There is no shortage of star power on T.I.’s album Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head. In addition to André 3000, Pink, and Lil Wayne, the King holds court with Meek Mill and R. Kelly on his eighth LP, due December 18.
Tip and Meek go way back. Before Rick Ross signed him to Maybach Music and he cut off his dreads, T.I. took the Philly rapper under his wing and showed him the ropes. “He was around to observe a lot and he took it and he used it to his advantage, which is extremely commendable,” says Tip, who briefly signed Meek to Grand Hustle.
They ended up recording “G Season” for Trouble Man. “‘G Season’ is basically just two cats who are cut from a different cloth, separating themselves from the suckers,” T.I. tells Rap-Up TV.
On “Can You Learn,” Tip and R. Kelly kick game to the ladies from a different perspective. “This record sounds to me like what you would expect to hear if Tupac collaborated with Nate Dogg,” he says of the DJ Monte-produced track, which was inspired by his own leading lady.
“I really feel the connection between the music and the listener, especially if the listener is a lady or a gentleman who has had a lady who stuck by him through all of the ups and downs, the peaks and valleys that life has to offer. She’s proven herself to be a rider.”
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