The 50 Best T.I. Songs (2024)

Image via Complex Original

51.

Ever since he released his debut album I'm Serious in 2001,Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.—formerly T.I.P. before changing his rap name toT.I.—has transformed from decorated street soldier to fulfilling his self-proclaimed king of the South status. We won't deny his claim. In the last 14 years, T.I. has been a focal point for raw street lyricism that has cut through the mainstream and made the Atlanta native a star. His three album run of Trap Muzik, Urban Legend, and Kingcapitalized on this authenticity, with T.I. providing hit singles that doubled as anthems in the streets and in the clubs. Only Ludacris, Jeezy, and Gucci Mane can possibly match what Tip has done as a solo act from Atlanta.

Following his success in the studio, T.I. expanded into acting, starring in the 2006 film ATLand adding roles in Takers, American Gangster, and Identity Thief to his resume. He alsostars alongside his family in the VH1 reality showT.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle, and produces The Sisterhood of Hip-Hop.Still, this side hustle hasn't hindered his work as a rapper in the least.

T.I. is entering a new phase of his career, as the longtime Atlantic Records signee parted ways with his home of 10 years, joining Columbia to release his ninth studio album,Paperwork. The project has already yielded "About the Money," T.I.'s white-hot collaboration withYoung Thug. It easily sits as one of the best rap records in 2014.His other single—the IggyAzalea-assisted "No Mediocre"—​may not be of the same caliber, but it's still doing numbers on the Billboard charts simply off the strength of T.I.'s stature. Like Rick Ross, he gets that work from his face.

Today, T.I. turns 34 years young, which means it's the perfect time to celebrate his extensive catalog that includes three chart-topping albums, countless hit singles, and some of the most prolific trap tales ever told. Here are The 50 Best T.I. Songs​. Salute the king.

50.T.I. “Whatever You Like” (2008)

Producer: Jim Jonsin

Album: Paper Trail

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Tip's first No. 1 single as a lead artist, the first single from Paper Trail was a major pop smash for an artist who seemed dangerous and not exactly mainstream friendly early on. “Whatever You Like”—and the charming video that accompanied it, in which Tip passes his digits to a lucky fast food worker—marked the moment when he became a true mainstream pop star, an artist in the upper echelon of success—even if it was written while he was on house arrest for weapons charges. Paper Trail was about that process, but it was also about hitting the reset button on T.I.'s narrative: no longer would the trap define his world, nor did the rap game, because they couldn't. He sought forgiveness. His world was the world now, and he was ready to enjoy it. —David Drake

49.T.I. f/ Future & Rocko “I See Ghost's” (2012)

Producer: Lil' C

Album: f*ck Da City Up

Label: Grand Hustle

T.I.’s f*ck Da City Up, released before his eighth album, Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head, was meant to prove that, after throwing out one of his weakest projects, and doing yet another stint in prison, the self-proclaimed King of the South could still hang. And it did just that. With production from Mannie Fresh and Dr. Dre and verses from fellow trappers Pusha T, Jeezy, and 2 Chainz, it showed that Tip could still make the game gravitate towards him, even if only slightly.

The mixtape’s standout track was assisted by Future, anATLien who was then a newcomer, rising to power on the strength of the singles from his debut album Pluto. Future lent T.I. his brand of cosmic trap music and brought along his big homie, Rockoto join in on the waxing about all the dead presidents and Phantoms they can't stop seeing. It was a better single than anything that would come out ofTrouble Man.

—Damien Scott

48.Yung L.A. f/ T.I. & Young Dro “Ain't I” (2009)

Producer: B Franks

Album: N/A

Label: Grand Hustle/Interscope

Yung L.A.'s sing-song hit was one of a series of late-00s Atlanta pop-rap records that would shape the sound of hip-hop nationally in the years to come. A catchy single released on T.I.'s Grand Hustle label, “Ain't I” would go platinum, thanks in part to guest spots from L.A.'s sponsor Young Dro and Tip himself. T.I. kills the record, taking an extra-long guest verse attacking public perceptions (“My community I'm serving, though they hope I don't succeed”) in between dismissive one-liners (“Ain't I your superior?, listen here bruh, you not a peer”), mentioning his upcoming 1 year prison sentence, plugging his album Paper Trail, and prophesying (accurately, as it turns out) about “Ain't I”'s success. It would hit No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. —David Drake

47.T.I. “Cruisin'” (2012)

Producer: Lil' C

Album: Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Latter-day Tip albums might be a bit more hit-or-miss than those of the rapper's heyday, but they're always good for a few deep cuts. Case in point is “Cruisin',” one of Tip's stranger for-the-ladies riding records. Steeped in melody—“Cruisin'” would work as easily for Max B as T.I.—the song highlights his girl's unusual color clash (“purple panties, blue bikinis”?) as the two cruise in a Lamborghini bumping R. Kelly. With pseudo-sitar/harpsichord accents and a smooth, breathy sing-song from T.I., the gauzy song has a pop-friendly silliness that dares you to dismiss it. Ultimately, though, the risk pays off—odd as its effervescence is in the T.I. canon, this is a record that sticks with you better than even Trap Muzik's notoriously negligible “Let's Get Away.” —David Drake

46.Big Boi f/ T.I. & Ludacris “In the A” (2012)

