T.I. Says Leaving Atlantic Records Came With Some Regret
Curiosity can push people to try bold things. For T.I., it also pushed him to make one of the most important decisions of his career. Years later, he admits that…
Curiosity can push people to try bold things. For T.I., it also pushed him to make one of the most important decisions of his career. Years later, he admits that the choice came with a little regret.
During a recent appearance on In Conversation with Billboard, the rapper looked back at the moment he decided to leave Atlantic Records after a decade of success.
Curiosity Led to a Risk
Tip said the move came from a simple question he could not shake.
"One of the reasons why I made one of the toughest decisions, arguably one of the worst decisions, in my career — I made the decision to leave Atlantic, quite honestly, because I just got tired of wondering, 'Was my success predicted on me or them?'" he explained. "I had to know."
In 2013, after releasing his eighth studio album Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head, T.I. ended his ten-year run with Atlantic. Soon after, he signed with Columbia Records before eventually going independent in 2015.
Realizing What the Label Did
Once he stepped away, the Atlanta star quickly noticed that a lot was happening behind the scenes that he had not fully understood before.
"I stepped away, and I almost immediately could see and tell there were a lot of things being done, you know, on my behalf, for my benefit, that I was probably oblivious to," he said. "At that moment, once I found that out, I was eager to learn what those things were and how to identify and execute those things on my own behalf."
While Tip did not give exact details, he described the label’s support as something close to a secret formula for turning songs into big hits.
"I recorded the music," he said, "but when I handed it off to them… [they] turned into the success that we all knew. I enjoyed the success and appreciated it… I just wanted to see what it took for me to do it myself."
Building His Own Machine
These days, T.I. runs his music through Grand Hustle Records. The operation is smaller than a major label, but it gives him more control.
"I mean, you know, it’s still a machine, but the machine is boutique," he said of his music imprint, Grand Hustle Records. "It’s very insulated and it’s more focused. It isn’t as broad… It’s taken a minute. I think we’ve identified it, and now we’re working on the execution."
Even with the challenges, Tip says the independence feels rewarding. The journey has simply come with a few lessons along the way.
