T.I. GOES TO THE TOP WITH “LIVE YOUR LIFE”; BLOCKBUSTER SINGLE RISES TO #1 AT CHR/TOP 40 RADIO; EXPLOSIVE POP SUCCESS CAPS EXTRAORDINARY YEAR FOR GRAMMY-WINNING HIP-HOP SUPERSTAR; ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE FURTHER GRAMMY NODS, CAREER-BEST #1 DEBUT WITH THE PLATINUM-PLUS “PAPER TRAIL,” T.I.’S THIRD CONSECUTIVE CHART-TOPPING ENTRY IN THREE YEARS; “WHATEVER YOU LIKE” AND “LIVE YOUR LIVE” DOMINATE RHYTHMIC RADIO FOR 13 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS AND COUNTING
Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I. has put the finishing touch on his incredible 2008 by hitting #1 on the CHR/Top 40 with the blockbuster single, “Live Your Life (Feat. Rihanna).” The track continues the ATL-based superstar’s seemingly endless streak of chart-toppers, highlighted by the RIAA platinum certified #1 album, “PAPER TRAIL.”
In addition to its success at CHR/Top 40, “Live Your Life” is also currently sitting pretty atop the Rhythmic airplay chart for the fourth consecutive week, followed at #2 by T.I.’s own “Whatever You Like,” the RIAA 2x platinum certified first single from “PAPER TRAIL.” The latter held the #1 position for nine straight weeks before ceding the top spot to “Live Your Live,” giving T.I. sole possession of #1 for 13 consecutive weeks.
Furthermore, a new single, “Dead and Gone (Feat. Justin Timberlake),” has just begun its ascent up the Rhythmic chart, debuting this week at #35 with-a-bullet. A companion video clip is currently in production, with a premiere date to be announced shortly.
“Live Your Life” made history last October, climbing to #1 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” from the previous week’s ranking at #80 – the biggest-ever one-week leap to the top. The success of “Live Your Life” shattered the previous record for largest ascent to #1 – a feat set just six weeks prior by T.I.’s own “Whatever You Like.” That track rocketed to #1 from #71 the week of September 6th and remained there until being replaced by “Live Your Life.” This remarkable achievement establishes T.I. as the first artist to replace himself at #1 since Usher in 2004.
The first solo chart-topper of T.I.’s remarkable career – and second overall following “My Love,” his Grammy-winning collaboration with Justin Timberlake – “Whatever You Like” remains T.I.’s biggest selling digital single to date, with over 2.3 million downloads and counting. The track is also the nation’s #1 ringtone for the 16th consecutive week.
Not to be outdone, “Live Your Life” – currently standing strong at #2 on the “Hot 100” – logged the biggest-ever first-week digital singles sales in history, with sales in excess of 335, 000. The platinum certified single’s total digital sales are now quickly approaching the 2 million mark.
T.I. – who was among last year’s big Grammy winners – recently received four Grammy Award nominations, including “Best Rap Album” (for “PAPER TRAIL”), “Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group” and “Best Rap Song” for “Swagga Like Us” by T.I. & Jay-Z (Feat. Kanye West and Lil Wayne),” and an additional “Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group” nomination for his featured role on Ludacris’ “Wish You Would.”
“PAPER TRAIL” made a phenomenal arrival atop the Billboard 200 upon its September release, marking T.I.’s third consecutive #1 chart entry (following 2006’s platinum-certified “KING” and 2007’s platinum-certified “T.I. VS. T.I.P.”). With total first-week sales in excess of 568,000, “PAPER TRAIL” also entered at #1 on a number of additional Billboard charts, including “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums,” “Top Rap Albums,” and “Top Digital Albums.” The album’s unparalleled first-week sales success represents a personal best for T.I., as well as Atlantic Records’ biggest-ever one-week scan since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991.
T.I. also made history with his MySpace page by passing the 2 million friend mark, a new record by a hip-hop artist. The page – www.myspace.com/trapmuzik – has seen record-breaking traffic in recent months, with a stunning 92.5 million page views.
T.I. has been profiled in a stunning array of recent national publications, spanning Giant (where he was featured on the cover), XXL, Vibe, Blender, Rolling Stone, People, and King (where he will serve as “Guest Editor” on the upcoming November issue). In addition, “PAPER TRAIL” has drawn some of the most rapturous praise of T.I.’s already acclaimed career. “His best album since 2003’s ‘TRAP MUZIK,” declared the New York Times’ Jon Caramanica, “largely because it’s so serious.” “T.I. has managed to craft an album that gives listeners the standout moments they expect,” wrote Allhiphop.com. “(The album’s) achievements are enough to remind fans why they fell in love with T.I. back in 2003, and keep his tenuous title as ‘King of the South’ in place for the immediate future.” “(‘PAPER TRAIL’) shows a willingness to do something other than coast from hook to hook,” noted Pitchfork.com. “The album manages to be a more detailed manuscript of Tip’s complexity: An impending incarceration has lit a fire under him, triggering an impulse to challenge himself.” “’PAPER TRAIL’ starts and finishes strong,” hailed USA Today’s Steve Jones. “T.I. may be going away for a while, but his music won’t.”
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“PAPER TRAIL” is T.I. at his best – melding emotive moments like the harrowing “My Life, Your Entertainment (Feat. Usher)” with celebratory anthems such as the cocky ”On Top Of The World (Feat. Ludacris and B.o.B.).” In addition to the aforementioned Swizz Beatz, the production roster includes such studio stars as Danja (Timbaland, Madonna, Usher), DJ Toomp (Kanye West, Missy Elliot, Young Jeezy) and Drumma Boy (Paul Wall, Rick Ross, Yung Joc). The result is T.I.’s most potent and important LP to date.
“No Matter What,” the first street track and video from “PAPER TRAIL,” proved an online blockbuster upon its release earlier this year, earning over one million views at T.I.’s official YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/TIvsTIP. In addition, the clip – directed by Self and James Lopez – received a nod for “Best Male Video” at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.
“PAPER TRAIL” follows T.I.’s two previous #1 RIAA platinum-certified blockbusters, 2007’s “T.I. VS. T.I.P.” and 2006’s “KING.” With an unparalleled track record of hit singles – including “Top Back,” “Big Things Poppin’ (Do It),” “Why You Wanna,” and the Grammy Award-winning “What You Know” – T.I. is without question one of hip-hop’s greatest stars. In addition to his multiple Grammy Awards, T.I. has been the recipient of a wide variety of honors, including BET Awards, BET Hip-Hop Awards, and Billboard Music Awards.
An accomplished actor as well as a gifted rapper and live performer, T.I. has played acclaimed roles in the major motion pictures ATL and American Gangster. He recently made a cameo appearance on HBO’s Entourage and will also be starring in the upcoming Screen Gems film, Bone Deep.
In 2009, T.I. will be tackling television with an inspirational documentary series for MTV. The yet-to-be-titled series will center on the rapper’s life on probation in the year leading up to his impending year-long jail sentence. Added to these endeavors is his much-anticipated clothing line Akoo, which arrived in stores this fall.
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