Submitted. Never one to march behind anyone else, rapper/songwriter/producer T.I. has crafted a standard-setting career that includes three Grammy Awards and status as a hip-hop icon. But that doesn’t mean the superstar is content to rest on those hard-won laurels.
“Doing music the way I’ve always done it would only have me receive the same amount of success I’ve had, “says T.I. “I firmly believe that to get something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done. So to be more successful, I needed to open myself up to other perspectives.”
And the King of the South is doing just that as he ramps up the next bar-raising phase in his storied career with Paperwork. The rapper’s ninth album is the first under the new alliance between T.I.’s Grand Hustle label and Columbia Records.
And early signs show that T.I. hasn’t lost his touch. Already tipping the chart scales is Paperwork’s lead single “No Mediocre” featuring Australian rapper and T.I. protégé Iggy Azalea. Simultaneously whipping up its own buzz is street single “About the Money” featuring Young Thug.
Music isn’t T.I.’s only forte. A published author (“Power & Beauty,” Trouble & Triumph”), he has racked up notable acting credits, including the films “Identity Thief,” “Takers,” “American Gangster” and “ATL” plus a guest-starring role in the Showtime series “House of Lies.” Coming later this year: a role in the upcoming Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell comedy “Get Hard.” The business entrepreneur and community service advocate also stars in VH1’s “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle.” Now in its third season, the high-rated unscripted series features his wife Tameka “Tiny” Cottle and their blended family of six children.
But music remains at the core of T.I.’s various pursuits; the rapper says he and Pharrell recorded more than 200 songs during the Paperwork process.
T.I. will be touring Canada in support of his new EP titled Us or Else. The EP “will be aimed at supporting the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and will speak explicitly about the twisted road race relations took in America to arrive at its current precarious state. On August 6, 2016, TIP released the first single for Us or Else, a song titled “We Will Not”, in response to the turmoil caused by the injustices going on in America, namely police brutality following the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.
T.I Fan Experience Packages are available for the ultimate T.I fan, purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster.ca
T.I.
THE US OR ELSE
CANADIAN PROMO TOUR
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2017
ABBOTSFORD CENTRE – ABBOTSFORD, BC
Doors: 7:00PM Show: 7:30PM
TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28 @ 10AM
Charge by Phone 1-855-985-5000
Tickets (incl. GST) $45.00, $65.00, $75.00
(Plus FMF & Service charges)
VIP Fan Experience Packages are Available $120.00
**GENERAL ADMISSION / RESERVED SEATING / ALL AGES**
Image courtesy Abbotsford Centre