is back at the forefront with his new single, “Money Talk,” and he’s announced a new record deal with Roc Nation to go along with it. Before his TIDAL X show tonightT.I. in Atlanta, the news was made official by a press release, stating that the Grammy Award-winning rapper and actor had signed a deal with Jay Z‘s label to distribute his forthcoming studio album, The Dime Trap, which will be officially released by Tip’s Grand Hustle Records. In addition to Roc distribution, Tip is now the 19th artist-owner of TIDAL, the streaming service Jay Z re-launched just under a year ago after purchasing it in October of 2014. T.I. joins juggernauts like Kanye West, Madonna, Rihanna, Beyonce and more behind-the-scenes at TIDAL, which has recently caught fire thanks to releases of albums by Rihanna and Kanye West in the last 30 days.
T.I. was one of the most successful rappers of the 2000’s, dropping five consecutive platinum albums from 2003 to 2008, and racking up 3 GRAMMY victories in the process. However, intermittent legal issues and two significant stints in prison stunted Tip’s trajectory, and since 2008’s Paper Trail his sales have faltered, and he’s failed to recapture the top spot on the Billboard 200. After signing a one album deal with Columbia Records, T.I. released Paperwork, a lukewarmly received album that debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts but netted the veteran the lowest sales mark of his career, prompting Tip to go the independent route for the release of his Da Nic EP, which served as a precursor for The Dime Trap, which will likely be impacting this year. Hopefully his connection with longtime collaborator Jay Z will help rejuvenate the “About the Money” rapper, who is certainly still capable of performing at a high level.
