T.I. isn’t a fan of unsolicited street freestyles.
The Atlanta native shared his thoughts on the subject during his appearance on Tidal’s Rap Radar podcast. “I'm not really interested in that,” he said, around the 10-minute mark. “You can have the best freestyle, the most magnificent freestyle I've ever heard and that's not going to convince me that I should invest my money in you. You'll have to have some form of assurance or collateral. That usually comes from the effort and work you've already been putting in. What you should do is take that freestyle and go somewhere to record yourself.”
“It's very inexpensive nowadays,” he added. “Create a song, get that song buzzing, shoot your video, upload it on YouTube. Let me see how many people have support for your movement. And then you won't have to come find me. At that point, it's my job to come find you.”
T.I.'s advice is fairly apt since he currently appears on Netflix’s new hip-hop reality competition series Rhythm + Flow. The show follows T.I., Chance the Rapper, and Cardi B as they search for the hottest young talent in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta.
“Artistry, authenticity, individuality, the same way Chance is in his music, I am in my music, and Cardi is in hers,” T.I. told Charlamagne tha God earlier this month. “Each of our presentations are very unique to who we are. We're looking for the next generation's version of that.”
