TI’s Akoo Clothing Line

We got a sneak peek of TI’s new AKOO collection right from the stage of BET’s Rip The Runway, and we’re very excited to say that TI adds some vivid colors to the collection.  Here’s a clip of TI’s performance we found on YouTube.

Fresh!

Terrence Jennings also hosted the event and he’s wearing a new AKOO t-shirt.

The new tee is not out yet, but it’s similar to the AKOO Gliteratti Hoodie from the current collection:

AKOO Gliteratti Hoodie, $86

And we also found another video of TI’s performance with Young Dro and Yung LA, and we see LOADS of what we predict as the freshest AKOO swaggers.  Check ‘em here.

We’re excited about the AKOO scarf, the shorts, red shirt and the AKOO khakis!  The King himself has been seen sporting the khaki AKOO swaggers lately and as warmer days approaches, we think they’ll look extra hot.

Source 1, Source 2

It’s almost time for TI to go behind bars, and apart from doing his community service through his new reality show “Road to Redemption”, our fly rapper reached out to the younger generations in person.  TI spoke to high school students at the Georgia Supreme Court, last Friday.  Some of the students are facing juvenile sentences.

TI made it clear that mistakes can be made by just anybody.

“You can see from me that nobody is too rich, too famous, too cool… to make a mistake and pay a price for it.  More important… is what you are able to take away from that mistake.  How can you use that mistake to ensure you will never make a similar mistake again?”

Y’all think TI looks so fly in every getup because he prepares his swaggers on his own?  You’re dead wrong.

TI always look fabulous thanks to his stylist and wardrobe assistants who put his look together.  Check out the crazy hectic life behind the scenes of TI’s show: Road to Redemption.

We’re feelin’ the end result although quite surprised at Tip’s anti-diva behavior.  It’s admirable for somebody at his standing to have that much patience dealing with slow crews.  Guess this is nothing compared to the whole ordeal he’s been through.  Speaking of which, MTV has released the deleted scenes from TI’s “Road to Redemption” reality show and we have the video.

Catch Road of Redemption every Tuesday night, 9:30 pm.  May we remind you, it’s 29 days to TI’s incarceration.  We’ll keep a close eye on TI.  He’s indeed A King Of Oneself and we believe this tee says it all.

AKOO King Banner T-Shirt, $40

Celebrity designer and owner of AKOO Clothing Line, rapper TI, performed at BET’s “Rip The Runway” ‘09 at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday in New York City, lookin’ fly as usual and we couldn’t help but wonder:

Are those new AKOO swaggers he’s wearing?

This brings us back to the days where TI would tease his fans by wearing supercool, much-anticipated AKOO gears prior to the launch of the label.  Let’s break down what he wore above.  There’s the beanie (we hope it’s coming out soon), the vest, long-sleeved tee, short sleeved tee and the paint-spattered denim.  We think this is the t-shirt he’s wearing, on the right, below.

Another of TI’s most probable new AKOO, as he posed with Joy Bryant in cream short-sleeved shirt and chocolate long-sleeved tee.  So far AKOO clothing line is known for its majority of black and white swaggers.  Is TI hinting that there’s more colorful stuff coming in the next season of AKOO?

Here’s our featured AKOO clothing item of the day.

AKOO Mascot Sweater in White, $136

Are you as curious as we are about TI’s new AKOO line?  Don’t forget to catch the premiere of Rip the Runway on Monday, March 2nd, 2009 only on BET.

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After a successful pilot episode of Tip’s reality show “Road to Redemption” the rapper followed up with a new video for his latest single “Dead and Gone”.

T.I. dedicated this track to the  late Philant Johnson, his assistant and close friend,  who was killed in 2006 after an altercation at a Cincinnati nightclub which forced Tip to re-evaluate his life thus emerging as a well-reknowned artist. R ‘n’ B singer Justin Timberlake also shares his vocals over the video.

The video features T.I. driving while Justin Timberlake takes the piano at a lonely crossroads in the desert. A very insightful scene as our man T.I. also faces the crossroads of his life right now as he has been charged with federal gun law charges late last year and is sentenced to prison for one year and one day, to be served starting in March.

Throughout the video, T.I. illustrates how one’s life can change with a single mistake, and that we should appreciate the life given to us before it is too late as depicted in the last scene of the video: a shot of Johnson’s grave.

“Dead and Gone” is the followup to the previously shelved video “Swing Ya Rag” which had trademark issues with Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

Dead and Gone is directed by Chris Robinson and is taken from his sixth studio album “Paper Trail”  T.I. also has hit the top of the charts with hits like Whatever You Like and a collaboration with singer Rihanna for Live Your Life.