Producer: Showdown, DJ Aries, BlackOwned C-Bone

Album: Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors

Label: Def Jam

From O.G. ATLien Big Boi's latest (and superior) solo album, "In the A" features Tip and Ludacris in big-beat, bari sax mayhem. "I'm a Bankhead nigg*, you can bank that, nigg* / You looking for a sucka? Well, I ain't that nigg* / I'm looking for the money; where the bank at, nigg*?" Yes, Tip wins this away game with a stellar verse, not to discount Big Boi, whose caught all hues of shade as of late: "King sh*t; Buckingham Palace / Till I'm bucking on a muthaf*cking beat, goddammit / Ain't lost a step, but some of y'all nigg*s flawed to death." P.S., Ludacris back.—Justin Charity

45.T.I. f/ Beanie Sigel "2 Glock 9's" (2000)

Producer:Parental Advisory

Album: Shaft (2000 Soundtrack)

Label: LaFace

Up with "Dead Wrong" as one of hip-hop's most brutal records, 2000's Biggie-sampling "2 Glock 9s" arrived on the Shaft soundtrack before most people even knew who T.I. was. (It's not his first appearance on a record: Tip is in the opening of the video for the YoungBloodZ's"85"speaking in a deep ATLien accent.) "2 Glock 9s" flips Biggie's "Who Shot Ya?" beat as the canvas for lyrical blood spray from Beanie and Tip, the latter of whom seems especially intent on matching Beanie's viscousness: "I'ma make it sotomorrowyou'll be lucky to see/Have a nigg* clutchin' his knee, strugglin to breathe/make the gat splatter your bladder like a kidney disease." But no one can really top Sigel, who made sociopathic violence an art form: "Ayo I got a hundred nigg*s with a f*ckin hundred gats/Who wanna sh*t where they mothaf*ckin stomach at?/Don't bitch when that IV in you/And I take something from you only God can give you." —David Drake

44.Young Buck f/ T.I. & Ludacris “Stomp (Remix)” (2004)

Producer: DJ Paul & Juicy J

Album: N/A

Label: N/A

The only version of this record worth hearing is the pre-Welcome to Cashville mixtape edition, where Buck inadvertently slipped two rappers dissing each other on one record over the Three 6 Mafia-produced street anthem “Stomp.” T.I. was the hottest Atlanta rookie, and though his Luda subliminal was dropped only in passing (“Me getting beat down? That's ludicrous”) it became the record's central talking point. Buck played the verse for Luda, who ended up wrapping up his verse with a few corny punchlines and a more direct attack: “So pimpin' be easy, quit catchin' feelings, because you worth a couple hundred grand and I'm worth millions/Nobody's thinkin' bout you and your beats ain't legit/So get off the T-I-P of my diiiick.” But Tip's verse is worth revisiting for some of his hardest lines: “I caught some cases but that's just a minor setback,” “This chopper hit you, betchyou wish you got your ass stomped.” —David Drake

43.T.I. f/ Jamie Foxx “Live in the Sky” (2006)

Producer: Keith Mack

Album: King

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

T.I.'s reflective side came out on "Live in the Sky," a powerfully somber cut that touches on tragedy. The Atlanta rapper goes into detail of the murder of his cousin, as well as a close friend overdosing on heroin, praying they now rest in a place of peace. Tip also touches on his own struggles despite fame and success; heavy is the head that wears the crown. The record features a sweet chorus sung by Jamie Foxx, during a time when the A-list celebrity was back making music, and succeeding at that.—Edwin Ortiz

42.T.I. f/ B.o.B, Kendrick Lamar & Kris Stephens “Memories Back Then” (2013)

Producer: Kenoe

Album: N/A

Label: Grand Hustle/Epic

Girls are the topic of discussion on "Memories Back Then," but not in the way T.I. usually addresses them as he, B.o.B, and Kendrick Lamarall share three tales from their past where a female was a driving force in their life. For better or for worse. Each of theirstories unravel differently, yet end up in the same place, whether it's Tip's ride or die, B.o.B'sboss ass chick, or Kendrick's gold digger. This is one of T.I.'s better concept records that doesn't involve the streets.—Edwin Ortiz

41.T.I. f/ B.o.B & Ludacris “On Top of the World” (2008)

Producer: Nard & B

Album: Paper Trail

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Four years after T.I. and Ludacris traded blows on Young Buck's "Stomp," the two pillars of the Atlanta rap scene finally set aside their differences and came together on "On Top of the World," a celebratory track that highlights their achievements. Ludacris shares his own color commentary to the mix("My momma quit her job and now she works with six figures/Cause I'm a self-made nappy headed rich nigg*"), while T.I. delivers his statement straight:"Never mind what I been through/Just look at what I become."The record is glued together by T.I.'s then bright-eyed star in the making, B.o.B, who belts a blissed-outhook over Nard & B's brisk backdrop. More than simply feeling like a special moment for the South, it was. —Edwin Ortiz

40.T.I. f/ André 3000 “Sorry” (2012)

Producer: Jazze Pha, Sir Clef, Po Johns

Album: Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

A lowkey collaboration with Andre 3000 and Chris Brown from Tip's Trouble Man album from 2012. A futuristic saloon-at-high-noon beat that T.I. tackles with jetsetter gusto on two verses, with 3-Stacks closing on a vulnerable, regretful reflection on dead romances and missed opportunities to tour with Big Boi. “Can't please everybody,” sings Breezy. Tip foots the bill: “Unlimited titanium nigg*; what's in your wallet?” —Justin Charity

39.T.I. “Big sh*t Poppin' (Do It)” (2007)

Producer: Mannie Fresh

Album: T.I. vs. T.I.P.

