King (T.I. album)

Background

On a steady basis since 2003 with two successful albums released under his belt, with 2003's major success story Trap Muzik and the release of yet another major improvement 2004's success story Urban Legend. This album was named after his then newly born son King Harris. The MC has been responsible for some of the most memorable rap singles of the decade. Those singles including 24's, Rubberband Man, Bring Em Out, U Don't Know Me and the underappreciated ASAP amount to a run as impressive as anyone else's during the same years. Noting that all those singles being successful on the Billboard Hot 100.

Along with the success of his two successful albums T.I. had to deal with his legal issues with the law from his past life those including being put behind bars for violating a probation that resulted from a 1997 arrest on cocaine distribution and the manufacturing and distribution of a controlled substance.

With a warrant issued in March 2004 for T.I.'s arrest after he violated his probation of the 1997 drug conviction. He was sentenced to three years in prison. Only to be released one month later, to be granted a work release program that allowed him to continue making music. Also being on probation stemming from a 1998 conviction for violating a state controlled substances act and for giving false information. After being released on probation, he earned a litany of probation violations in several counties around Georgia for offenses ranging from possession of a firearm to possession of marijuana.

Originally to be released as a soundtrack to his big screen acting debut film ATL starring himself T.I., but due to recording a sufficient volume of material, he proceeded to prepare his fourth album instead. T.I. decided not to release a soundtrack for his movie, ATL, instead making King the musical focus of the motion picture. With that, the album served as a solo joint for T.I. while receiving the same push of a movie soundtrack. That may have helped give T.I. the highest-selling debut of his career. T.I. named the album after his son, Clifford "King" Joseph Harris III.

Recording

On April 20, 2005 in an interview with MTV T.I. confirmed that he was settling into his fourth solo album, which he would be calling King. The rapper said with a smile to expect a surprise on his follow-up to Urban Legend. T.I. also stated that on this next album it's gonna be monumental. On November 4, 2005 while on tour with Young Jeezy T.I. stated that he had begun recording for the album. On January 10, 2006 it was said that T.I. teamed up with the Underground Kingz for a Mannie Fresh-produced remake of UGK's 1994 classic "Front, Back and Side to Side". That was one of the first two singles from the album. The other record would be a song with the working title "Chirp Back" (however T.I.'s camp said that the title in all likelihood would be changed), which is produced by DJ Toomp, best known for collaborating on T.I.'s biggest record "U Don't Know Me". An earlier version of the new "Front, Back and Side to Side" — minus Pimp C — appeared on the new T.I. mixtape with DJ Drama, Gangsta Grillz: The Leak, which came about after several songs from the King recording sessions leaked onto the Internet. T.I. decided to take all the bootlegged material and feed the streets; he's insisted that none of the songs on the mixtape would appear on King. In late 2005, T.I. told MTV News that he's recorded more than 70 songs for the album, and his rep said the MC recently went back into the lab and now had more than 100 songs to choose from. It was also said that one person who was excited about his work with T.I. was Swizz Beatz, who produced Bring Em Out for T.I.'s 2004 Urban Legend. Swizz Beatz confirmed he did four songs for the album. Particularly a song called "I Got That, Get It When You Need", which was later changed to Get It. T.I. later confirmed he was still in the process of finding the right mix of songs for the album and, apart from the two aforementioned singles, he was not sure yet which songs would make the cut.

