I'm Serious
| I'm Serious | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by T.I. | ||||
| Released | October 9, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 1999–2001 | |||
| Genre | Southern hip hop, trap, gangsta rap | |||
| Length | 71:06 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer | Clifford "T.I." Harris (exec.), DJ Toomp, Craig Love, Maseo, Brian Kidd, The Neptunes, Jazze Pha, Yung D, Lil Jon | |||
| T.I. chronology | ||||
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| Singles from I'm Serious | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Down-South | |
| HipHopDX | |
| Rhapsody | (favorable) |
I'm Serious is the debut studio album by American rapper T.I., released on October 9, 2001 through Arista Records.
The album included guests appearances from Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes (who called T.I. "the Jay-Z of the South"),Jazze Pha, Too Short, Bone Crusher, Lil Jon, Mac Boney, Pastor Troy, P$C and Youngbloodz. The album featured production from DJ Toomp, Craig Love, Maseo, Brian Kidd, The Neptunes, Jazze Pha, Yung D, Lil Jon and T.I. himself.
Despite the album's guests appearances and production team, the album peaked at number 98 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and only sold 163,000 copies in the United States. Upon its release, critics pointed to the fact that many of the tracks sounded the same and that a few were blatant rip-offs. Other critics commented saying, "T.I. claims to be the king of the South, but fails to show and prove. He does, however, have potential. If his talent ever matches his confidence, he may just be headed for stardom."
Due to the poor commercial reception of the album, T.I. asked for a joint venture deal with Arista Records or be released from his contract; he was subsequently dropped from the label. It is his lowest-selling album to date with only 268,000 copies sold.
T.I. was born Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. on September 25, 1980, in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of the late Clifford "Buddy" Harris, Sr. and Violeta Morgan. He was raised by his grandparents in Bankhead, Atlanta, Georgia. His father lived in New York City and he would often go up there to visit him. His father suffered from Alzheimer's and later died from the disease. T.I. was interested in rap music at the young age of seven, and found that he could entertain his relatives and feel included. T.I. began rapping at age nine. He was making demos of his music by age ten or eleven. He attended Douglass High School, but later dropped out. As a teenager, he was a drug dealer. By age 14, he had been arrested several times. He was nicknamed "Tip" after his paternal great-grandfather. Upon signing with Arista Records a subsidiary of LaFace Records in 1999, he shortened his name to T.I. out of respect for label mate Q-Tip.
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Wikipedia