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

T.I. vs. T.I.P. was Tip's first real holding pattern record. Although it was packed with plenty of strong album cuts, on the whole, the singles were fairly underwhelming. “Big sh*t Poppin' (Do It)” won't be remembered as one of the best T.I. records, regardless of its '80s action movie guitar scream courtesy Mannie Fresh. But it still had its fair share of menacing lines (“Pullin out that pistol nigg*, who you think you gonna scare?/These 20 rounds of missiles will have you pissin' in your underwear”). All the gun talk, though, would be sadly ironic by the time the year was out; Tip would be arrested for posessing three unregistered machine guns in October 2007. On the other side of that case, his singles began to take on a more outwardly gentle tone. —David Drake

38.T.I. f/ Young Buck & Young Dro “Undertaker” (2006)

Producer: Khao

Album: King

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

On the surface level, "Undertaker" feels like an unfair match of lyrical wits between T.I., Grand Hustle capo Young Dro, and Young Buck. Here's Tip in his prime, shelling out rhymes that are straightdisrespectful, yet too slick to hate on."Roll up onyobitch and ask her what that puss* hit like/First she acting funny, in a minute shegon' get right."However, Buck holds his own with a menacing verse full of threats, while Young Drosteals the show with his signature growl of a delivery and brilliant wordplay ("I'm aged to the average beef, respiratory crushin' beats/Fruit Chevy H.I.C, my lyrics hit like HIV​"). This would be one of the few times Dro put T.I. in a body bag. Lyrically speaking, of course.—Edwin Ortiz

37.T.I. “56 Bars (Intro)” (2008)

Producer: DJ Toomp

Album: Paper Trail

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

He may do things to make you think otherwise, but it's clear T.I. knows what people want from him. He says as much on the DJ Toomp-produced intro to Paper Trail:"They been waiting on this since 'What You Know,' huh?" Yes, it was. T.I. and Toomp are one of the greatest rapper/producer pairings in rap history. So, what do you do you released your poppiest single to date and are about to go to jail for a minute? You go back to your roots, which for Tip means broad menacing synths and drums that could pound through pavement underneathslick D Boy rhymes. It hasn't failed him yet. —Damien Scott

36.P$C featuring T.I. & Lil Scrappy “I'm a King (Remix)” (2005)

Producer: Lil Jon

Album: Hustle & Flow: Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Bookended by two standout Tip verses, “I'm a King (Remix)” remains one of Tip's most underrated records if only because it appeared on the Hustle & Flow soundtrack. With Tip's hat jauntily co*cked at a 90 degree angle, he spits intricate lines the effortlessly unwind with internal assonance and alliteration: “Made provisions for the clique and continued keepin it pimpin/Whether crack was in the house or record sales were through the ceiling.” But its his brief closing 16 that really stands out: “Brass knuckles to your dentals, blast suckers in their dimples.” —David Drake

35.T.I. f/ UGK “Front Back” (2007)

Producer: Mannie Fresh

Album: King

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Jacking both the hook and the beat of UGK's "Front, Back & Side to Side," T.I.'s "Front Back" is maxed out Houston swag, featuring none other than UGK, and with Mannie Fresh on the track. "I know a lot of y'all nigg*s out there, man, who ain't up on this down south sh*t. Probably wonderin' what the f*ck you listenin' to right now, ha! King amongst kings!" As uptempo and complex as T.I. tends to get when at his very best, the lo-lo crawl of "Front Back" is one of the rapper's most laid back hits, with '64 Impala bounce, as promised. "White top, burnt drop wit the choppers on deck / Fuel exhaust and a motor out a '94 'Vette / Fish bowl, televisions; pimpin', I ain't done yet."—Justin Charity

34.T.I. f/ Lil 3rd “Keep Talkin (Game Over!!)” (2004)

Producer: N/A

Album: Down With the King

Label: 101 Distribution

Lil' Flip's "Game Over" plays like the outro to the No Limit era, and Flip wasn't even signed to Percy. After riding the South's rising esteem in hip-hop circa 2003, Flip's shots from Houston to Atlanta's T.I. would prove fatally ill-advised, with Tip returning fire with the quickness and pinning Flip down with volley of mixtape disses. The very best of the cuts by which Tip deaded Lil' Flip's gangsta credibility and rap career. "You're welcome whenever you want it, get your issue, 'cause you puss* as a pair of panties off a toilet tissue/You ain't even a factor, man, I'm watching them nigg*s witchu/I'm spraying at them nigg*s you're paying to babysit you/Man, I'm laying you down, nigg*, I ain't playing around/Just know I'm bout that action as you lay in the ground/Leting bullsh*t slide, I'm refusing to do/I done kept it realer with nigg*s in Houston than you." Sorry. Shoulda just quoted the whole thing.—Justin Charity

33.T.I. “No Matter What” (2008)

Producer: Danja

Album: Paper Trail

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

"No Matter What" was the first single T.I. released following his guilty plea for a federal weapons charge in 2007, which led to the Atlanta rapper serving time in prison, as well as being put under house arrest. That didn't stop the King of the South from continuing his lyrical dominance. Along with laying claim to his throne, T.I. also silencesflash in the pan rapper and baby mama corral man,Shawty Lo, in just two bars. More than that, this record is filled to the brim with a mindset of perseverance in the face of adversity."God will take you to hell, just to get you to heaven/So even though it's heavy, the load I will carry." It gave fans confidence that T.I. wouldmake it through this dark phase in his life. No matter what, shorty. —Edwin Ortiz

32.T.I. f/ Alfamega & Busta Rhymes “Hurt” (2007)

Producer: Danja

Album: T.I. vs. T.I.P.

