Preparing for his photo shoot in an Atlanta recording studio, T.I. is all business. His entire crew is on-hand, including his business partners in his label Grand Hustle Entertainment; his posse, the P$C (Pimp Squad Clique); and Grand Hustle’s female rappers Xtaci. DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz: Down With the King mixtape is blaring through the speakers over and over, a constant reminder of T.I.’s lyrical assault on his current rival Lil Flip. Despite being locked up for part of the year, T.I. certainly knows how to keep his name current in the streets. Still, you get a glimpse of T.I. the family man when he takes a quick lunch break in the studio lounge with his youngest son and longtime girlfriend, former Xcape singer Tameka “Tiny” Cottle. A few weeks later, we caught up with T.I. by phone while handling some business in NYC for his upcoming album, Urban Legend.

When we were doing your photo shoot, you were commenting that there’s “nice T.I.” and “cocky T.I.” Is there some truth to that?
I have a hot head sometimes, but I don’t think I’m half as bad as people think I am. It’s ying and yang. There’s positives and negatives to everything you do.

You had one of your children there with you at the studio. How do you balance having a career and having kids?
It’s a sacrifice. I have four kids, and basically, I’m being there for them less now so I can be there more later. That’s a mission, making sure they have everything they need. Luxuries and necessities. They’re not gonna be spoiled, though. They’re gonna have the things they need but they will understand and respect the value of a dollar as long as I’m there.

You made a joke that your son should be on the magazine cover – would you encourage your kids to rap, or be in the entertainment business?
I want my kids to do whatever they want to do. I want them to have access to anything they want to do. I don’t want their options to be limited.

As you’ve been promoting your new album, it seems like you’ve been working hard to brand your label Grand Hustle more so than the label you’re signed to, Atlantic.
I mean, Atlantic don’t need my help. Atlantic was the home of Patti LaBelle and a lot of other legends, if I’m not mistaken.

Do you plan to release albums from Grand Hustle through Atlantic?
That’s possible. It hasn’t been discussed yet. We’ve got Big Kuntry, Mac-Boney, AK, and C-Rod.

Do you think it’s gonna be harder for them to establish their own identities, if they come out kind of under your wing? A lot of people are tired of rappers putting on their friends.
It’s gonna be easier for them. They don’t have to go through the shit I went through. They’re spoiled, to tell you the truth. But it ain’t just me coming out and trying to put my friends on. Even back when we first met each other, I told ‘em I could rap and they were like, “Shit, us too.” We always had a common goal, it just happens that I got there first. We’ve spent a significant amount of time together; we’ve known each other since we were ten, fifteen.

What’s the first release coming from Grand Hustle?
It’s gonna be a group album, P$C. Pimp Squad Click. We’re gonna put that out the beginning of 2005. It’s called 25 to Life. That’s what the guys wanted to name the album. They’ve really got control of this project. At the end when it’s crunch time I might add a lil’ something, but they’ve decided what songs they want to be on the album and what artists they want to work with. I ain’t really tryin’ to dictate this project. From what they told me, they agreed on the album title 25 to Life ‘cause they all turned 25, and they gon’ be on this shit for life.

On Nelly’s song “Pretty Toes,” you’ve got a line where you said, “I don’t wanna rap no more, I’m C-E-O.” What’s the advantages and disadvantages of being an artist and being an CEO?
The advantages of being an artist is that everywhere you go, people know who you are. More recognition, more special treatment. The groupies are good (laughs), and you get in clubs free. But the disadvantage is that you never know where the money’s going unless you take extra special time to find out. You’re not really connected with the ins and outs of the profits and losses of the company.

Who’s involved with Grand Hustle as a label besides you, and what are their roles?
Me and Jason [Geter] own the company together, and Clay [Evans] is like our chief of staff. They keep the shit moving, make sure shit is in order for us. Clay brings in different opportunities and Doug [Peterson] does as well. They’re like two different realms of the company. Clay deals more with promotions and endorsements, things like that.

You stirred up the streets with your DJ Drama/Gangsta Grillz mixtape aimed at Lil’ Flip, Down with the King. There’s been a lot of controversy around you calling yourself the “King of the South,” so how can you justify that?
Man, the people support me, period. I’m the King of the South because I said so.

Did Scarface know that the conversations you had with him about Lil’ Flip were being recorded?
Yeah, yeah. He knew he was being recorded.