While most of the songs from The Leak were strictly for the street, it was said that there would be two or three that would actually go on the album with a little remixing. For instance, "Jamie Foxx, who has had #1 album, is going to be playing the piano and singing on 'Live in the Sky', and Pimp C's vocals will be added to 'Front, Back, Side to Side,' which already features T.I. and Bun B and is a remake of UGK's 1994 hit of the same name. In an interview with MTV T.I. said that he was actually still recording songs for King and said he'll be making music right up to the deadline. On February 6, 2006 T.I. churned out roughly 65 tracks but only selected the hottest joints. In another interview with MTV, T.I. stated that "the album King is like 'Trap Muzik' on steroids". He also stated that everything you loved about his albums in the past has been reincarnated and hit with some nuclear sewage that made that shit mutate into something of catastrophic proportions. On February 21, 2006 T.I. talked about one of the songs that would be on the album that one was one of the more popular songs off T.I.'s The Leak CD is "Live in the Sky", on which he sings the hook "Life's ups and downs, they come and go." Well, on his album King, T.I. will feature a reworking of the piano-driven song with Jamie Foxx singing the hook and playing the keys. T.I. stated that It's dedicated to his cousin Toot, who died right before Trap Muzik came out. He also stated that "the song was also dedicated to his homeboy Jay-Ru, who died right before I'm Serious came out. T.I. stated it's about people's misperceptions of T.I. and his life by saying "How I feel, it's the exact opposite. It's a lot more problems than people may realize. I had to show them my life is not all that it's cracked up to be".

Toot is the same cousin who tried to steer T.I. toward positivity and is most notably shouted out on "Rubber Band Man". Jay-Ru was a buddy T.I. used to hustle with. The two had a falling out and Jay-Ru died before the two had a chance to reconcile. "Me and Jay-Ru was still close partners," T.I. explained. "We lived together, we was in the streets hustling together. I had got involved with my older son's mom at the time. I moved out of the apartment into my own spot with her. Me and Jay-Ru fell out about that it took a toll on me. To this day I still think about him, especially when I see his daughter",T.I. stated. According to T. I. himself, securing Jamie Foxx on piano wasn't too tough of a task. "I sent the word I wanted him to get on it and he got on it the next day. I was thinking about everybody who could play the piano as well as sing, and Jamie was at the top of my list". T. I. added that he was just about done with his album, but he's not ruling out a last-minute guest appearance by Jay-Z, who was supposed to get on a record called "Good Life", but due to scheduling conflicts he didn't make it and Common took his place. The two hooked up while both were in Los Angeles for the Grammys. T.I. would also have recording sessions for the album with record Producers Just Blaze, Keith Mack, Travis Barker, The Neptunes, Kevin "Khao" Cates, Nick "Fury" Loftin and Tony Galvin.

Leaks

After half of the songs of the album leaked on the Internet in early 2006, T.I. used the leaked tracks, plus a few more new songs to make an album titled Gangsta Grillz: The Leak, which came about after several songs from the King recording sessions leaked onto the Internet.

Promo singles

"Front Back" was the first official promotional single to be released from King. The song entered the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart at number 11. It featured Port Arthur's own UGK. It had small attention and has helped promote the album. The song is the remake of UGK's 1994 single "Front,Back,Side to Side" from their album Super Tight. The song was produced by Mannie Fresh. "Ride with Me" was the second official promotional single from the album. The single entered the Hot Ringtones chart at number 21, and it charted at number 78 on the Pop 100 chart. The song was produced by Keith Mack. "Top Back" was the third and final official promotional single from the album. The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 29, it charted at number 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it charted at number 8 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, it charted at number 39 on the Pop 100, it charted at number 39 on the Rhythmic Top 40, and at number 27 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. It was produced by Mannie Fresh and released as a single in a remixed version from the album Grand Hustle Presents: In Da Streetz Volume 4. "Top Back" was already getting radio play in its original version before the remix was released. The song was used many times in Making the Band 4 as the contestants did several dances to the instrumental version of this song. The three promotional singles garnered little attention, but helped to promote not only the album, but also ATL.