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

It's a pity roughneck hardman Alfamega would later be disgraced when it was apparently revealed he'd informed to the Feds, because his style was a brutal complement to Tip's more elaborate threats. “Hurt” still resonates, and no amount of paperwork can undo the force of this record. Maybe the strongest release from T.I. vs. T.I.P., “Hurt” was a blast of '90s aggression in an Onyx vein. The video, though—where T.I. is dressed all in black and wearing a chain—that's an actual linked outdoor chain, not a necklace—is more reminiscent of some classic Treach of Naughty By Nature maneuvers. This would be the last era when T.I. would really unleash his id; maybe it was the court cases, maybe it was maturity, but the brutal catharsis of “Hurt” was not long for T.I.'s world. —David Drake

31.T.I. “Let Me Tell You Something” (2003)

Producer: Kanye West

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

One of the most crucial scenes in the romantic dramaLove & Basketballtakes place at the spring dance where Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan are literally eye f*cking while dancing with other people, all while Roger's"I Want to be Your Man" plays in the background. Nearly three years after the movie was released, Kanye West flipped Roger's biggest solo hit on the love song "Let Me Tell You Something" from T.I.'s second album, Trap Muzik. As you'd probably expect, T.I. was too big of a star at the time to really settle down with one woman—friendly reminder that he did meet his current wife Tiny back in 2001—but he contemplates falling in love and throwing all of his other women to the side just to settle down. Trap Muzik defined the "trap" sound, but in between all those booming DJ Toomp andSanchez Holmes​beats were a few soulful ballads, "Let Me Tell You Something" being one of them.—Lauren Nostro

30.T.I. f/ Daz Dillinger “My Life” (2004)

Producer: Daz Dillinger

Album: Urban Legend

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

“Haters see the spider and they wanna put a slug in it.” A wistful beat from Dogg Pound member Daz Dillinger kicked off the final lap of 2004's Urban Legend. Tip matches the placid production with a reflective verse that pours from him as if it had been bottled up for years, waiting for a moment of liberation. Daz's approach is more percussive and aggressive, wrapping vocals tightly around his words like elastic and snapping them into place, the beat's nebulous groove a fall desert breeze in the background. —David Drake

29.Justin Timberlake f/ T.I. “My Love” (2006)

Producer: Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Danja

Album: FutureSex/LoveSounds

Label: Jive/Zomba

A club record thru-n-thru, down to the strobing synths and Timbaland's eehry-eehry beatbox stee*z; shake a spray paint can horizontally for maximum effect. "My Love" is 2006's definitive Billboard hook, Justin's falsetto is immortal, and Tip's verse in the final stretch is among the slickest he's ever spit: "Listen, baby, I don't wanna ruin your plan/But if you got a man, try to lose him if you can/'Cause the girls real wild, throw they hands up high/When they wanna come and kick it with a stand up guy." —Justin Charity

28.T.I. “I'm Talkin' to You” (2006)

Producer: Just Blaze

Album: King

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Although he'd hinted at a fascination with New York rap on Urban Legend with the Jay Z sample and Swizz Beatz beat of “Bring Em Out,” King made T.I.'s secret rap nerd impulses more evident. Produced in large part by Just Blaze, the album was full of technical showboating and beats that banged in a boom bap style. Perhaps most ferocious was “I'm Talkin' to You,” a reverse-diss record that called out everyone he wasn't trashing by name. That left a lot of names on the table. One was evident—Lil' Flip remained a target. While the triggered sample stabbed around him, Tip constructed a final verse that packed a dense flurry of syllables before returning to the final chorus. It remains a clear highlight of the rapper's pure prowess as one of the game's best-ever MCs. —David Drake

27.T.I. & Jay Z f/ Kanye West & Lil Wayne “Swagga like Us” (2008)

Producer: Kanye West

Album: Paper Trail

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Back before "bae" and "or nah" were the most overused slang in rap music, swag (and swagger) reigned supreme. Never one to let an opportunity to capitalize on a hot trend go by, Jay Z, in 2008, tapped the three best rappers in an attempt to create a modern-day Rat Pack. Only instead of being the personification of cool, they opted to be the personification of swag. It worked well-enough with Kanye providing a servicable beat sampling a then-sizzling-hot M.I.A. and T.I. delivering yet another hit record for his Paper Trailalbum. While everyone seemed to phone it in, seemingly thinking that they're presence alone was enough, T.I. went off. Rapping like someone who doesn't want to be forgotten after they go away for a while. We're not sure why Hov didn't include it on Blueprint 3 as intended; maybe T.I. murdered it too much? —Damien Scott

26.T.I. f/ Young Thug “About the Money” (2014)

Producer: London on da Track

Album: Paperwork

Label: Grand Hustle/Columbia

One the biggest hindrances to Young Thug’s early success was the steady stream of old tracks he recorded during his years trying to get on leaking out. Most of the songs differedaesthetically, showing a young artist finding his voice. There’s a stark difference between those and the songs he’s been dropping since 2013. He sounds more assured, more confident in his pulling and pushing of the genre. One of the greatest examples is “About the Money” his duet with T.I. for Tip’s ninth album. It’s a T.I. song in name only, really, as Thuggerdelivers an impossibly good verse and bridge that provides a framework that any rapper worth their label deal could kill. —Damien Scott

25.Bone Crusher f/ Killer Mike & T.I. “Never Scared” (2003)

Producer: Jermaine Dupri

Album: AttenCHUN!