Now that the South is finally getting recognition in the hip-hop world, do you think it hurts the South to have two of its biggest artists against each other?
I don’t give a damn if you’re in the South, North, East, or West, if two men have a problem they gonna have to handle the situation. All this shit about “unity,” man, you just unify with whoever you wanna unify with. Ain’t none of your business what the next man do. You can’t tell me who not to muthafuckin’ have a disagreement with. Where the fuck were you when this bitch was on stage sayin’ “Game Over”? I don’t give a fuck about what none of these niggas say. That’s how shit gets blown up to be bigger than it really is. There’s other people comin’ in sideways, puttin’ they nose where a muthafucker don’t belong. I don’t need no help, no muthafuckin’ peanut gallery. Shit, man, anybody who knows me knows that anything I say, pimp, it’s cause I mean it. I ain’t never said nothing that wasn’t on my heart. I ain’t never said anything that I didn’t stand behind, whether it’s “King of the South” or anything I’ve said on the record.

Did you get the reaction you were hoping for from the mixtape?
Man, I ain’t looking for no reaction. I’m looking to uncover the truth and tell people what’s really going on. There’s a lot of muthafuckers faking and flossing and lying for so long, I’m showing people what the real is. If you choose to believe [Lil’ Flip] then continue on, but if you’re the kind of person I am, you’ll want to know the truth for real and I’m just putting it out there for you. Muthafuckers are lying, man. I wanna show how they are when they ain’t actin’ like they hard. Man, quit muthafuckin’ flexin’ for the cameras and microphones and be a real person. I ain’t lookin’ for no muthafuckin’ reaction, I don’t give a fuck. I gotta say what’s on my heart. That’s the way I live and operate.

One of the arguments Lil’ Flip has made is that he’s sold more records than you.
Man, he lyin’. That man sold like 1.4, 1.3 million right? This man got a double album, which means it gets double scans. That means he’s got two albums being sold for $12.99, the same price as one of mine. So this man ain’t sold but 700,000 records, man. Right now, we’ve [sold] like 910,000. It’s smoke and mirrors, man. It’s that bullshit that niggas be puttin’ out there.

Do you think bootlegging has anything to do with it?
Bootlegging hurts everybody, not just me. It hurts everybody’s potential. I mean, if you come out today and sold 10 million, you could’ve sold 13 million if it wasn’t for the bootleggers. That’s just part of the business right now.

What other side income do you have besides music?
I do my thing. I have several sources of income, but I’m not gonna put ‘em all out there. I do shows, I sell cars – Heavy Chevy Classic Chevys – that we restore. I’m about to open a new restaurant with my uncle in Bankhead. We got all kinds of things we’re working on.

When you put out songs like “Look What I Got,” do you think the average person who doesn’t have a lot of money can relate to that?
I feel like its 50/50. Half of ‘em like to hear that shit ‘cause if they had the money they’d do the same thing. But you can’t oversaturate the market with bragging about what you’ve got, because you’ve got to have some kind of substance and meaning other than that. So, I feel like your message should be 50/50 or maybe 60/40 depending on which group of people you’re trying to reach. When I say, “Look what I got,” I’m speaking on material things and also “respect from the niggas and G’s.” I’m talking about my following, my admiration and presence in the ghetto, not just talking about my jewelry and cars.

After an album like Trap Muzik, now that you’re a celebrity and you don’t have to be on the streets hustling every day, how can you still speak to that audience?
Because I know what it’s like to be there. I ain’t forgot. I still have a presence there. When I say I’m from the ghetto, I’m not just talking shit. I lived there for the majority of my life, and it ain’t shit to go back. I ain’t never gonna be broke again, but I still go back and show love. I try to show people that if I made it out of here, you can too. It means something to me, and that could change somebody’s life. You don’t gotta just accept your fate. Some people feel like they don’t have a chance, like they can’t do nothing with their life. You provide hope.

You’ve got a lot of fans who aren’t from the ghetto. Why do you think they relate to your music?
Trap Muzik was like 70/30. 70% was catered to niggas who don’t know nothing but that way of life. With this album, I feel like it’s 50/50. It don’t just cater to them niggas. It speaks to the trap niggas, but at the same time it speaks to cats that don’t know nothing about the trap. There’s cats in the suburbs going to college who just like to go party. They don’t like to fight and shoot, they just like to have a good time and ride around to they big-ass house and life they happy life. It speaks to those people, too. It’s very diverse.

