on a follow-up LP to his classic 2008 Paper Trail, as well as spending quality with his family. A re-release of Paper Trail with bonus tracks is due soon.

As for the Hawks, they face one of Jay-Z’s good friends in the second round: LeBron James. James lead the Cleveland Cavaliers.

T.I.'s Sentencing: Behind The Scenes In Atlanta

Posted 3/27/09 8:21 pm EST by in t.i.

T.I.

By Jayson Rodriguez

From my experience, T.I. has always been a stand-up guy. You can hear it in his music, see it in the way he carries himself and feel it from the energy he performs with. This morning in the Richard B. Russell Federal Building was no different.

His sentencing was more of a formality than anything — the result of a plea deal struck last March between his lawyers and the U.S. Attorney's office in Atlanta. But Tip was stoic throughout. He entered the courtroom with a confident glide. Federal workers who attended the hearing for his plea deal last year buzzed in the back benches about the lack of celebs in attendance. "It's not like last time when everyone was here," one said. Music-industry bigwigs like Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles were around for T.I.'s last court appearance.

Formality or not, though, he wasn't 100 percent sure the judge wouldn't reverse course and he'd be staring at 30 years in prison. The lack of star power in the building, however, didn't dissuade Tip from delivering a moving commentary about his life. The judge seemed pleased by T.I.'s completed community service. He was more than gracious toward the rapper too.
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Did You See This?! T.I., Radiohead, Comic-Con And More

Posted 2/6/09 9:54 am EST by in comic-con, Grammys, Headlines Of The Day, Radiohead, t.i.

T.I.By Adrienne Day

There's a lot going on in the world that doesn't necessarily get addressed in our Newsroom blog. Here's a look at some top stories making headlines today.

T.I. channeled the pain and turmoil of his life into the Grammy-nominated Paper Trail — but is that enough to net him the Best Rap Album award come Sunday? Plus: T.I., Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne will "Swagga" together onstage for the first time during the ceremony.

We look at how Radiohead took on — and forever changed — the music industry with their Grammy-nominated album In Rainbows.

Zac Efron's "17 Again" co-star Melora Hardin called the teen star "dreamy" and said she didn't think he'd mind dating an older woman.

Comic fans, take note! MTV News' movies, comic book and gaming experts will be onsite at New York's Comic-Con to bring you the latest news, previews, announcements and reports from ground zero. Head over to Splash Page to find out where we'll be.

Dawn Richard tells us how her own love of comic art led to the creation of Danity Kane, the group and the comic series.

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T.I.'s 'Road To Redemption' Seems To Avoid Reality-TV Cliches

Posted 1/15/09 6:12 pm EST by in t.i.

By Steven Roberts

T.I.I must admit that when I first heard the eerie background music and saw the words "What Would You Do ... " slowly creep up on the screen, I was thinking, "I hate reality shows." I was conflicted, too, because I really like T.I., but after the first 30 seconds of the trailer for his new series, "T.I.'s Road to Redemption," I wasn't sure if our relationship would be the same.

But suddenly, the background music had changed. It became more uptempo, more driven. Different b-roll shots were flashing before my eyes. T.I. was driving his car. He was running down a hallway. I don't know why, but he was. So I decided to sit back and watch the rest of the trailer.

I have to admit that the show does actually look compelling. I thought that it was going to be a show about T.I. explaining his legal situation and how he was going to deal with life before prison. It wasn't, however.
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T.I. Rehearses In New York With The Help Of DJ Drama And A Live Band

Posted 12/5/08 2:22 pm EST by in t.i.

By Rahman Dukes

Atlanta's self-proclaimed King of the South T.I. was holed up in Manhattan's esteemed S.I.R. Studio on Wednesday, readying himself for a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom that evening and the bigger stage at “Saturday Night Live” days later.

Clad in a mesh, black Gucci hat with red-and-green trim and his signature Akoo clothing line (loved the College jacket), Tip was bouncing back and forth between the rehearsal room, which included a host of young kids, and the studio's lobby, where label rep Mike Kaiser stood feverishly working his Blackberry to regulate T.I.'s schedule for the week.

Check out our clip of him with his live band after the jump! Read More...

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Judge Orders T.I. To Pony Up More Child Support

Posted 9/24/08 11:40 am EST by in Court, t.i.

T.I.'s wallet just got a bit lighter. A judge in Atlanta ordered the rapper on Tuesday to pay more child support to the mother of his 7 and 8-year-old sons as part of a ruling that also awarded joint custody to Tip (born Clifford Harris), with whom the children previously spent 40 percent of their time, according to The Associated Press.

The boys' mother, LaShon Dixon, was previously getting $2,000 a month in support, but will now receive just over $3,000. Additionally, T.I. must continue to pay for the boys' private-school tuition, uninsured medical bills and expenses related to extracurricular activities. Dixon was granted primary physical custody of the boys, and her lawyer said his client was happy for the extra support but was still not satisfied with the amount.

"Every little bit helps," attorney Randy Kessler said. "She was just getting by with the children, while they lived a different life with their father. It can't be complete opposites on the other side."

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