The road ahead is wide open once again for T.I. After a decade-long, seven-album relationship with Atlantic Records, Tip is an independent artist again and looking forward to seeing where he’ll land next.
And while he’s celebrating his freedom, MTV will be doing the same with our “Music Independence Day” blow-out on Thursday. The all-day on-air showcase will run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on MTV, VH1 and CMT, serving up the ultimate party playlist for fans of pop, country, hip hop, indie and EDM. You’ll get the acts you love and emerging artists who are looking to build their fanbase will get a chance to reach millions of new fans on the popular music TV networks, exposing their music to legions of new supporters through the Artist Platform on MTV, VH1 and CMT.
The Grand Hustle boss completed his obligation to the major with last year’s Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head and for now, he’s just enjoying the success he’s having with his current single with Lil Wayne before moving on to the next one.
“I got a record out now, me and Wayne,’ Wit Me,’ doing numbers every week, increasing on iTunes, increasing on Billboard top 100, so … I’m just continuing to push. Right now I’m an independent artist,” he told MTV News about the dynamic duo’s rising one-off banger. The song, which comes with a fast cars, hot women and cop-evading video directed by Phillyflyboy comes just as the pair are planning to hit the road together for a summer amphitheater tour .
“It’s a lot of work, man, it’s a lot of resources to be dedicated to it,” T.I. said of being back in control of his destiny. “But at the end of the day I think it’s worth it. It put me back into mind of where we were after ‘I’m Serious,’ where we had to put our own funds and resources into [2003’s] Trap Muzik … I think that led to a beautiful situation … and I think right now we’re just working to reach another beautiful situation.”
