IT says he’s killing off his “King of the South” title with his next and final album, “Kill the King.” His catalog of music includes 11 studio albums, three Grammy awards and classic trap songs.
The 42-year-old rapper and actor revealed the news of the closing chapter of his solo career in a video last month.
“‘Kill the King’ to me is a representation of killing people,” he told TMZ on Feb. 18. He is a character who enters the room a little before me, physically.
The “Dead and Gone” artist said he asked several Southern rap legends he respects, such as 8 Ball, Bun B, Outkast and Scarface, what they thought of his use of the “King of the South” at the time.
TIP said that although everyone was supportive, “Scarface immediately said to me, ‘I don’t want to be king. You can have it.”
Still, Big Boi had some words of wisdom for the ‘Takers’ star.
“Big said, ‘Well, you know, yeah, that should sound cool, you know. I like it. I like it. Just understand, if you’re the king, you’re gonna put a big eye of ox on your back, you know what I mean? You can’t look for any favors.
He continued, “I’m like, yeah, okay, but you’re okay with that, aren’t you?” And he’s like, ‘yeah, but just understand the name of the game. I mean, life is a game of chess, or chess is the game of life, and the name of the game in chess is to kill the king, then just understand that’s what you’re getting ready for.
The “LIBRA” rapper went on to say that what Big Boi said didn’t resonate with him at first. “Standing here 20 years later looking back on my career, looking back, you know what I mean? Just the kind of experiences I endured, I can see what he meant.
TIP was with friend Philant Johnson when he was fatally shot in 2006 following an after-party at Cincinnati’s Ritz nightclub following an altercation.
He noted that he chose the label “king” after hearing Mystical refers to himself as “Prince of the South” on his “Tarantula” album.
“I really introduced the idea that it’s okay to be called king,” he said.
“If everyone before me thought they were ‘King of the South,’ they would have said so,” the artist said. said on his self-proclaimed title.
TI plans to stay busy after finishing their latest album and recently in partnership with Soulja Boy And Lil Durk for the smoking lifestyle brand Cignature.