In the past month, T.I. turned heads when he was seen hanging out with recent XXL Freshman and Brooklyn native Troy Ave on Instagram and the Summer Jam mainstage. Especially after popping up on a remix of Troy's "Your Style" yesterday, T.I. seems to be tight with the young MC, but a recent interview with MTV News reveals that their relationship may soon be a business one.
When asked if he would sign Troy Ave to his Hustle Gang Records imprint, Tip said "I can say that it is a possibility. In the near future there could be some announcements made."
With that in mind, T.I. was asked to elaborate about potentially collaborating with Troy, to which he responded: "I'm sure the music would be phenomenal, but I think above all I want to work with people that the industry would otherwise have a hard time working with. I want to work with the people that the industry may not know how to communicate with or might not know how to perceive.”
Perhaps speaking to Troy Ave's history of drug dealing and gang affiliations (and maybe even his own), T.I. was insistent about his point of wanting to work with artists who he thinks instill some fear in people: “I want to be able to translate for them to the industry and vice versa, because if you are afraid of somebody that limits your ability to communicate, which limits your ability to monetize their possible opportunities. From the artist perspective, if people are afraid of you that limits the opportunities that you have, from people presenting things to you that can benefit your progression. So there must be a gap bridged, I see myself as the bridge… I ain’t have a bridge, I needed a bridge.”
Though rumors of Troy Ave signing to Hustle Gang are currently murky at best, this news does come MTV's Rob Markman, who according to Noisey, has the same manager as Troy Ave. So if anyone knows what's in store for Ave's future, it's him.
Regardless of whether this deal falls through or not, Troy's future is looking bright, to the point where he may have to consider changing the name of his upcoming debut, the working title of which is currently Major Without A Deal.
Watch the full interview with T.I. below.
Get More: T.I., Music News
[Update: T.I. Says Deal Is Being Finalized]
According to Tip, Troy Ave is soon to be the newest member of Hustle Gang.
In a new interview with Angela Yee over the weekend at the BET Awards, T.I. told the radio host that their deal with Troy Ave is in the works, and a verbal agreement has been made from both parties. It's now up to the lawyers to do the paperwork.
"Yeah, it's in the works. We have verbals, the lawyers just got to do their thang, but its definitely something that we looking forward to." - Tip
Listen to the quick 1-minute update below. Is this a good fit for Troy Ave?
