Clifford Harris, better known by his stage name T.I.P., has become a name that is familiar not only to hip-hop heads, but to main stream pop culture. As the self-proclaimed “King of the South,” T.I.P. managed to use his experience growing up in the drug-filled and gang fueled streets of Atlanta as motivation to completely turn his life around into the family man we know him as today. Although it was a rough road to get there (T.I.P. served over a year in prison after pleading guilty to U.S. federal weapons charges), T.I.P. has proven himself to be more than your typical “gangster” rapper. He is a dynamic musician, actor, businessman, husband and most importantly, an amazing father.
Let’s take a look at T.I’s transformation from the Trap House to the Man of the House.
“Rubberband Man”
We first heard about one they called, “The Jay Z of the South” from T.I.P.’s (sorta) debut singles, “24s,” “Rubberband Man” and one of my favorites, “Let’s Get Away” in the early 2000s. While he was known for his catchy singles across the country, he was still dealing with some of the mistakes accumulated during his rough upbringing and was sentenced to three years in prison after violating his probation for a previous drug conviction.
Once he returned to the music scene, T.I.P.’s career took off and he became known for his gangsta lyrics and charming looks. Unfortunately, his drug dealing past continued to follow him throughout his music career and he was arrested multiple times throughout the early 2000s but still managed to produce hit after hit. It wasn’t until 2007 that he was arrested on federal weapon charges and sentenced to a year in prison but not without leaving us this classic “Live Your Life” with Rihanna.
Fast-forward a year and a couple of months later and T.I.P. was back on the scene again, ready to make a huge comeback and leave his problems behind. He began working towards a positive future. He took his acting career seriously after the success of the movie, “ATL” and went on to play roles in “Takers,” “Identity Thief” and “Single Ladies” but his best project to date would have to be his VH1 family reality show “T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle”–where we were introduced to completely side of T.I.P. The family man, who’s a loving father to six beautiful children and an extremely devoted and supportive husband to his wife, Tiny, made a much needed appearance on reality TV.
Each week, we’re able to catch T.I.P. be a dedicated father to his children Major, King, Domani, Messiah, Dehjah and Zonnique. Each episode is full of love and adventure as T.I.P instills strong values that he’s learned in them. T.I.P.’s transformation from the “trap house” to the “man of the house” is a journey that we’ve all witnessed happen right in front of our eyes. Although it may seem as if T.I.P. traded in his gangster card, he’s proven that it’s possible to be a successful rapper, actor, businessman, father and husband all while holding his title as the “King of the South.”
