#TBT: Deep Cuts From T.I.

T.I. is a legend at this point. For nearly 20 years he has been blessing the mic with verses of the hustle, the struggle, roads to success and pimpin'. He's a rapper, actor, convicted felon and one of the south's most heralded artists.

His road to success started with I'm Serious, his 2001 Arista Records album that featured production from The Neptunes, Lil Jon, Jazze Pha and a slew of lesser known dirty south producers. Since then he's released a total of nine albums, unwilling to let tiny obstacles like prison time effect his output. He is the true definition of a hustler.

Having collaborated with the likes of UGK, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Pharrell, TIP has churned out quite the selection of hits over his career, but we're all suckers for the older ones, right? Today, we bump T.I.'s throw-back jams with a few deep cuts.

"Front Back" feat UGK

This track is a flip of the legendary UGK's "Front, Back, & Side to Side," a classic 1994 cut from the duo. T.I. not only gets the sample cleared, but has Bun B and Pimp C jump on some verses a dozen years after they originally released the track.

"Limelight" feat P$C & Big Kuntry

T.I. gets help from big names all the time, many of which you'll see on this list. Big Kuntry and P$C aren't amongst the biggest names that have assisted T.I. in constructing rap classics, but their southern flow fits in perfectly with this leaned-back, cruisin' track. 

"ASAP"

Years before ASAP Rocky blew up, T.I. was shoutin' "ASAP" on an '03 joint from his album Urban Legend. His southern flow is met with funky guitar upstrokes and more flawless production by Sanchez Holmes. 

First off, shout outs to Bloodstone for creating the original tune, later reinterpreted by none other than Kanye West in the form of the beat for "Doin' My Job." This is absolutely classic Kanye production with some of T.I.'s realest bars to bless it with. A truly incredible example of hip-hop music, and all the soul that it embodies.

Tip has a conversation with his other personality, T.I., on this cut off his second album Trap Muzik. It's an interesting concept, one we've seen done by DMX as well, and later T.I. used it as the theme of an entire album with 2007's T.I. Vs. Tip. T.I. goes back and forth with himself over womp-womp-womp production.

Just wanna throw a big, fat, caps-locked NSFW on this one. Don't even play it on soft volume if you're at the office or with the grandma. This is some rated X rap music, complete with a verse by Too $hort and all.

"Bezzle" feat 8ball, MJG & Bun B

If you're looking for a Houston-meets-Atlanta posse cut, look no further. A chopped & screwed chorus, pimp talk and a beat that takes you bouncin' around on hydraulics completes this southern classic.

While T.I.'s comeback album after a jail stint, No Mercy, was generally not his most well-received one, this remains a stand-out yet underrated collaboration from it. High-quality rhymes from both rappers over Dr. Dre production. What else do you want?

"What's Yo Name" feat. Pharrell

Another one from the overlooked and underrated I'm Serious album. The Neptunes/Pharrell influence on this is obvious, aside from Pharrell also being featured on the smooth Southern cut. The two collaborators are connecting once more on T.I.'s upcoming album Paperwork, but we'll have to see if they can ignite the same fire. You can be the judge on their recent drop and title track "Paperwork." Find out all about what Tip looks for in a women by clicking play below. 

Had to run back another T.I. / 'Ye beat combo. These earli 00's Kanye beats are everything I love about hip-hop, and this one has a funky 80's vibe with the auto-tune, before he tried it out on 808s. T.I. plays a good guy role on his verses, sounding like he caught feelings for a chick!