Label: So So Def/Arista

Released in an era when a single verse could still make a career, “Never Scared” was T.I.'s breakout moment. Up against Bonecrusher and Killer Mike, whose pugnacious baritone styles obviously complement the beat's skull-splitting aggression, Tip didn't just hold his own but stole the show. His seething, grit-flecked voice charged his typically nimble delivery with muscular presence as he threatens to choke his target out, leaving him shaking on the pavement. Slowing his voice to a deliberate pace for a stolid enumeration of threats, Tip even manages to make “I'm a bankhead nigg*, I'll take your cookies” sound tough. —David Drake

24.T.I. f/ Lil Jon, Trick Daddy & Lil Wayne “Stand Up” (2004)

Producer: Lil Jon

Album: Urban Legend

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

The assembly of Lil Jon, Lil Wanye, Trick Daddy, and T.I. is a glorious rite, and it's shame we've beheld it only once in our lifetimes. After Lil Jon's sh*t-talking intro, Tip bullies the pulpit: "You got a alligator mouth and a hummingbird ass," "Pull up in the Chevy spraying rounds through the glass/See you laying face down in the grass, and I'll laugh/Ha! 'cause that's the end of the saga, the end of my problems; nigg*, mash the Impala." Such was Tip's freshman charm in the 50 Cent era, with its premium on being simultaneously homicidal and hilarious. "Stand Up" also features one of the most imaginative verses of Trick Daddy's career, a tribute to matrimony in wicked Wild West style, steeds galloping, guns blazing.—Justin Charity

23.T.I. f/ Jeezy, Young Dro, Big Kuntry King & B.G. “Top Back (Remix)” (2006)

Producer: Mannie Fresh

Album: Grand Hustle Presents: In da Streetz Volume 4

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

There was no bigger rap star than T.I. in 2006. He had a #1 album with King, a #1 movie with ATL, and a top-10 single with "What You Know." But that's not how we knew he really made it. That happened when General Motors tapped him to star in one of their commercials. Yes, the former trap star who rapped about toting guns in his Chevy with 24swas now being paid to endorse them. Not only that, they used the Mannie Fresh-produced "Top Back" as the soundtrack for its new campaign. It makes sense then that Tip would want to maximize the exposure of the track with a remix featuring a few guys who knew all about Chevys with massive amounts of bass in the trunk. The result was an indelible parking lot anthem; one that proved T.I. reign on top would not be short-lived. —Damien Scott

22.T.I. f/ Pharrell “What's Yo Name” (2001)

Producer: The Neptunes

Album: I'm Serious

Label: Arista

​Pop the Spotify and revisit this gem: a vintage Neptunes beat and a youthful tenor of both Pharrell (on the hook) and Tip's voices that, in such retrospect, underscores just how long they've both been at it. "My reputation's great, mayne; I got a great name/I hate lames, I stake claims, and I break dames." There's your autobio and your mission statement, two in one, indisputably true. Also, listen closely, squint a bit, and you'll hear André​ 3000 and Big Boi's early influence on the Southern prince's attitude and lyrical rhythm.—Justin Charity

21.T.I. & P$C “Turn It Up” (2003)

Producer: N/A

Album: In da Streets Pt. 2

Label: Grand Hustle

After Tip's debut album I'm Serious failed to register nationally, he returned to the mixtape grind, recording a series of underground releases along with P$C called In da Streets. A highlight from the second volume of that series, “Turn It Up” relies on a sample of a kid hollering to turn up the volume (in the style of MF Grimm's“Do It for the Kids” while Tip spits carefully written raps about roller skating on Daytons and the girls that like to ride in the Chevy because their thighs vibrate when the bass hits heavy. For the head of the pimp squad clique, Tip's pimping raps tended to be less convincing than his trouble man biographical bars. By turning the conceptual focus on Down South car culture, “Turn It Up” made this one of his more effective lifestyle raps, and the country-fried bounce, steeped in roiling organs and clean guitar lines, made for ideal riding music. —David Drake

20.8Ball & MJG f/ T.I. & Twista “Look at the Grillz” (2004)

Producer: Lil Jon

Album: Living Legends

Label: Bad Boy South

It might be difficult to imagine now, but there was a time when Southern rappers were presumed trash until proven fire; that, give or take a Big Boi, technical prowess came secondary to a blues-y expressionism. T.I., though, was not only a quicksilver presence on the microphone but, thanks to his Southern roots, managed to sound twice as fluent as anyone else nationally, his words sluicing through space without the blocky shapes and sharp corners of the average East Coaster. (It can't be a coincidence that 50 Cent's rise came from a similar realization in reverse: an East Coaster delivering his words in a casual slur.) Early on, Tip seemed eager to prove his bona fides in the booth, his words firing at the pace of an automatic weapon, sardine can-tight internal rhymes that nonetheless waste little space. He had a lot to say, and on his scene-stealing verse alongside Twista, 8Ball, and MJG, speed only underlined the density of his ideas. —David Drake

19.T.I. “Be Easy” (2003)

Producer: DJ Toomp

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

T.I.'s “Be Easy” may have been the third track on his second album and first masterpiece Trap Muzik, but it operates as his ultimate introduction. After an Al Wilson piano sample gives way to DJ Toomp's taught horns snapping in a staccato pattern, we meet the artist and learn his m.o.: more than a gangster, more than a pop songwriter, T.I. is a multi-dimensional artist, a framework conveyed in concise couplets (“22 and a vet in the game/Super cool but a threat at the same/Time, rhyme 'bout the times I invested in 'caine/Pleasure and pain in every aspect of the game”). This opening elevator pitch gives way to his artistic strategy for reality rap (“I entertain young nigg*s who slang/Like a picture, no frame, see it's simple and plain”) and why he stands out from his competition (“Came in kissin' ass when I came to lead”). The end result, in retrospect, is prophetic: “I gave these nigg*s what they came to see/A reflection of oneself and where they aim to be…” —David Drake

18.T.I. “Still Ain't Forgave Myself” (2001)

