T.I. is arguing that he has a "doper"catalog than 50 Cent.
During a Thursday appearance on Ebro in the Morning, Tip addressed 50 and why he decided to challenge him to a Verzuz battle. The Atlanta rapper told Ebro and Peter Rosenberg that he believes he and Fif are "similarly stacked" when it comes to accolades.
"I just think [50 has] got an ego big enough to withstand my bravado," T.I. said at around the 15:30 mark. "I don't think he'd be intimidated by how I pop my shit ... You got to get a gorilla for a gorilla. And regardless of how you see me, inside me there's a 900 pound gorilla ... We really are similarly stacked. I don't have a diamond album (like 50), but he don't have five classic albums."
T.I. proceeded to list what he believed were his five classic records, naming I'm Serious, Urban Legend, Trap Muzik, King, and Paper Trail.
Ebro refused to co-sign the claim: "I mean, there's three in there, for sure."
T.I. went on to say Ebro was biased because he was from New York City, just like Fif. He then claimed that rappers from New York had an advantage over everyone else because they came from a city that not only started hip-hop, but was also the epicenter of commerce and media.
"New York is the birthplace of hip-hop; they have some of the most successful, most talented lyricists known to man ... But even though they have those lyricists ... If they were from somewhere else, they wouldn't have had the same success," T.I. explained. "If 50 Cent were from the Midwest, he'd be Nelly. Nelly got two diamond albums ..."
After doubling down on his claim that 50's catalog and lyricism were inferior to his, T.I. was asked what he would do if Fif ultimately rejected the battle challenge. Tip responded with a backhanded compliment.
"I understand if he don't wanna get down in the mud, 'cause he's so accomplished now," he said. "He's got so many TV shows, he got so many dope TV shows, and so many prosperous television deals that he just doesn't time to get down in the weeds and defend his catalog against the king, I understand ... But as an artist, as a businessman, [50's] extremely accomplished. But my catalog is doper than his."
T.I. then said he would be open to battle anyone, but would prefer to take on someone who came from his era.
"I don't want Jay-Z or Nas ... they can tap into a sense of nostalgia that I can't tap into," he explained. "I wanna see someone who was coming up at the same time as me ... They [also] have to be a 'multimedia global mogul' ... If there's a great white in the fish tank, where the fuck do the goldfish go?"
You can check out T.I.s full interview above. He also discusses the political climate in Atlanta, and how the city is responding to both gun and police violence.