Who is featured on the album?
Features, I’ve got Nelly, B.G., Lil Wayne, Lil Jon, Trick Daddy, P$C Clique, Jazze Pha, Daz Dillinger. As far as production, I’ve got beats from Jazze Pha, the Neptunes, DJ Toomp, David Banner, Scott Storch, Swizz Beatz, and Lil Jon.

It seems like just recently that they said you’d be locked up for three years.
I hadn’t been sentenced at all, that was just somebody talkin’ about what they thought was going on. I’m done with that now, I’m just on probation.

(T.I. interrupts the interview, shocked at something he’s seeing walking down the street in NYC. “Do you know Sean John makes a fuckin’ doggie sweater, man?!? I’ve got to muthafuckin’ holla at Puff…”)

Speaking of Puff, do you have any comments on the election?
I have two comments. One, y’all should go out and vote. Two, if Bush wins, we’re fucked. They’re all for self, man. They have no alliance with anybody. They’re only worried about themselves and how they could make their families lives better.

What would you do if you were President?
I’d try to provide substantial employment for people so there would be less crime. You can’t just tell people, “Don’t sell dope.” It’s just a way to pay the bills. You can’t tell people, “Don’t go rob.” I don’t rob or sell dope, I don’t do anything illegal for money anymore. But if I had to choose between selling dope or my children starving, guess what I’m going to be doing? It’s not realistic to expect someone to make that choice. So, I feel like providing adequate employment should definitely be high on the Presidential priority list. I also feel like education should be equal in the ghettos and the suburbs. Just because you’re from the ghetto, that doesn’t mean you should have a subpar education. I think your education should be just as extensive and advanced as someone who lives in a rich neighborhood.

What was your education like?
I didn’t even graduate high school, man.

Where do you think you got your business savvy from?
I don’t know. I just started reading the newspaper when I was three or four years old. My mom is smart as hell, real book smart. My daddy was real street smart. I guess that’s where I got it from.

Since this is the “sex issue” of OZONE, I’m going to name some females, and you can tell me how you think they’d be in bed. Gloria Velez?I think she’s been through a lot of nasty shit, so she’d be real open. I don’t know, I might wanna try putting her in the same bed with some of the other girls on your list.

Beyonce.
She off limits, man. That’s my homeboy girl.

Vivica Fox.
She seems, uh, experienced. I’d want her to teach me something. When I’m with older women I wanna learn something, ya dig?

Trina.
She seems like she might have a few tricks up her sleeve.

Remy Martin.
Nah, she’d wanna be in control. I ain’t with that. I can’t do that. (pause) Whoa! Speak of the devil, there go Remy right now. Let me go holla at Fat Joe about some business. Hold on. (long, long pause)

Okay, how ‘bout Paris Hilton?
She’s interesting, yet frail. I don’t think she could take it. I don’t generally do white women. I’ve had, uh, encounters, but I’ve never slept with a white woman. It’s just that I’m an ass man. I like asses, and white women generally have more titties. Not to say that they’re not nice; I like a set of nice titties as much as the next man. I know a lot of cool white broads and we can go kick it and drink and have a good time, but you know, that attraction just don’t be there. I’ve seen a few on TV that I might consider.

Like a Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?
Yeah Britney could probably get it. Christina could get it. Britney got a lil’ ass back there! But I’ve only seen ‘em on TV, so I don’t know. They may have added something to make ‘em look a little more voluptuous.

Do you think there’s a difference sexually between different races?
I like Latin girls, like Puerto Ricans and Brazilians. I also like mixed girls a lot. I don’t think there’s a difference sexually, though. It just depends on the person.

Has your sex life changed since you became a celebrity?
Man, I’ve always been that way. I was always a ladies man. When I was in high school, I was the nigga with all the girls. I was in the 8th grade tryin’ to holla at the girls in 12th grade. I was in the 5th grade tryin’ to holla at the girls in the 8th grade. Right now, this just shows everybody what kinda nigga I am. I haven’t changed.

I was with you in Tallahassee the other day after your performance, and there were a lot of females chasing after you saying they love you and they’ll die if they don’t touch you. How do you keep stuff like that from going to your head?
I know they gon’ say that about anybody. It’s not me, it’s my position that’s making them do that. When you start believing that it’s you, that you’re the reason, that’s when you get big-headed and lose sight of what’s really important. That’s what Public Enemy meant when they said, “Don’t believe the hype!”