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"FacebookPinterest\n\nHOMETOWN The west side of Atlanta, where the 24yearold rapper experienced the kind of streetwise upbringing that doesn't make for a spotless record. \"I mean, it was no different from any other hood,\" T.I. says. \"But it was definitely the ghetto.\" Which is why his gritty lyrics ruminating on urban life sound earnest, not gimmicky.\n\n WHAT STARTED IT ALL T.I. followed his 2001 debut album, I'm Serious, with a slew of appearances on mix tapes, providing him with enough street cred to make Mike Caren, senior vice president of A&amp;amp;R at Atlantic Records, take notice. So much so that Atlantic signed him in 2003 and released his sophomore album, Trap Muzik, that August.\n\n RAP SHEET Before T.I. could capitalize on his burgeoning success, he landed himself in jail for violating his probation on previous drug charges.\n\n BREAKOUT After serving two months, T.I. was set free on a workrelease program, enabling him to record his third album, Urban Legend, which hit stores this past December, selling upwards of a million copies.\n\n GIVEBACKS In tandem with his uncle, who's also done jail time, T.I. founded New Finish Construction\u2014a company that aims to build affordable homes in the neighborhood in which T.I. once dealt drugs.\n\n WHY HE DOESN'T MIND HAVING A RECORD \"Every girl, no matter how squeakyclean, they like that life on the wild side, at least for a second.\" \n\n UP NEXT Like most moguls in the making, T.I. is sifting through movie scripts, and he's currently working on\u2014what else?\u2014a clothing line. \"It's going to be called the Crown Collection,\" he says. \"It's for anybody who's ever inquired about how I wear my clothes, where I shop, and what I like.\" \u2014Candice Rainey"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/rapper-t-i-pink>