Producer: Craig Love

Album: I'm Serious

Label: Arista

Honest doesn't begin to describe it: an emotionally fraught document of regrets, where consequences ended in death and imprisonment, “Still Ain't Forgave Myself” was the most harrowing portrait on T.I.'s debut. It's tough to understand how someone could hear this record and think this wasn't an artist in it for the long haul, one capable of capturing the paradox of violence's long time survivors. The song is a celebration of human connection, of those closest to you, and a scathing indictment of self. It's survivor's remorse. Pearls of wisdom drop in ever few lines, alongside self-awareness of his youthful confusion: “Hardheaded, man I ain't listen to anything/I'm gettin' money so I'm right and I got plenty game.” It's one of the most moving records in the rapper's entire career, with unforced pathos bleeding from each verse. —David Drake

17.T.I. “What Up, What's Haapnin'” (2008)

Producer: Drumma Boy

Album: Paper Trail

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

A response to Shawty Lo diss track “Dunn Dunn,” (“Well god damn! Must be two sides!“) Tip's “What Up, “What's Haapnin” was as much about the video as the song itself: Tip set out a folding chair in front of Bankhead's Bowen Homes, right where Shawty Lo implied he wasn't safe, and proceeded to do the “Dey Know” dance at the end of the shoot. Appearing on 2008's Paper Trail alongside huge pop smashes like “Live Your Life” and “Whatever You Like,” the song was a refreshing throwback to the disreputable days of yore. Eventually, Shawty Lo and Tip would squash their beef, which Shawty Lo would explain in greater detail on the Coldplay-lifting “Roll the Dice.” —David Drake

16.T.I. “Bring Em Out” (2004)

Producer: Swizz Beatz

Album: Urban Legend

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Trap Muzik made Tip a rookie to be reckoned with, and Urban Legend was, in part, a continuation of this mission. It was also an attempt to sidle on up to the pop charts, although a few of those steps felt a little clumsier than others. This was not the case with “Bring Em Out,” a savvy (albeit safe) record that served as T.I.'s lead single and managed to reach for a new audience without abandoning the old. Fresh off R. Kelly's huge “Hotel” and en route to hits like Cassidy's “I'm aHustla” and Beyonce's “Check on It,” Swizz Beatz flipped a Jay Z sample for the jumping, club-friendly record that adapted T.I.'s street focus to the dancefloor. —David Drake

15.T.I. f/ Jazze Pha “Let's Get Away” (2003)

Producer: Jazze Pha

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

To this day, you'll still hear plenty of New York purists bemoaning the South's impact on hip-hop radio; but "Let's Get Away" is the indisputably smooth example of a Southern rapper pairing dexterity and bounce, lyricism and the simplest charisma. Even when T.I. is simply filthy with it: "I'm chilllin' with Brazilian women, heavy accents/They black friends translatin', got 'em all ass naked, ad-jacent/Have relations wit'em many places/Leavin' sem*n in they pretty faces." Yet the ease of his delivery makes it all sound rather like old-fashioned romance. "Askin' me what's a puss* popper; want a demonstration?" Like a mack. —Justin Charity

14.T.I. f/ Rihanna “Live Your Life” (2008)

Producer: Just Blaze, Canei Finch

Album: Paper Trail

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

A new phase in T.I.'s career was underway. With the arrival of 2008's Paper Trail, Tip crossed over from one of hip-hop's most dominant voices to a true crossover star. This meant greater rewards: “Live Your Life” was Tip's second No. 1 record that year (and his second No. 1 ever). At this point, T.I. was still drawing on his story to give his words weight; although he'd begun to write somewhat more generic lyrics, inspirational in a way that begged easy cynicism, they still contained a level of pathos that was tough to deny. Here was a kid who'd really made it from the bottom, and was now recording smash singles over Just Blaze samples of the “Numa Numa” meme. (The actual song swiped is O-Zone's “Dragostea Din Tei.“) It may have leaned saccharine, but it was indisputably T.I.'s popular apex. —David Drake

13.T.I. “Long Live da Game” (2003)

Producer: Sanchez Holmes

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

T.I.'s strongest front-to-back album ended with a masterpiece that matches the conceptual scope and ambition of Biggie's “Suicidal Thoughts.” Covering less than 24 hours in the life of an Atlanta dopeboy, Tip follows the quotidian details to tell a universal story, a pessimistic counter to the optimism of “Be Better Than Me” just one track earlier. Tip speeds up and slows down his flow as if matching his adrenaline to the dictates of the day's events, a series of action shots telling a Slick Rick-level narrative that ends abruptly. Producer Sanchez Holmes' organs and guitars take an ambiguous tack, neither hammering home the dramatics, nor glamorizing the cinematic violence. Instead, the minimal, matter-of-fact framing throws its protaganist headlong into an uncertain future for him—and a certain future for the next generation. —David Drake

12.T.I. “I Still Luv You” (2003)

Producer: Nick “Fury” Loftin

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

When you’re a child, life seems simple. But all adults know from firsthand experience that life gets more complicated as you get older and your priorities shift. On his realest song ever, T.I. details that harsh reality on “I Still Luv You” with heartfelt compassion and genuine regret. Each verse tells a different story; the first is about his baby mama he had two sons with before breaking up, the second is about his father who wasn’t there for him as a kid, and finally his daughter who he didn’t initially acknowledge. Every verse is powerful but the second verse gives the song added weight: Tip is able to forgive his father—and in turn, himself—and learn from his shortcomings. “But all forgiven,” says Tip to his dad. “You was human and we make mistakes.” It’s a cliched sentiment, but Tip’s actual experiences makes it a loving moment of understanding. —Insanul Ahmed

