NEW YORK, NY (Top40 Charts/ By Sydney Margetson/ Atlantic Records) - "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," the hugely anticipated new album from Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I., drops nationwide today, July 3rd. The follow-up to 2006's RIAA double-platinum, Billboard 200-topping smash, "KING," the new album features the current smash single, "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)."
The release of "T.I. vs T.I.P." follows his triumphant win as Best Hip-Hop Artist at last week's BET Awards 2007, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. "Big Things Poppin'" premiered on BET's "Access Granted" and is currently No 1 on the "106 & Park Countdown." T.I. appeared on BET's "Rap City," and is slated for an appearance on "106 & Park" tomorrow. "T.I. vs T.I.P." is also part of the exclusive "BET Official" Wal-Mart CD/DVD two-pack program
Described by its Grammy Award-winning creator as "a conceptual LP," "T.I. vs. T.I.P." is an eclectic portrayal of the hip-hop superstar's complex dual life, with tracks performed by both the more laidback and contemplative "T.I." as well as by the self-proclaimed "loose cannon" known as "T.I.P." In addition to the King of the South's twin personas, the album features a star-studded line-up of guests, including Jay-Z, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, Wyclef Jean, and Alfa Mega. The production roster is equally impressive, with contributions from such studio luminaries as Mannie Fresh, Wyclef Jean, Danjahandz, Lil C, Khao, Just Blaze, Tony Galvin, and the Runners.
"T.I. vs. T.I.P." arrives accompanied by an immense multi-media promotional schedule. T.I. will personally herald the album's release by headlining the upcoming "Screamfest '07," slated to kick off in August (tour itinerary attached). The coast-to-coast tour - which will also feature Ciara, T-Pain, Yung Joc, and others - is scheduled to hit 24 US cities through the summer, with stops including Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Detroit, Baltimore, and Washington, DC.
At MTV, both T.I. and T.I.P. kicked off the pre-release of the new album in May by making a rare in-studio appearance together as part of the Spankin' New Music Week programming, and he will make a special appearance on "TRL" tomorrow. June saw T.I. named MTV's VoD Artist of the Month, with the "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" clip scoring "Big 10" rotation at MTV and "Elite 8" play on MTV2. For the past week, "T.I. vs T.I.P" has been heard on MTV's "The Leak" album listening event. In addition, the brand-new "You Know What It Is" video debuted across a wide range of MTV Networks, including MTV, MTV2, MTVU, MTV Hits, and MTV Jamz. "T.I. vs. T.I.P" interstitials are airing across all MTV platforms, and T.I. is headlining a special installment of "MTV Hard Rock Live" airing this fall.
T.I. is equally present on the mobile/wireless front with the ringtone for "Big Things Poppin'" currently ranking at No 8 on the Ringscan Top 200 Mastertone chart. As a special treat to the fans, all "T.I. vs T.I.P." ringtones hit trapmuzik.com on Wednesday, June 20th - a full week in advance of any other service. T.I. is also launching the first ever MMS collect-to-win mobile social community with T.I. Mobile Trading Cards. This mobile offering will allow consumers to purchase, collect, trade and redeem unique mobile images for cash and prizes. Finally, tomorrow will see the long-awaited re-launch of the high-octane mobile game, "T.I. Street Racing," available via AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile.
July sees the "T.I. Take Over" on Music Choice, with the superstar positioned as "VoD Artist of the Month" and coverage across all Music Choice platforms. Highlights will feature exclusive content - including music blocks, on-screen news, viewer polls, customized web page, special hosted programs, and more - available on Music Choice On Demand, Online, and the Music Channel.
Online, the "T.I. vs. T.I.P" YouTube page - which can be accessed at www.youtube.com/TIvsTIP - was June's Most Subscribed (Musician) page, and the No 2 Most Subscribed page overall. The site features an assortment of excusive video footage, including sneak peeks at upcoming album track and a 10-part series of never-before-seen "interviews" between T.I. and his irrepressible alter-ego. The webisodes can also be viewed at T.I.'s official site, www.trapmuzik.com.
T.I. is also the current king of MySpace, with "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" having already logged over 3 million streams at the superstar's official page, www.myspace.com/trapmuzik. On Wednesday, June 20th, T.I. starred in the most successful live broadcast in MySpace history. The exclusive concert event - presented in association with Mobile Sidekick ID and MySpace Live - was streamed more than 450,000 times in two hours. The event was transmitted from Chicago's Riviera Theatre, where a sold-out crowd of 1,800 joined T.I. and his special onstage guests, Twista, Lupe Fiasco, B.G., Young Dro, Big Kuntry, and DJ Drama, plus hosts Nick Cannon and Aubrey from Danity Kane.
