T.I. has been toying with the option of retiring completely from the rap game and going full on Hollywood, and it seems like Tip is closer than ever to that decision. In a recent interview with Radio One Miami, T.I. took a moment to give props to new artists Big Sean and Kendrick Lamar, but spent a good portion of the interview saying that he can’t relate to popular Hip-Hop music today. Check out what he said below:
“No disrespect to any of the new talent that’s coming out, ‘c## there are a lot of guys that I tip my hat to and I salute their success like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Big Sean. There are a lot of cats out there that are grinding and doing it the right way, but there are a lot of things going on out there that quite honestly are a contradiction to what I’ve always stood for and represent. I just feel like in some ways the game is going in a direction that I can’t follow, and I always told myself when that day comes I won’t become the old man talking about ‘Hip-Hop in the old days’, I’ll just find me something else to do.
“The authenticity has diminished in the game, now it’s about what sounds good. And nobody is doing any fact checks, you know? And nobody is getting called on their bullsh*t either. I feel like the level of integrity that I have been able to maintain throughout my career, 11-12 years, I’m going to continue to maintain that same level of respect, that same level of integrity and I’m not going to compromise that for anybody. And if the day comes where the things that I represent ain’t really marketable, ain’t really fashionable to the consumer of the day, then I’m going to break.”
Do you agree with Tip?