T.I.

Tip "T. I." Harris known professionally and internationally as an accomplished film and television actor, Hollywood producer, record label mogul, philanthropist, author, apparel line owner and superstar rapper, is in the business of prophecy.  When the Bankhead, Atlanta, native––originally nicknamed Tip by his grandfather––proclaimed to be "King of the South" on his debut album, "I'm Serious" (2000), much of the hip-hop community resisted.  What naysayers were even more clueless about was that, at the young age of 19, the kid who would eventually pioneer the subgenre "Trap Rap" had an audacity that surpassed the four walls of the recording booth.

His plan has always been to maximize every opportunity and diversify the Grand Hustle Records portfolio.  Harris' journey toward destiny demanded that step one be to attain independence by any means necessary.  In 2003, he teamed up with manager and partner Jason Geter to give birth to Grand Hustle Records.  Ten years, six multiplatinum albums and several Grammys later, not one Grand Hustle album or single has returned to the paltry sales of "I'm Serious," proving that the talent and knowledge of the self-titled "Rubberband Man" arcs from a lyrical to business acumen.

In the vein of previous historic indie hip-hop empires, such as No Limit and Roc-A-Fella Records, Grand Hustle began expanding its business with an artist roster that didn't need its franchise player and coach as a crutch.  What started with Young Dro's 2006 breakout hit "Shoulder Lean," the label found its second superstar in B.o.B, whose debut album "B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray," became a chart-topping, multiplatinum and Grammy-nominated success.

Since executive producing the soundtrack for 2005's Academy Award®-winning Hustle & Flow and making his critically acclaimed acting debut in the gem ATL, Harris has gone from state property to Hollywood catnip.  In less than five years, he's found himself a part of motion-picture treasures, including as a co-star alongside film greats Denzel Washington and Ruby Dee in 2007's American Gangster.  In 2010, Harris upped his stock when he wore both executive producer and thespian hats for the No. 1 box-office opener Takers, which boasted an ensemble of star power, including Zoe Saldana, Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Michael Ealy and Chris Brown.

Ambidextrous with his Hollywood hustle, Harris has simultaneously scored on the big and small screens.  Primetime television audiences got their first taste of the platinum artist on his 2009 MTV docu-series T.I.'s Road to Redemption, which filmed Harris visiting troubled teens in hopes of steering them away from the same criminal pitfalls he fell victim to.  In 2011, he invited viewers into his home when he teamed up with VH1 on T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle, whichtook Harris' television profile to new heights and transformed his family into an extension of his regal court.  The second season of T.I. & Tiny premiered on September 3, 2012, to record-breaking ratings for the network, all while Harris' latest acting role was already in play.

For the second season of the Starz original series Boss, starring Kelsey Grammer and Sanaa Lathan, the Renaissance man took on his first primetime role, as Trey Rogers, a former gangbanger who uses his street clout to influence Chicago politics.  Harris' greatest year as a thespian, thus far, continued in October 2012, when he guest-starred on an episode of the CBS drama Hawaii Five-0.

While music is one of many grand ventures in the world of Harris—a world where he's also cultivated his own fashion line, AKOO (A King of Oneself); fed and raised thousands of dollars for thousands of hungry Georgians on Thanksgiving; fought Alzheimer's through the charity he created with Tiny, For the Love of Our Fathers; and authored the Harpers/Collins novels "Power & Beauty: A Love Story of Life on the Streets" and its successor "Trouble & Triumph: A Novel of Power & Beauty," which he co-authored with New York Times best-selling writer David Ritz––it is the driving force behind his Southern-built stardom.

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