Other upcoming online events include a series of "T.I. vs. T.I.P." listening parties, set for the week beginning July 2nd, at a variety of sites including BET.com, AOL Music, and Clearchannelmusic.com.
T.I. will also be a prevailing force at a variety of national publications, with a total of eight cover features due to run through October. Among the magazines will be XXL (with T.I. becoming the first-ever artist to receive a double cover), Vibe, The Source, Scratch, DUB, RIME, Rap-Up, and Hip Hop Weekly. Among T.I.'s high-profile TV appearances was a performance last Friday on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live." On July 14th, T.I. will be among the presenters at ESPN's annual ESPY Awards extravaganza.
Finally, a pair of major radio contests is planned for July. A Clear Channel national sweepstakes will see grand prize winners being flown to Miami for an exclusive "T.I. vs. T.I.P." release party, while Radio One's national contest will offer listeners a chance to win a trip-for-two to LA for a private BBQ with T.I., as well as the keys to a brand-new Chevy Impala.
As if all that weren't enough, T.I. will follow last year's big-screen acting debut in "ATL" by co-starring in what is undoubtedly among 2007's most anticipated new films, "American Gangster." Due November 2nd, the Ridley Scott-directed crime drama will see T.I. sharing the screen with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. A slate of further projects - via T.I.'s own Grand Hustle Films - will be announced in the coming weeks.
Since exploding onto the scene with 2001's "I'M SERIOUS," T.I. has made an indelible mark on modern hip-hop. One of the most visible and influential artists in contemporary music, the ATL-based superstar has tallied a non-stop line-up of hits, from his own blockbuster Grand Hustle/Atlantic fourth album "KING" to guest appearances on such smash singles as Justin Timberlake's "My Love" and Grand Hustle labelmate Young Dro's "Shoulder Lean."
2007 is already shaping up as T.I.'s biggest year yet. The rapper was the undisputed king of February's 49th Annual Grammy Awards, scoring the "Best Rap Solo Performance" award for his smash single, "What You Know." T.I. also received an additional prize for "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration," marking his alliance with Justin Timberlake on the No 1 hit, "My Love." The twin Grammys capped off an incredible 2006-7 awards season for T.I., following his triumphs at last year's BET Awards, BET Hip-Hop Awards, and Billboard Music Awards.
Earlier this year saw T.I. and General Motors Corp. uniting for a major promotional blitz celebrating the new Chevrolet Impala SS. A trio of commercials debuted in early 2007, the first created using footage from the video for T.I.'s top 10 rap smash, "Top Back (Remix)." A second commercial, titled "Infield," effectively merged two of America's biggest cultural phenomena - hip-hop and motorsports - by bringing together T.I. and NASCAR legends Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart. The campaign's third installment, dubbed "Ain't We Got Love," made its debut during the 2007 Super Bowl festivities and featured an all-star cast including T.I., Earnhardt Jr., Mary J. Blige, and Big N' Rich.
(TRACK LISTING BELOW)
"T.I. vs. T.I.P." (Grand Hustle/Atlantic) In Stores July 3rd
1. Act I: T.I.P.
2. Big S*** Poppin' (Do It)
3. Raw
4. You Know What It Is
5. Da Dopeman
6. Watch What You Say To Me (Feat. Jay-Z)
7. Hurt (Feat. Alfa Mega & Busta Rhymes)
8. Act II: T.I.
9. Help Is Coming
10. My Swag (Feat. Wyclef Jean)
11. We Do This
12. Show It To Me (Feat. Nelly)
13. Don't You Wanna Be High
14. Touchdown (Feat. Eminem)
15. Act III: T.I. vs. T.I.P. The Confrontation
16. Tell 'Em I Said That
17. Respect This Hustle
18. My Type
(TOUR ITINERARY BELOW)
T.I. "SCREAMFEST '07"
AUGUST
3 New Orleans, LA Arena
4 Houston, TX Toyota Center
6 Dallas, TX Nokia
9 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center
10 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
11 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
12 Kansas City, MO Kemper Arena
16 Detroit, MI JLA
17 Indianapolis, IN Fairgrounds
18 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center
19 Hampton, VA Coliseum
21 Mansfield, MA Tweeter Center
22 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
23 Philadelphia, PA Spectrum
24 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
25 Greensboro, NC Coliseum
26 Atlanta, GA Phillips Arena
29 Denver, CO Coors Amphitheatre
31 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
SEPTEMBER
1 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
2 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
