It has not even been six months since Clifford Harris, better known as the rapper T.I., has been released from prison, but he is not wasting any time. T.I.’s third movie, “Takers,” will be released later this month, quickly followed by the release of his seventh album, King Uncaged, in September.
But even with all the professional hype, T.I. is still having trouble silencing his very public personal life. T.I. was released from a halfway house in March, the end of a sentence served for illegally possessing firearms. In a conference call on Aug. 13, he talked about this conflict, as well as the messages his acting might send to viewers.
“I would like the separation to be made from art and life,” said T.I. “From fact and fiction, from reality and entertainment.”
Although he’s primarily known as a rapper, T.I. said he doesn’t see why he should be held any more accountable to his characters than any other serious actor. When asked if his role choices might reflect on him personally, T.I. said, “Nobody thinks of Al Pacino as a gangster because he did ‘Scarface.’”
But T.I. has big plans, including making the full switch from music to movies. “[The music industry] has been diluted and oversaturated,” he said.
Even though he confessed music as his first love, he said, “I would like to be only doing movies by [the time I am] 40.” Although he admits that he is still a film novice, T.I. doesn’t take acting lightly, and feels strongly about his abilities. “I’m just trying to get where they are,” he said, referring to well-established actors he’s worked with, including one of his idols, Denzel Washington.
Famous for his ambitious and charismatic personality, T.I. has come from a life of violence to become a cultural icon, boast multi-platinum rap albums, be a successful businessman and Hollywood actor. But unlike his new movie character in “Takers,” in which he plays Ghost, a smooth-talking criminal who gets out of prison to plan a robbery, the real life T.I. isn’t about to let himself be halted by stereotypes and pigeonholing. In a time when marketing and commercial branding have a tendency to take away from art itself, T.I. emanates the idea that the person and the product should speak for itself, completely separated from the source.
But how seriously does he take his new career interest?
“I’d like an Oscar by 35,” said T.I., quietly laughing to himself. Considering how far he’s come, who knows what will be possible for him.
Reach Dante at dante.graves@asu.edu