Singles

"What You Know" was the first official single to be released from King. The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 3, it charted at number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it charted at number 1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, it charted at number 10 on the Pop 100 chart, it charted at number 2 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, it charted at number 13 on the Hot Ringtones chart, it charted at number 42 on the Pop 100 Airplay chart, it charted at number 2 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, and at number 39 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart. The song also serves as the theme song to the 2006 film ATL in which T.I. stars. "What You Know" won for "Best Rap Solo Performance" and was nominated for "Best Rap Song" at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. What You Know" was performed at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, where its music video was nominated for two awards. VIBE named T.I.'s "What You Know" as the Top Song of 2006. It was also ranked fourth on a similar list by Rolling Stone, and was #1 in Muchmusic's Top HipHop 2006 List. Pitchfork Media ranked "What You Know" #3 on their "Top Tracks of 2006" list, while T.I.'s collaboration on Justin Timberlake's song "My Love" was ranked #1. The song is one of the most critically acclaimed of 2006 (arguably T.I.'s most critically acclaimed song), and is one of T.I.'s most successful. It has garnered a 5-star rating from Pitchfork Media. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and it also topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It is ranked the 963rd best song of all time, 12th of 2006, and 116th of the 2000s decade by Acclaimed Music. In 2008, it was ranked number 68 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. The song was listed at #38 on Pitchfork Media's top 500 songs of the 2000s. The critically acclaimed song is produced by DJ Toomp from Zone Boy Productions, with additional keys by Wonder Arillo. It utilizes an interpolation of Roberta Flack's version of The Impressions's "Gone Away" and of the song "Hey Joe", written by Billy Roberts but popularised by Jimi Hendrix. The track was rumored to be a diss song directed at fellow Dirty South rapper Lil' Flip. The song is also played during the end credits of ATL. The song was a major smash during the spring of 2006. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the single 2x Platinum.

"Why You Wanna" was the second official single from the album. The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 29, it charted at number 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it charted at number 4 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, it charted at number 47 on the Pop 100 chart, it charted at number 39 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, and at number 13 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart. The single attained respectable international charting. In the United Kingdom the single entered the UK Singles Chart at number 22, in Australia the single entered the Australian Singles Chart at number 49, in Belgium the single entered the Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) chart at number 6, and at number 7 on the Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia) chart. In the Netherlands the single entered the Dutch Top 40 at number 43, in the Republic of Ireland the single entered the Irish Singles Chart at number 17, and in Switzerland the single entered the Swiss Music Charts at number 43. The single samples a slowed down keyboard chord from Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)". The chorus also interpolates Q-Tip's vocals from Got 'Til It's Gone with Janet Jackson and Find a Way with his group A Tribe Called Quest. The song was produced by Kevin "Khao" Cates. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the single Gold.

"Live in the Sky" was the third and final official single from the album. The single entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 57. The single features Jamie Foxx. The song is mainly about T.I.'s deceased family members and friends who have died in violence, drugs, and even tuberculosis. An alternate version exists with varied lyrics, due to the explicit nature of the original track. The alternate version does not also include the third verse. The song was produced by Keith Mack.

Commercial performance

King debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 522,000 copies in its first week of release from the promotion of his debut film ATL and the smash single, "What You Know". It was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America, following shipment in excess of 523,408 copies. The album also charted at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and at number one on the Top Rap Albums chart. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album 2x Platinum.

King attained respectable international charting. In New Zealand the album entered the New Zealand Albums Chart at number 2, in Canada the album entered the Canadian Albums Chart at number 24, in France the album entered the French Albums Chart at number 36, in Japan the album entered the Japanese Albums Chart at number 26, in Switzerland the album entered the Swiss Albums Chart at number 99, and in the United Kingdom the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 83. In Canada the Canadian Recording Industry Association certified the album Gold.