11.T.I. “Be Better Than Me” (2003)

Producer: Sanchez Holmes

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Hip-hop history is filled with rappers playing superheroes (or supervillains)—fulfilling the outlines of a persona, rapping from the point of view of a character. This can be different from straight-up faking it, because the audience is in on the exaggeration—it's doubtful anyone thought Big L actually stabbed his teachers to death if they gave him bad grades. But these lines can be blurry. For T.I.'s Trap Muzik, though, autobiographical realism played a premium role in its construction. The line between real and fake was a sharp one. For T.I., reality rap meant not just embodying a mindstate, but sketching the circ*mstances and consequences, letting the next generation know about a world of possibility. And “Be Better Than Me” is one of his most honest records, an optimistic balance of wisdom and perspective that never feels hypocritical. —David Drake

10.T.I. “Dope Boyz” (2001)

Producer: DJ Toomp

Album: I'm Serious

Label: Arista

Incredibly, T.I.'s debut remains his lowest-selling release. But it wasn't the fault of lead street single “Dope Boyz,” which was an apparent hit to its principal artists from day one. DJ Toomp, who produced the record, admitted to Complex that it owed a debt to the organ-driven country rap sound of Pimp C. Tip's style was rhythmically a bit looser at the time, although his deep accent—which tended to swallow terminative consonants as if they were going out of style (they were)—gave his loose, occasionally rushed delivery a slick, slippery feel. But it wasn't a song about precision anyway. It was all raw energy, a record that vibrated with potential. Tip was a scrappy performer who spit with momentous urgency, and knew exactly what he needed to say and who he was saying it for. In an effort to make the record pop, T.I. recorded a video independently, but the label couldn't see his vision, which seems all the more ridiculous in retrospect. He was joined by Jason Geter and DJ Toomp in a snowstorm drive to New York to convince L.A. Reid to push the record; when that fell through, Tip was freed from Arista. After a return to the undergound, his next stop was Atlantic, where his career would really begin. “Dope Boyz” was the blueprint. —David Drake

9.T.I. “24's” (2003)

Producer: DJ Toomp

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

T.I.'s first street hit as an Atlantic artist caused plenty of hip-hop heads outside the South to dismiss him as a negligible talent. After all, it was a record named for wheel diameters in an era when the South's cultural emergence was heavily derided or mocked on a mainstream stage. It did rely on a simple, hooky minor key melody not too far in tone from what the Hypnotized Minds were producing at the time (the remix would later feature Juicy J and DJ Paul), while Tip shouted out the various consumer goods (dro, cars, clothes) his crew was feeling at the time. While the bulk of Tip's records then were post-Pimp C country rap tunes, “24s” fit in better with the clubs-and-cars vibes of the era's bigger hip-hop hits. But it's aged exceedingly well, and in retrospect provides a needed burst of adrenaline in the context of Trap Muzik. Interestingly, it's not one of the grimey N.W.A. songs Tip bumps in verse one while speeding down the highway—instead, it's track No. 8 from Straight Outta Compton—“Express Yourself.” —David Drake

8.T.I. “Motivation” (2004)

Producer: DJ Toomp

Album: Urban Legend

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

T.I. spoke directly to his detractors and set the tone of his Urban Legend album with the declarative “Motivation.” Having dealt with the inherent negativity that comes with success, brief jail time, and an extenuating probation issue while recording his third studio album, T.I.P’s confidence is not only unwavering, but stronger. From the jump, T.I.floats over the beat, charisma flowing through his rhymes. “You can look me in my eyes, see I'm ready for whatever/Anything don't kill me, make me better/I ain't dead nigg*, you can take the fame, and the cheddar/And the game, and the deal, I'm still a go-getter.”

At the time of its release, “Motivation” was incredibly relevant to his personal life and his place in rap, but even today the validity of the song’s lyrics have only grown more substantial throughout his rap tenure. Like a veteran boxer whose calloused hands only grow tougher, T.I.'s setbacks have strengthened him. If there's a mission statement for T.I., “Motivation” is as close as it gets.—Brandon Jenkins

7.T.I. “Doin' My Job” (2003)

Producer: Kanye West

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Among the crown jewel beats of Kanye West's early (1998-2005) catalog, and yet T.I. carries the track by persuasion of concept and charisma, a synthesis that sparkles brighter than a DiCaprio wink. "From when the moon came out, till the sun came up/I was supplyin' the days when where they flame up/Our mamas passing by, trying to explain us / Pissing in the bushes like they never house trained us; but/Try to understand, that's how we came up." A simultaneously cool and compassionate take on curbside pharmaceutical retail, somewhat foreshadowing the themes and tone of his biggest and best-selling album, Paper Trail, five years later. —Justin Charity

6.T.I. “I'm Illy” (2008)

Producer: Chuck Diesel

Album: Paper Trail

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

After his mainstream breakout King and film debut ATL, T.I. was in the news for criminal controversy as often as he was on the radio with a new hit record. His 26-year-old personal assistant, Philant Johnson, was killed in a May 2006 shootout with predicate felon Hosea Thomas at a nightclub in Cincinnati. To counteract various such threats to his life and livelihood, Tip started traveling with heightened security and a weapons cache, which got him bagged in a police sting just hours before the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards, at which T.I. was scheduled to perform. In the year before Paper Trail’s release in September 2008, T.I. was on house arrest and on trial for violation of federal gun possession statutes. It was a suddenly dark moment of a previously brilliant career.

