Clifford Harris, the man best known heretofore as T.I., has been flapping his gums about his new album T.I. vs. T.I.P. (out Tuesday) for almost a year, but it’s just now that he’s really spelling out the record’s complicated concept. He’s given his most succinct words on the subject to the New York Daily News, and yet, what he’s talking about is still anyone’s guess. Try, just try, to wrap your head around this:

"I think T.I.P. thinks T.I. is a little too concerned with fame and stardom. And T.I. thinks T.I.P. is too concerned with the way we used to live rather than the way we need to live right now. Both of these individuals reside within Clifford Harris. He just pretty much sits back and watches the show."

Which is to say: nonsense! The only difference between T.I. and some homeless schizophrenic man feeding pigeons on a park bench, ranting about the voices in his head is that T.I. is being paid to talk about his crazy. The homeless man gives it for free. After listening to T.I.’s album, it’s clear that the homeless man offers the better bargain. [New York Daily News]

Related Content

Browse Pics of Rock Stars With Massive (And Multiple) Egos

Beef was on the menu of a brunch in Los Angeles on Sunday, where a scuffle broke out between T.I. and Ludacris‘ Disturbing tha Peace Records partner Chaka Zulu aka the man whose name you are most jealous of. Seriously, who wouldn’t want the melodious lungs of Chaka Khan coupled with the warrior spirit of Shaka Zulu? Chaka Zulu may be the closest we’ve come yet to a perfect human being and I say that solely on basis of his name.

Anyway, details are scant but T.I. is said to have punched the face of Chaka, the partner of Luda, his on-again, off-again rival at the Power Brunch event hosted by Warner Music Group EVP Kevin Liles. An entourage-wide scuffle is said to have then broken out, only to be broken up by the police minutes later. In the end, one woman was injured and, according to a witness, T.I.’s shirt was torn. And the whole place swooned!

I dedicate two anti-violence tracks from hip-hop’s golden era to T.I., West Coast All Stars’ "We’re All in the Same Gang" and the Stop the Violence Movement’s "Self Destruction." T.I., your permanently fastened sunglasses don’t fool me: you need some cooling out.

Learn from your elders, T.I. [People / Images: Getty]

Watch & Learn: We peep a video and come up with five things nobody knew about the artist.

Evidently, there’s only one rapper alive that’s got game over T.I. … and that’s his devilish alter-ego, T.I.P. The first video from the MC’s upcoming album T.I. vs. T.I.P. is all about the trek from the tour bus to the stage, and it offers a few revelations. Here’s what we learned from watching "Big Things Poppin’":

- The secret to T.I.’s ripped physique? Pushup contests with his alter-ego, snitches!

- When T.I. holds his tricked-out cellie just so, the Nokia imprint flashes real bright. Lil’ logos poppin’, and big sponsor bucks droppin’ …

- T.I. likes white people. How do we know? Autograph for a skinny-ass nerd on the way to the stage, snitches! (T.I.P.’s take on white folk? T.B.D.)

- Ben "Starsky" Stiller just might be an uncredited feature on this track. Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!

- The subconscious point of the video? To prove that T.I. can play a show without getting water balloons hucked at him.

I don’t blame you if 50 Cent isn’t exactly your point person for intuition and eloquence. This is, after all, a man who thinks nothing of combining childhood imagery (candy shops, amusement parks) with raunch, a man who will "whip your head, boy," a man who thinks he’s doing you a favor when he says, "I’ll let you lick my d***."

It was, then, a great surprise when, during a press conference Wednesday, Fiddy stepped up his insight after being grilled about the initiative to remove those three infamous words from hip-hop. The rapper won’t be censoring himself any time soon, and here’s his explanation why:

Read more…

Watch & Learn: We peep a video and come up with five things nobody knew.

Boasting more "features" than the shelves of Blockbuster, the video for DJ Khaled‘s "We Takin’ Over" passes the mic between some of the hottest names in hip-hop. T.I.? Akon? Lil’ Wayne? Rick Ross? Fat Joe? Birdman? All present; and all apparently wanted by "The Man." So what happens when you cast rap superstars in what looks like an episode of "Miami Vice?" Here’s what we learned:

Read more…