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His original stage name, "T.I.P.", stems from his childhood nickname Tip. Tip stands for "ten inch playa". Due to his southern drawl, fans mistook his name for "Chip", so he began spelling it out "T.I.P". 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.
His two best childhood friends were Timothy Davis Jr. and Philip Carson (Both now located in Cleveland, TN). They grew up together in Atlanta, Georgia, where they lived in the same apartment complex. His first Girlfriend was in 7th grade. Her name was Brittney Hardy. They also lived in the same apartment complex.
He also previously had a feud with Houston rapper Lil' Flip. Both claim to be the "King of the South", which led to an album created by a southern DJ. This album is called Fight for the Throne. The CD has unreleased songs and freestyle raps of the two rappers slaying words of hate and insult at each other. The CD was never put on shelves for music label reasons, but can be downloaded from Limewire and Kazaa. The thirty two track CD is a smash hit in the underground rap world.
T.I. had four children by three different women. Their names are Messiah YaMajesty Harris, Domani Uriah Harris, Dehjah Harris, and King Harris. In March 2006, he split with long time girlfriend, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle (of the group Xscape) — mother to his son King.
T.I. is reported to be seeing Los Angeles actress Lauren London (who played his love interest in ATL) after been spotted together on numerous ocassions. Gossip columnist Wendy Williams recently confirmed this, and said the couple had been seeing each other for a while. The rumours of T.I dating Flavor of Love star Hoopz are false, but they still keep in contact with each other.
He is a member of an underground "posse" known as P$C (Pimp Squad Click). He also runs his own record label called Grand Hustle Records. He generated a buzz after releasing his debut album I'm Serious, which spawned the single of the same title which featured reggae vocalist Beenie Man. His debut included Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes, Jazze Pha and The Youngbloodz.
Trap Muzik quickly became one of the fastest selling records. Hits "24s," "Rubberband Man," and "Be Easy". The success of the album was followed by some controversy: while on tour, T.I. turned himself in and was charged with violating his probation over a 1998 drug charge. He was sentenced to three years in prison. While there he was granted rights to film the music video for his introduction at WHTA/Hot 107.9's Birthday bash.
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