Rapper TI is  a strong supporter of President Barack Obama’s tax policy.  In his own words:

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We wish all celebrities would think like this fly guy.

When you’re a rapper like TI who’s sold about 8 million albums in the United States alone, has a major urban clothing line and you make a statement like that, it’s meaningful.  Younger generations in hip hop should look to our boy Tip when it comes to manning up and taking on responsibilities.  The rapper just made major social karma points by launching his reality show “TI’s Road To Redemption” on MTV, and now he’s doing his part to help out our economy.

You gotta love this brother.

T.I.’s Road to Redemption Premieres Tuesday February 10, 9pm Local on MTV

Publicity stunt or genuine concern?

Tonight on MTV is the premiere of T.I.’s new reality-documentary “Road to Redemption”. The show follows him in 2008 fulfilling his court-ordered community service in which he attempts to impact the lives of seven troubled youths. During this period, he is also anxiously awaiting sentencing for his conviction of illegal weapons possession.

The AKOO designer is given the opportunity to right his wrongs by actively participating in the kids lives, motivating them, getting involved and attempting to get back on track.

It is hard not to be skeptical of yet another reality show. The basic principle is inspiring but the need for televised, on camera recognition, is over-rated and overdone. Tonight we will see if this is a purposeful, meaningful glimpse into TI’s life and his need to make a difference or if it will be yet another scripted “reality” show of celeb self-promotion taking up empty television time.

ti, 2008

AKOO designer T.I.

Surprise, surprise!!! It’s been a year since Outkast’s Big Boi joined the ranks of TI’s Grand Hustle Management and he is already making his presence felt.

With the behind-the-lens talent of legendary photographer Zack Wolfe, who’s list of hip hop credits include Lil Wayne, Prose, TI and Gorilla Zoe, Big Boi is in good hands for the upcoming AKOO campaign. It which features Big Boi in classic black and white images, decked out in T.I.’s label which stands for “A King of Oneself”.

AKOO, which launched September 2008, is the creation of T.I. and Grand Hustle Entertainment. This ad campaign was shot in Big Boi’s hometown of Atlanta, GA with on-set cameos of TI alongside producers Jim Jonsin and Drumma Boi.

Look out for singer/ songwriters and fellow Grand Hustle label artists Sean Garrett and The Dream, who will also be seen in upcoming campaign ads. There are some big names attached to the launch of this line…hopefully all expectations will be met and who knows, maybe a womenswear will be in the works. You know Tip will not neglect the ladies for long!

Big Boi in AKOO, shot by legendary photographer Zack Wolfe

classic black and white photo of big boi for AKOO

Highlight of the 2009 Grammys: The “Rap Pack” featuring T.I.

Only one performance brought the house down, and you know it included our man Tip. Get a replay of M.I.A., Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Jay-Z and T.I. doing “Swagga Like Us” live at the Grammys.

Queen Latifah introduced the group last night as the “Rap Pack”. The entire audience stood up to greet the performers. Fresh, vibrant, and historic, the group all wore black tuxedos for their first-ever live collaboration.

The beat started off with the very pregnant M.I.A., who belted out a few rhymes of her own “Paper Planes” while managing to not give birth on stage.

As the group hit it off word for word, rhyme for rhyme, T.I. had the best verse as he described each of his distinctive group last night. “You can go see Weezy for the wordplay, Jeezy for the bird play,” Tip rapped on, “Kanyeezy for diversity and me for controversy/ All my verses picture-perfect, only spittin’ certain purpose/ If you ain’t living what you kickin’ then you worthless.”

Epic! Hats off to the Rap Pack crew. What a great way to kick off T.I.’s new show, debuting tonight! The premiere of T.I.’s reality show, T.I.’s Road to Redemption: 45 Days to Go, airs on MTV TONIGHT. Tuesday, February 10, 9pm local.

The Grammy’s is a time to bring out the best of music in one night. This year’s Grammys seemed to have a theme of  “collaboration”

Last week’s promise of having four of the best known rappers do a collaboration onstage without having a serious rhyme fight is dreadful enough.

However, T.I., Jay-Z, Lil-Wayne, and Kanye West along with the very pregnant M.I.A., pushed through the scene with flying colors.

The Jonas Brothers had Stevie Wonder at their side; Radiohead marching on with the USC band; Coldplay and Jay-Z; Al Green, Keith Urban, and Justin Timberlake.

Last but not least, the “Rap Pack” featuring our boy T.I., Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z.

Others include Paul McCartney with Foo Fighter lead David Grohl, Miley Cyrus, and Taylor Swift, and Ne-Yo, Jamie Foxx, Smokey Robinson and Duke Fakir; all gave a standing ovation-worthy performance.

But which group do you think had the most historic Grammy performance of all?