What is T.I.’s Net Worth?
Rapper T.I. is one of the most successful hip-hop artists in the world, with a net worth estimated at $50 million. He has amassed his fortune through his music sales, touring, acting roles, and business ventures. But his road to riches was not always easy, as he has battled drug addiction and spent time in prison. Here we take a look at how T.I. made his money and what he’s doing with it now.
Early Life
T.I. was born Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1980. His mother was a singer, and his father was a former military man who later worked as a landscaper. T.I.’s parents divorced when he was just a year old, and he was raised by his grandparents. He began selling drugs at the age of 12 to make money for his family.
At 14, T.I. was arrested for the first time for possession of crack cocaine. He would go on to be arrested several more times in his teenage years. Despite his brushes with the law, T.I. managed to graduate from high school.
Career
He began his rap career in the late 1990s, and released his debut album, I’m Serious, in 2001. The album was not a commercial success, but T.I.’s second album, Trap Muzik, released in 2003, made him a star. The album went platinum and featured the hit singles “24’s” and “Be Easy.”
T.I. followed up Trap Muzik with Urban Legend in 2004, which was another success, selling more than 1 million copies. His next album, King, was released in 2006 and debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. The album featured the hit singles “What You Know” and “Why You Wanna.”
T.I. continued his hot streak with the release of T.I. vs. T.I.P. in 2007, which sold more than 1 million copies and featured the smash single “Big Things Poppin’ (Do It).” T.I. then released Paper Trail in 2008, which was his most successful album to date, selling more than 3 million copies and spawning the hit singles “Whatever You Like” and “Live Your Life.”
After a brief hiatus, during which he served time in prison on weapons charges, T.I. returned to the music scene with the release of No Mercy in 2010. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 and featured the hit singles “Get Back Up” and “No Mercy.”
T.I.’s most recent album, Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head, was released in 2012 and debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. The album featured the hit singles “Ball” and “Sorry.”
How He Made His Money
T.I. has also found success outside of the music world, appearing in films such as American Gangster, Takers, and Ant-Man. He also has his own reality TV show, T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle, which chronicles his life as a husband and father.
In addition to his music and acting career, T.I. has also launched a clothing line, AKOO, and a record label, Grand Hustle Records. He has also written an autobiography, Power & Beauty, which was published in 2011.
Philanthropy and Activism
T.I. is also a generous philanthropist, donating to charities such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Habitat for Humanity.
Rapper T.I. asked for $1 million in reparation pay for every descendant of slavery. This sums up to a jaw-dropping $44 trillion.
T.I. guested on “The Breakfast Club,” hosted by Charlamagne tha God and outlined his reparations goal.
“This is my goal. My goal is to get every black person in America that’s a descendant of slavery one million dollars, at least. That take about $44 trillion. So that’s my goal, so I’m working up on $44 trillion,” he said.
T.I. also said he wants equal representation for Blacks, adding: “Everything black people spend money on, it should be a black company that provides it. If we make up for 13% of this nation’s population, we should make up for 13% of the ownership of land. We should be representing at least 13%, 14% on boards [of] financial institutions, and so on and so forth. That should be persistent or consistent throughout, but it is not.”
T.I. likewise claimed that poverty, crime, mass incarceration, and drug addiction in black communities all resulted from slavery.
Personal Life
T.I. married Tameka “Tiny” Cottle in 2010, with whom he has three children. He has four children from previous relationships.
He has been open about his struggles with drug addiction, and has even written about it in his autobiography. He has said that he first started using drugs at the age of 12 to cope with the pain of his parents’ divorce.
His drug use led to several brushes with the law, and he was even sentenced to prison in 2009 for possession of unregistered firearms.
T.I. has since turned his life around, and is now a proud family man and philanthropist. He has said that he wants to use his platform to help others, particularly young people, avoid the mistakes he made in his own life.