Critical response

King received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". About.com gave it four out of five stars, stating "with his swagger-jacking charm on the microphone, and enough charisma to convince you that he's really running things in his department, he just might be the Jay-Z of the south. King is not only T.I.'s most captivating album so far, it's probably the best thing to come out of the "A-Town" lately. And, as Pimp C explains on one of the album's many skits, a "king" is anyone that handles his business appropriately on the lyrical side of things, and many kings abound in southern rap. With such foraying display of bravado, T.I. has rightfully earned his membership to hip-hop's elite. Royal salute!" Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 praising the album's lead single "What You Know", and stating "T.I.'s fourth album isn't the leap forward he's been threatening to make, but it does carry the best set of productions he has been given to work with, and it guarantees that he won't be leaving the singles charts any time soon." Blender Magazine noted on T.I.'s status saying "Before his album sold a surprise half a million copies in its first week of release, T.I. was a Southern star who didn’t quite feel like one: He made up with irresistible hooks what he lacked in personality. Now he’s a national star who doesn’t quite feel like one. A breezily charismatic drug rapper, he’s like Jay-Z without the worldview, Young Jeezy without the gravitas; he still hasn’t distinguished himself as an artist worth exploring past the singles. Thankfully, he’s packed album No. 4 full of singles, which might be just as good. His sonorous, self-assured drawl adds an air of unflustered authority to his alpha brags, and he pours it into unexpected patterns. What he’s best at is craft—woozy refrains and hypnotic rhyme schemes—and his fleet of beats is impeccable, highlighted by the four-minute epic “What You Know,” which laces imperious synths with an intriguing wistfulness. Throughout, producers Just Blaze, Swizz Beatz and DJ Toomp back T.I.’s self-deifying spiels with wild bombast: he’d seem a lot less kingly if it weren’t for his court."

Pitchfork Media stated "T.I. has always been a great rapper, warm and fluid and confident, his loose elastic voice winding under tracks with force and finesse. Before every other mainstream rapper was talking about drugs, he was doing it with a weary lived-in authority, proudly defiant and sheepishly defensive at the same time, bragging about getting money but lamenting the fact that he only had one way to do it. But great rappers don't always make great albums, and every one of T.I.'s previous full-lengths had a fatal flaw: desperate grabs at radio love, grossly insincere sex-jams, cobbled-together non-cohesion, or all three. Last summer, I thought Young Jeezy's Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (2005) was the album T.I. should've made. Young Jeezy isn't half the rapper that T.I. is, but his album-- stunning in its focus and monolithic swagger and deeply nihilistic in worldview-- had more cinematic sweep than anything his progenitor had ever done." Matt Cibula of PopMatters described the album as a stunning classic saying that "Clifford “T.I.” Harris is one of America’s greatest songwriters. I’m not just talking about hip-hop, either—even if you add in all the other genres that people go all gaga over, T.I. strides this narrow world like a colossus. No one is smarter, no one constructs tighter songs, and no one has more ways to score. This is proven over and over again on King. T.I. is the whole package: gritty, smooth, smart, dangerous, introspective, and wise. And while it’s pretty early in 2006 to talk about albums of the year, this record says it’s time to start talking." Stylus Magazine noted "T.I.’s path to a self-made mythology hinges not just on his ability to trumpet himself, but to make his locale and history vital. King, T.I.’s latest, proves, among other things, that his legacy is tied into his town, and his town, Atlanta, is the true Southern metropolis: primal, spiritual, refined, and delicate at the same time. New Orleans may have the painful religious symbolism, Memphis the working-class spirit, and Houston the expansive, halting sound, but Atlanta is the melting pot of bourgeoisie, aristocracy, and neighborhood hustlers. Lil Wayne may be the chaperone of this coast, but T.I. is the CFO. Song to song production is generally top-shelf. From barn-burning “Top Back” to the slyly tender “Gone,” every chime chimes when it’s supposed to, every snare clacks right into place. Individually, Grand Hustle in-house rising star Toomp gobbles up the lion’s share of the praise: the cataclysmic “What You Know” and ostentatious “Bankhead” both soar. Mannie Fresh and Just Blaze inlay T.I.’s lines with velveteen strings and swirling drums respectively. King isn’t complacent enough to act like all the wars are fought and all the gods are dead; T.I. sees his legacy and city very much up for grabs. A city, a scene and his legacy are unfinished, and while King won’t be T.I.’s last, or, hopefully, best section of his mosaic, it’s the perfection of his aesthetic thus far."

