Photo of T.I.
Photo: Concerttour · CC BY-SA 3.0

Solo Artist · King of the South

T.I.

Active1999-present
OriginAtlanta, Georgia, USA
Albums11
Tracks185

Most frequent collaborator: Aldrin Davis  ·  24 tracks

Hip-HopRapSouthern Hip-HopTrapGangsta Rap
98%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 181 of 185 tracks

Did T.I. write his own songs?

Yes. T.I. co-writes every rap he records, credited under his legal name Clifford Harris Jr. across all eleven of his studio albums, including 'What You Know,' 'Whatever You Like,' and 'Dead and Gone.' Like most rappers he writes the lyrics rather than the music, so the beats are built by outside producers such as DJ Toomp and Just Blaze while the words are his own.

By the Numbers

11
Studio Albums
185
Tracks Credited
98%
Self-Written
over 40 million records (roughly 14 million albums and 30 million singles)
Records Sold
27
Years Active
504
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 181 / 185 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 185 tracks: how many T.I. wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

T.I. has a writing credit98%
1%
97%
2%
Sole author2tracks1%
Co-written179tracks97%
Outside writers4tracks2%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
T.I.'s roles across the catalogue

Share of all 185 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)98%
Composer (music)1%
Producer2%
Performer98%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

T.I.'s writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 98%
100%
100%
100%
94%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
85%
2001I'm Serious
2003Trap Muzik
2004Urban Legend
2006King
2007T.I. vs. T.I.P.
2008Paper Trail
2010No Mercy
2012Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head
2014Paperwork
2018Dime Trap
2020The L.I.B.R.A.
Early · 99% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 94% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

99%
2000s
I'm Serious, Trap Muzik +4 more
100%
2010s
No Mercy, Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head +2 more
85%
2020s
The L.I.B.R.A.

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where T.I. sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

T.I.
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Metro Boomin0%
EXO8%
Britney Spears32%
Jennifer Lopez46%
TLC59%
Destiny's Child69%
Snoop Dogg88%
98%T.I.
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Rubber Band Man
Trap Muzik
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Lavell Crump
Co-wrote
Let's Get Away
Trap Muzik
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Phalon Alexander, Aretha Franklin
Co-wrote
24's
Trap Muzik
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Aldrin Davis
Co-wrote
Bring Em Out
Urban Legend
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Kasseem Dean, Kenneth Gamble, Roland Chambers, Thom Bell, Sean Carter
Co-wrote
U Don't Know Me
Urban Legend
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Aldrin Davis
Co-wrote
ASAP
Urban Legend
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Marquinarius Holmes
Co-wrote
What You Know
King
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Aldrin Davis, Donny Hathaway, Curtis Mayfield, Leroy Hutson
Co-wrote
Why You Wanna
King
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Kevin Cates, Neal Conway, Crystal Waters, Kamaal Fareed, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Malik Taylor, James Yancey, Bebel Gilberto, Towa Tei
Co-wrote
You Know What It Is
T.I. vs. T.I.P.
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis, Sedeck Jean, Keith Duplessis
Co-wrote
Whatever You Like
Paper Trail
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., James Scheffer, David Siegel
Co-wrote
Live Your Life
Paper Trail
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Justin Smith, Makeba Riddick, Dan Balan
Co-wrote
Dead and Gone
Paper Trail
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Justin Timberlake, Robin Tadross
Co-wrote
Swagga Like Us
Paper Trail
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, M.I.A., Shawn Carter, Dwayne Carter Jr., Maya Arulpragasam, Nicolas Headon, Michael Jones, John Mellor, Wesley Pentz, Paul Simonon
Co-wrote
Got Your Back
No Mercy
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Keri Hilson, Aldrin Davis
Co-wrote
I'm Back
No Mercy
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Dexter Randall, Demetri Duncan, Charles Bobino III, Otha Davis III
Co-wrote
Get Back Up
No Mercy
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Chris Brown, Pharrell Williams, Christopher Brown
Co-wrote
Ball
Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Lil Wayne, Dwayne Carter Jr., Richard Butler Jr., Earl Hood, Eric Goudy II, Orville Hall, Phillip Price
Co-wrote
Go Get It
Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Tyler Williams, Nikhil Seetharam
Co-wrote
No Mediocre
Paperwork
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Iggy Azalea, Amethyst Kelly, Dijon McFarlane, Mikely Adam
Co-wrote
About the Money
Paperwork
Written by Clifford Harris Jr., Young Thug, Jeffrey Williams, London Holmes
Co-wrote

Discography 11 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

T.I.185 tracks
AD24 DT24 PW11 JB8 LE8 SH7

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. AD Aldrin Davis · DT DJ Toomp · PW Pharrell Williams · JB Just Blaze · LE Lamar Edwards · SH Sanchez Holmes

The Writers & Producers Behind T.I. 6 key collaborators

AD
Aldrin Davis
Songwriter
I'm Serious / Trap Muzik / Urban Legend / King24 tracks
DT
DJ Toomp
Producer
I'm Serious / Trap Muzik / Urban Legend / King24 tracks
PW
Pharrell Williams
Songwriter
I'm Serious / Urban Legend / King / No Mercy11 tracks
JB
Just Blaze
Producer
King / T.I. vs. T.I.P. / Paper Trail / Dime Trap8 tracks
LE
Lamar Edwards
Songwriter
No Mercy / Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head / Paperwork / Dime Trap8 tracks
SH
Sanchez Holmes
Producer
Trap Muzik / Urban Legend / Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head7 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

