T.I's position in the public eye has reached new heights, fueled by his role on Netflix's wildly popular Rhythm & Flow. Not to mention ExpediTItiously, which finds the Troubleman holding it down with a weekly hip-hop centric podcast. Now, the Atlanta legend has taken a swing by The Breakfast Club to reflect on some of his recent endeavors. First off, he reflects on his viral "Top 50 Rappers" list, which led to a phone call from both Killer Mike and Jay-Z.
Though Mike seemed happy to be "in last place on first-class," Hov seemed interested in his placement at number two behind Pac. "We were talking about something completely unrelated, and he said "oh, by the way," laughs T.I. "You really believe that?" Tip stood by his decision, maintaining Hov as "the greatest rapper alive. Over time, he's eventually going to assume that position." He compares Pac to the "hip-hop Michael Jackson," stressing that Pac's name will ring bells on a global scale while Jay hasn't quite accomplished that level of recognizability.
Iggy Azalea Comments">Brad Barket/Getty Images
In a fun moment, Tip offers his "top 5 lyricists," naming Hov, Eminem, Wayne, Nas, Andre, Scarface, Black Thought, and Rakim. Charlamagne questions Wayne's placement, though Tip shuts it down immediately. "You can't not put Wayne on that list man." Citing Weezy's "late text" triple entendre, Tip marvels at the skill behind its creation -- "especially as inebriated as we know Wayne was at the time he did it!"
Moving forward, he also reflects on his recent comments decrying Iggy Azalea, clarifying that he wasn't writing the Australian rapper off as a "mistake" per se. More a "blunder." "I really feel like she was meant to be great," explains Tip. "What happened was, and this is just my opinion -- keep in mind I didn't say it to speak down on shawty. This is my truth. I'm sharing it. I don't wish no ill will on her. She happens to be the biggest thing tomorrow, great. But as far as I'm concerned, when she found out white people liked her and she didn't really need black people to like her, she switched up. Started acting different. Made moves I wasn't proud of. It placed my reputation in the line of fire. She was very arrogant about it."
Check the entire interview below, and be sure to read our DIGITAL COVER with the man himself right here.