Before he got cornered by the cops, Tip shot a cover for the November issue of Complex. In the accompanying interview, he talks about his altercation with Luda’s manager, the rap game, and the no snitching code (ironically).
T.I. On how the streets have changed:
Complex: Is there a character in American Gangster you would parallel to your days in the trap?
T.I.: I can’t even compare myself back in that day simply because it was a whole other day and age. When I was doin’ it, it was chaos. Real talk, it was easier then, too. Not taking nothing away from them ’cause they started it, but the police wasn’t hip to everything. By the time I started hustling, the police had cameras, the Internet, and forensics. [Back then] you could kill a nigga at six o’clock in the morning on his doorstep and long as nobody seen you, you good. Now you got cameras on street lights. I feel like if I was a hustler back then, I’d have a way better shot at it. People actually respected the game. Whereas when I was a hustler, a nigga would do anything for a dollar. Period.
More pics and excerpts at Complex.com.
