“I Wonder Where Lil Bad Ass T.I.P. From Back In The Day At…”

If you know us, you know how we do.

We did it with Dwayne Carter. We did it with Nasir. We did it with Bushwick, The Honorable Willie Dee & Brad aka The Geto Boys.

This week, we felt it was time for another one. Specifically, one for an artist we’ve followed closely since our inception.

Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.

As stated, we’ve followed his career before TSS was even a thought. And while we’ve been here, we’ve documented our thoughts regarding his various works, most recently the “Change My Name…” piece for KING from a few days ago.

And there’s numerous reasons why we’ve followed him.

No, he’s not the most lyrically adept man on the mic. Arguably, many of those we call “great” weren’t either.

“Well what does he have?”

He’s got a.) a unique tone to his voice b.) a cup thatrunneth over, full of arrogance c.) a humble and honest demeanor which he sometimes brings to the wax and d.) all in all, an streetwise truthfulness & insight that unparalled by many right now. He’s charismatic, energetic…”heart of a lion and the nuts of an elephant”…”the spirit of a god, heart of a dope dealer”…and oh yeah, he can rap his narrow ass off.

However you want to try to beautify it with words, he’s got “it.”

So this week, with the subsequent retail release of his fifth solo album, T.I. Vs. T.I.P., on the horizon, we decided to give the man his just due. Said propers will come in the form of written pieces, videos, singles, mixtapes, B-sides & features…you know, the works…TSS-style.

Not just yet though; it’ll all begin later.

We wanted to give you a little advance notice, yunno, some time to get yourself ready…along with some hard drive space too.

Tell a friend to tell a friend that we’re back @ it.

And for the record, personally, I won’t be reviewing the new album even though it’s out.

Too quickly, critics and fans rush to judgement without giving shit a chance to settle into our minds. Personally, I have to hear an album – in the car, on my headphones & @ the cpu – and hear it @ least five to ten times, front to back, before I can weigh in on it. Too easily, cats throw around “wack” and “classic” without an album even being out for a few weeks. I’m not a professional critic by any means & I’m obviously biased here, so listen and judge for yourself.

That said…Listen. Let it marinate. Then listen again.

Overall, be entertained.

That’s one of the major tenants of art…and music is indeed an art form.

I will admit that the one of the earlier songs I hated most – “You Know What It Is” – actually sounded better in the context of the album. But that damn ‘Clef…I guess I still hold bitterness for him fuckin up L.Boogie.