T.I. Names His Mt. Rushmore Of Atlanta Rappers: "I'm Up There!"

BY Erika Marie 6.1K Views
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T.I.
He named enough artists for nearly three Mt. Rushmores.

This has been a busy week in the media for T.I. He came under scrutiny from Nicki Minaj fans for his top 50 list of best rappers conversation on his podcast and faced criticism for his comments on how Iggy Azalea was the "tarnish of [his] legacy." In not-so-controversial news, the self-proclaimed King of the South dropped his surprise single "Sabotage," and his Netflix show Rhythm & Flow premiered on Wednesday. T.I. has been making the press rounds to help promote his new series, and recently he caught up with Radio One Digital in Atlanta.

While there, T.I. was asked to once again rate rappers by sharing who he would choose to be on his Mt. Rushmore of ATL artists. "That's difficult," he began. "First of all, in school, we covered this. I don't know how many of y'all were there that day, but we covered this. Like, fact and opinion. Fact is indisputable. Two plus two is four all day. Ain't no reason to argue about that. Whereas this is such a high level of opinion, like...I feel like my opinion is my opinion. It's unique within my thoughts, preferences, and my mindset. I feel like when you do lists and pick favorites, it just open the floor up for so much rhetoric. So much peanut gallery commentary. I don't really like to do it." Yet, he quickly followed that comment by saying, "But I'm up there!"

He continued, "I feel like it's me, Andre 3000, Big Boi... And what are we talking about? Are we talking about influence? Lyricism? Record sales? Longevity? Diversity? Impact?" After receiving an explanation, T.I. offered up a full answer. "All right. I say Big, Dre, me, Jeezy, Future, 2 Chainz, and Gucci [Mane]. And [Young] Thug. And the Migos." Do you agree?


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.