The New York Times called the album "Memorable refrains, hard beats, elegant rhymes: this album succeeds mainly by sticking to a simple but effective formula." Entertainment Weekly stated "Though long at 18 tracks, King's still got plenty of heavyweight hits." The Village Voice's Makkada B. Selah viewed that "Anyone disputing T.I.'s claim to the title "King of the South" has been summarily silenced by the pageant King's release. The self-proclaimed Dick Cheney of rap showcases many styles, each track here is a multi-layered, highly nuanced production." Sputnikmusic's Joe Schmoh noted "T.I. has always been a prime example of an excellent mainstream rapper from the south. He exudes confidence with every single breath he breaths over the microphone, swinging comfortably from snare hit to snare hit like Tarzan of the beats. However, whether it’s Ludacris, Rick Ross, or T.I., the problems are all the same. T.I. has no idea at all how to balance an album together. At least he didn’t until he went towards recording King, an album whose title obviously aims towards magnum opus, a record that balances T.I.’s softer side done right with effortless gruff confidence placed on balling records. Basically, King shows T.I. ripping to his full potential. With women, he’s evolved into this sort of country gentlemen, and he shows this over swelling, swollen synthesizers that make his softer side truly something to behold. And yet, it seems like what the real shine still are the bangers. Even the weak tracks sound strong due to T.I.’s superfluous confidence. Normally, records like this just sound like wastes of good beats, but T.I. serves these beats with pure swag and rhythmic ability. He doesn’t even need to rhyme about anything important or relevant, he’s got enough fun punchlines and self-confidence to cover that up. T.I. manages to spend the entire record outshining every single guest, making every beat his own, and even being respectful to the ladies as opposed to misogynistic. Overall, a triumph." The Austin Chronicle's Robert Gabriel stated "Respected from East to West like he was running the Mob," T.I. ascends the throne of rap regality on his fourth LP. Consistent as it is tenacious, King's effortless flow over top-grade beats comes courtesy of Mannie Fresh, Just Blaze, and DJ Toomp, and as the synth-laden "What You Know" has already made the job of radio programmers that much easier, T.I.'s transcends flash-in-the-pan status with a swagger unmatched in hip-hop. T.I.'s Southern drawl bends pedestrian phrases into irresistible melodies hotter than the summer streets to come."

Accolades

The album appeared on several music critics' and publications' end-of-year albums lists. Pitchfork Media placed the album at number 147 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s. In 2006 website MadeMan placed the album at number 1 on their list of 10 Best-Selling Rap Albums Of 2006. Spin placed the album at number 14 on its 40 Best Albums list for 2006. Stylus Magazine placed the album at number 14 on its list of their Top 50 Albums of 2006. About.com placed the album at number 6 on their list of top 10 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2006. Paste named it the 81st best album of 2006, on its list of their Top 100 Albums of 2006. Sia Michel of The New York Times named it the 9th best album of 2006, on its list of Best Albums of 2006, also Kelefa Sannehof of The New York Times named it the second best album of 2006, on its list of Best Albums of 2006.

At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, T.I. was nominated with a total of three nominations, including Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance and Grammy Award for Best Rap Song for the smash hit single "What You Know". He won the Grammy award for Best Rap Solo Performance for "What You Know".

Track listing

 • (co.) Co-producer

Limited edition DVD

A limited edition of King was released, featuring a DVD. The DVD contained:

Sample credits

"King Back"

"Front Back"

"What You Know"

"I'm Talkin' to You"

"Why You Wanna"

"Get It"

"You Know Who"

"Hello"

"Bankhead"

"Drug Related"

Personnel

Credits for King adapted from Allmusic.