The early to mid-2000s was a glorious time to be a fan of Southern rap music. Pioneer groups OutKast and Goodie Mob set the stage for the explosion of Atlanta based rap that dominated the charts, clubs and airwaves. When Andre 3000 famously declared that “The South got something to say” at the 1995 Source Magaine Awards, many ATL artists and dopeboys took that to heart.

One of the rappers to emerge as a leader in the Trap Rap era was Clifford “T.I.” Harris, Jr. With a straightforward and sincere delivery, articulated vocabulary and a business minded attitude, T.I. told the story of the streets and released anthems that portrayed he reality of living, working and hustling in The South.

I still remember the day I heard “24’s” blasting from my Sony Xplod sound system in my 1998 Chevy Cavalier. The opening strings of the track mesmerize the listener before a deep bass line pounds the beat into your chest. And then T.I. jumps on rapping about driving drop top big box Chevys and “trapping” around his city.

Saturday night, T.I. packed the house at 713 Music Hall for a stop on “The King Succession Tour.” I can admit that I haven’t listened to his music in several years, but when the opening tracks “What You Know?” and “Rubber Band Man” rang out, myself and the audience rapped along word for word at the top of our lungs.

With a litany of hits and immense swagger, T.I. provided a soundtrack of trap music and pop hits at 713 Music Hall. Credit: Cody Barclay

“Houston has always felt like home” T.I. declared after the opening round of hits. “We definitely gon’ get down tonight!” He followed with two of my favorite tracks, “Motivation” and “ASAP”. Both of these tracks, along with many of T.I. greatest hits were produced by long-time collaborator DJ Toomp. His signature style reflects the high energy and aggressive mood that creates triumphant sounds with an array of horns, strings and drums, a perfect baseline for T.I.’s lyrics.

T.I.’s son Domani was a featured supporting artist for this tour, and he delivered a handful of tracks in the middle of the main setlist. Afterwards, T.I. came back with some of his more pop friendly hits such as “Blurred Lines” with Robin Thicke and “My Love” with Justin Timberlake. The rapper certainly shows his evolution from trap rapper to actor to mainstream music artist, although he never loses his confident Atlanta persona. Other pop friendly hits include “Live Your Life,” “Whatever You Like” and “Why You Wanna.”

Near the end of the show, U.S. representative Christian Menefee of the 18th Congressional District presented T.I. with a proclamation declaring July 11, 2026 as Clifford “T.I.” Harris Jr. Day in the City of Houston. And then Bun B performed “International Player’s Anthem,” Get Throwed” and “Murder,” which T.I. has long regarded as one of his favorite tracks of all time.

“Should I keep going, cuz we can do this all night?!” asked T.I. to the crowd. But by this time it was almost 11 p.m. and way past my bedtime, so me and my knee pain made our way to the back of the room and reminisced about the good old days 20 something years ago when gas prices were low and AI didn’t rule the world.

Really solid show from T.I., and the litany of hits solidify him as one of the Kings of The South, forever.

T.I. will forever be considered as one of the kings of Southern Rap. Credit: Cody Barclay

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