T.I. has regarded himself as the King of the South for quite some time – but he sought out permission from the legends who came before him before doing so, including OutKast, Scarface, Bun B and more.
Talking to AllHipHop in a conversation published on October 16, Tip recalled the reactions he got when he first asked, noting that had he gotten any opposition, he would not have adopted the moniker.
“The first time I called myself the ‘King of the South,’ I went and asked everybody that I had access to for their blessings,” he said. “I asked Big Boi from OutKast, I asked [André] 3000, Cee-Lo, Khujo, T-Mo and [Big] Gipp [of Goodie Mobb], 8 Ball, MJG, Bun B and Scarface. So I asked all of them how they felt about it, what they thought about it and all of them for the most part gave me their blessings.
“I remember Scarface said, ‘Hell yeah go ahead. I don’t wanna be king! You could have that shyt.’ Then I asked 3000 and he hit me with, ‘What does it really mean to be king?’ And Big Boi said, ‘Aight now, be careful what you ask for because you known as the king, they gon’ put the target on your back. Ain’t nobody going to be trying to help you out with nothing. So just be careful what you ask for.’
He concluded: “It took me later in life to really understand what he was telling me. He was really telling me that I was causing myself to have more anguish than necessary — like in chess, the object is to kill the king.”
The convo begins around the one-minute mark below.
hiphopdx.com
Talking to AllHipHop in a conversation published on October 16, Tip recalled the reactions he got when he first asked, noting that had he gotten any opposition, he would not have adopted the moniker.
“The first time I called myself the ‘King of the South,’ I went and asked everybody that I had access to for their blessings,” he said. “I asked Big Boi from OutKast, I asked [André] 3000, Cee-Lo, Khujo, T-Mo and [Big] Gipp [of Goodie Mobb], 8 Ball, MJG, Bun B and Scarface. So I asked all of them how they felt about it, what they thought about it and all of them for the most part gave me their blessings.
“I remember Scarface said, ‘Hell yeah go ahead. I don’t wanna be king! You could have that shyt.’ Then I asked 3000 and he hit me with, ‘What does it really mean to be king?’ And Big Boi said, ‘Aight now, be careful what you ask for because you known as the king, they gon’ put the target on your back. Ain’t nobody going to be trying to help you out with nothing. So just be careful what you ask for.’
He concluded: “It took me later in life to really understand what he was telling me. He was really telling me that I was causing myself to have more anguish than necessary — like in chess, the object is to kill the king.”
The convo begins around the one-minute mark below.
T.I. Recalls OutKast, Scarface & Bun B’s Reactions To Him Claiming ‘King Of The South’
T.I. has long called himself the King of the South, but he first sought approval from legends among the likes of OutKast, Scarface and Bun B.
hiphopdx.com