T.I. co-writes every lyric across his eleven studio albums. His legal name Clifford Harris Jr. (credited as 'Clifford Harris' on his first five albums) appears in the songwriter credits on all substantive tracks. His authorship pattern is the hip-hop standard: 100% lyricist, 0% composer, with all production handled by outside collaborators. His longest production partnerships are with DJ Toomp (I'm Serious through No Mercy), Kevin 'Khao' Cates (Urban Legend through T.I. vs. T.I.P.), Just Blaze (King and T.I. vs. T.I.P.), Mannie Fresh (King and T.I. vs. T.I.P.), Danja (T.I. vs. T.I.P. and Paper Trail), and Drumma Boy (Paper Trail). Later albums worked primarily with Lil' C, MyGuyMars, and Hitmaka.

Quick Facts

  • Real nameClifford Joseph Harris Jr.
  • GrammysThree wins from 19 nominations
  • No. 1 hitsFour Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers, including 'Whatever You Like' and 'Live Your Life'
  • Genre pioneerWidely credited, with Jeezy and Gucci Mane, as a founder of trap music
  • LabelFounded Grand Hustle Records in 2001
  • Studio albumsEleven, from I'm Serious (2001) to The L.I.B.R.A. (2020)

Creative Fingerprint

A pure lyricist: T.I. co-writes every rap on all eleven albums under his legal name Clifford Harris Jr., while the beats come from outside producers like DJ Toomp, Just Blaze, and Danja.

The Story

Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I., is a rapper and entrepreneur from Atlanta, Georgia who helped define Southern hip-hop and is widely credited as a pioneer of the trap music subgenre. His 2006 album King is regarded as one of the greatest rap albums ever made, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and producing "What You Know," "Why You Wanna," and "Live in the Sky." Paper Trail (2008) also debuted at number one and yielded two simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "Whatever You Like" and "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna. "Dead and Gone" featuring Justin Timberlake and "Swagga Like Us" featuring Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne gave Paper Trail one of the strongest single campaigns of the decade. T.I. founded Grand Hustle Records in 2001 and has co-written every lyric across all eleven of his studio albums, with his legal name Clifford Harris Jr. appearing in the songwriter credits on all primary tracks. His alter ego T.I.P. has appeared both as a credited producer and as a conceptual character on several albums, most prominently T.I. vs. T.I.P. (2007).

Awards & Recognition

Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, 'What You Know' (2007)
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, 'My Love' with Justin Timberlake (2007)
Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, 'Swagga Like Us' with Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne (2009)
BET Hip Hop Award for Lyricist of the Year (2008)

Frequently Asked Questions T.I.

Did T.I. write his own songs?
Yes. T.I. co-writes every rap he records, credited under his legal name Clifford Harris Jr. across all eleven of his studio albums, including 'What You Know,' 'Whatever You Like,' and 'Dead and Gone.' Like most rappers he writes the lyrics rather than the music, so the beats are built by outside producers such as DJ Toomp and Just Blaze while the words are his own.
Why is T.I. called the King of the South?
T.I. earned the nickname 'King of the South' as one of the artists who defined Southern hip-hop in the 2000s, a claim he pressed on records like 'Kingofdasouth' and the album King. He is also credited, alongside Jeezy and Gucci Mane, as a pioneer of the trap music subgenre that came out of Atlanta.
How many Grammys has T.I. won?
T.I. has won three Grammy Awards from 19 nominations. His wins are Best Rap Solo Performance for 'What You Know,' Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for 'My Love' with Justin Timberlake, and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for 'Swagga Like Us.'
Who wrote 'Whatever You Like'?
'Whatever You Like' was co-written by T.I. and released on his 2008 album Paper Trail. It became his first solo number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and one of two chart-topping singles from that album.
What are T.I.'s number-one singles?
T.I. has four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: 'My Love' with Justin Timberlake, 'Whatever You Like,' 'Live Your Life' featuring Rihanna, and 'Blurred Lines' with Robin Thicke and Pharrell. 'Whatever You Like' and 'Live Your Life' both came from Paper Trail in 2008.
How many studio albums has T.I. released?
T.I. has released eleven studio albums, from his 2001 debut I'm Serious through The L.I.B.R.A. in 2020. His commercial and critical peak came with King (2006) and Paper Trail (2008), both of which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
Who wrote 'Live Your Life'?
'Live Your Life' was co-written by T.I. and features Rihanna on the hook, built around a sample of the viral 'Numa Numa' song 'Dragostea Din Tei.' It appears on Paper Trail and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008.
What is trap music and how is T.I. connected to it?
Trap music is a hip-hop subgenre built on booming 808 drums and lyrics about life in the drug trade, named after the 'trap' houses where dealing happens. T.I.'s 2003 album Trap Muzik helped name and popularize the style, and he is regularly cited as one of its founders alongside Jeezy and Gucci Mane.

Sources

T.I. - Wikipedia Paper Trail - Wikipedia King (T.I. album) - Wikipedia T.I. album sales - BestSellingAlbums.org