Later tracks on Paper Trail(e.g., "Ready for Whatever") document Tip's anxiety about his high-profile legal woes. “I’m Illy,” however, is purely confident blitz by which T.I. maxes his wordplay, pacing, tension, breath control, with masterful delivery overall. The beat’s modest synth choir strains and understated bassline are simple and sturdy, like steel tracks undergirding a bullet train, full steam, steady but surely approaching a sort of invincibility. “How could a nigg* think that he could see me?/Other than the magazine covers or the TV?/Know I sold more mixtapes than your CD/You're waitin' on your big break, prayin' you could be me/And you ain't made it far as D.C.”

King was Tip’s coup; Paper Trail was his coronation, “I’m Illy” his royal proclamation to the riffraff. “I run this city, clearly/Tell 'em get lost, I'm busy, really/nigg*, I'm illy.” —Justin Charity

5.T.I. “Kingofdasouth” (2003)

Producer: Ryan “LiquidSound” Katz

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

“I'm a legend in my own time, a prophet in my own rhymes,” Tip says at the close of verse two. Claiming the crown this early in his career was a bold, even arrogant move. But it also suggests an outsized artistic confidence, that his second album was not only superior to his first, but in every category a new classic. Now it seems undeniable; just as he'd promised at the opening of “Be Easy,” he'd rapped about the times he'd “invested in 'caine/Pleasure and pain, in every aspect of the game.” His album wasn't about hits or street rap cliche: he was an artist, documenting his experiences and emotions with an auteur's sensitivity. Trap Muzik was the jagged readout of his personal richter scale. For a record claiming an entire region's throne, “Kingofdasouth” was tauntingly languid, a hot Southern summer day where “The Ruler's Back” would have been too aggressive. Tip baited a trap, no pun intended, shouting out the five rappers busting in Atlanta (“and I'm one of them”) leaving the rest conspicuously unworthy. But it was a Texas rapper who would take the bait. —David Drake

4.T.I. “ASAP” (2004)

Producer: Sanchez Holmes

Album: Urban Legend

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

“I might be thrown off my rocker just slightly,” T.I. intones on “ASAP,” perhaps the best street single of his career. It's a trick move; he's never seemed more in control than he does here, his words focused, delivery precise, as if steadying his sights directly on—well, obviously, Lil Flip, who'd had the audacity to question Tip's self-proclaimed King of the South status. But everything about “ASAP” was an implicit or explicit argument that Tip was not a rapper to be trifled with, an artist who feared none and suffered fewer. Producer Sanchez Holmes—always an underrated piece of T.I.'s early success—adds twangy guitars and skipping drums to song's two-tone synth and horn riff chorus, emphasizing Tip's considered, purposeful steps: if things continue on this trajectory, the inevitable result is clear. T.I. was a deft rapper who could spit with energy and speed as readily as anyone from the East Coast. But every word here was matter-of-fact, deliberate. Lil Flip was just being made an example; “ASAP” was about more than one aspiring star's insult, an attempt to make the stakes crystal-clear, to present a hard line, to suggest the stark reality behind the music: “This sh*t here is more than just a lotta rhymes/I don't know what you do for your respect, but I'mma die for mine.” —David Drake

3.T.I. “Rubber Band Man” (2003)

Producer: David Banner

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

T.I.'s ascent was marked by a series of successively larger records, each of which launched him one step closer to true stardom. If “Dope Boyz” was the regional hit that laid the blueprint, and “24s” the first true street single to become a Southern club smash, it was “Rubber Band Man” that allowed T.I. to traverse the mainstream rap conversation. (It was a conversation he'd top with another record later on, and one he'd transcend completely with his No. 1 smash “Whatever You Like” in 2008.) And it's all thanks to a David Banner beat that sold T.I. to a national audience by counterbalancing his barbed persona with the quaint charm of a children's chorus. Built around a cyclical rising organ loop, the song managed to epitomize the Trap Muzik sound while selling the most accessible possible articulation of it. Not that Diddy's video co-sign in a matching fur coat hurt its odds for success. But at the end of the day, Tip's own persona gave his sharp edge a nursery rhyme cadence and a whimsical titular nickname. —David Drake

2.T.I. “U Don't Know Me” (2004)

Producer: DJ Toomp

Album: Urban Legend

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

With the hardest pan flute ever heard outside South America, Tip's “U Don't Know Me” was reassuring for his fans, some of whom were concerned that a lunge for the mainstream might also mean abandoning the tough, uncompromising sound on which he'd built his name. It wasn't an unwarranted threat; Urban Legend featured some peak T.I. records, but a few of its crossover attempts started to feel a bit forced. Lead single “Bring Em Out” wasn't one of them, but the regionally familiar sound was replaced with a bounce-y midperiod Swizz Beat track and a Jay Z sample. “U Don't Know Me,” however, was right in the comfort zone. Which is to say it was a record that hit that perfect balance of nimble and bellicose that only Tip could quite manage, with a perfect rap-a-long chorus and highly relatable theme. —David Drake

1.T.I. “What You Know” (2006)

Producer: DJ Toomp

Album: King

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

"When I chirp, shorty, chirp back." Unlike the Nextel phones dealers used to handle the handle, T.I.'s "What You Know" is timeless. DJ Toomp, the man behind the snares of Kanye's "Can't Tell Me Nothin'," crafted his coup d'etat in 2005. After being in the game since the mid '80s and having a hand in the careers of various Southern acts, Toomp finessed a Roberta Flack sample all the way to a Grammy win. "What You Know" is still an anthem in which you ask a neophite what they know about something in any given situation. King was Tip's Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life. It was his "crossover" album. After releasing two back-to-back classics in Trap Muzik and Urban Legend, this was the album that made him into a star which in turn helped him get into Hollywood. What you know about that?—Angel Diaz