T.I. has shouted out a few of the rap artists he believes are pushing trap music forward today and reflected on the 20th anniversary of his album Trap Muzik.
Tip briefly chatted with XXL about the state of trap music on Sunday (August 20) and said Moneybagg Yo,Young Thug,Lil Baby,Future and 21 Savage have now become the voice of the streets.
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“A lot of people moving the genre,” the Grand Hustle leader said. “Not even just by embodying similar qualities that I did. I think it’s a lot more conversational now.”
T.I. shouted out Lil Baby as a figure who he appreciates due to their similarities in how they write songs. “Just a lot of key facts about details and authenticity,” he said of the 4PF rapper. “Where you’re speaking about things that you know that only a person who knows could articulate it.”
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As for 21 Savage, T.I. commended his ability to give financial advice. “His thoughts speak about things like financial literacy and thinking out the box. About how to expand just upon what you know by doing something different,” T.I. said.
He then turned his attention to Moneybagg Yo who he said “has a way of being melodic and finding the pocket on the subject matter that can relate to people that come from the life.”
The 42-year-old also gave a nod to the currently incarcerated Young Thug, noting that “his mannerisms and the things that he does among the people” have continued to push the culture forward. He then concluded by commending Future for his “diverse” approach to trap music.
T.I. recently crowned Future the 2022 “Trapper of the Year” at his Trap Music Museum in Atlanta, and in turn gifted Pluto a custom-made “Trapper of the Year” ring constructed by Ice Box Jewelry, and transformed his lofty career into an entire art exhibit in his honor at said museum.
The Trap Music Museum, which opened in Atlanta in 2019, previously gave Moneybagg Yo the “Trapper of the Year” award back in 2021.
As for T.I.’s Trap Muzik, the album celebrated its 20th anniversary on August 19. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
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The album has long been viewed as the pioneering project for southern street rap’s mainstream popularity, which exploded in the early 2000s.