Why He's No. 55

Far more ink has been spent on his legal issues and a conflict with fellow Southerner Lil' Flip than his Katrina relief efforts and other humanitarian involvements. One notable event occurred on May 3, 2006, when T.I.'s crew was caught up in a shooting after a show in Cincinnati that left three injured and Philant Johnson -- T.I.'s longtime friend and personal assistant -- dead.

Back Stage

Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., (born September 25, 1980), better known by his stage name T.I., and also by his alter ego T.I.P., is an American rapper, songwriter, producer, actor, and co-CEO of Grand Hustle Records. As of October 2008, T.I. has had nine Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, with 3 of them reaching number 1 (“My Love” by Justin Timberlake on which T.I. was featured, “Whatever You Like,” & “Live Your Life” featuring Rihanna). T.I. has released 6 studio albums: I’m Serious (October 09, 2001), Trap Muzik (August 19, 2003), Urban Legend (November 30, 2004), King (March 28, 2006), T.I. vs. T.I.P. (July 3, 2007), Paper Trail (September 30, 2008). T.I. is from Bankhead, Atlanta, Georgia and was raised by his grandparents. T.I. explained the origin of his nickname Rubber Band Man, saying, “We used to wear rubber bands to signify how much money, how much blow we had.” He was nicknamed “Tip” after his paternal great-grandfather. Upon signing with Arista Records subsidiary LaFace Records in 2001, he shortened his name to T.I. out of respect for label mate Q-Tip. T.I. has been in a relationship with former Xscape member Tameka “Tiny” Cottle since 2001. Together, they have two sons: King and Major Harris. He has three other children with ex-girlfriend Lashon Dixon: Domani, Messiah and Deyjah. Overall, T.I. has five children. As of January 2009, T.I. has had nine Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, with three of them reaching number one ("My Love" with Justin Timberlake, "Whatever You Like", and "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna).

Forcaste

T.I. is also known as T.I.P. and "Rubberband Man". T.I. is from the streets of Westside Bankhead Zone 1 in Atlanta. He is of both Native American and African American descent. His original stage name, T.I.P., it stems from his childhood nickname "Tip", given by his grandfather. He later changed it to T.I. out of respect for label mate Q-Tip. He was dubbed "the Jay-Z of the South" by Pharrell Williams, T.I. gradually established himself as one of rap's greatest and most successful MCs during the early 2000s.