ROC4LIFE

T.I. is expanding his hustle. The Atlanta veteran has added three new players to his Grand Hustle squad — London spitter Chip, Australian-bred, Cali-based rapper Iggy Azalea, and Houston street king Trae tha Truth. Pop the hood for the bustdown on Tip’s new music family.

Trae tha Truth
Reppin’: Houston, Tx
Trae tha Truth is not a household name. You’ve probably never heard of him because idiots still run radio. But he’s managed to keep stay relevant by dropping thoroughly enjoyable music, including a star-studded 2011 album, Street King. T.I. gets Trae, and that makes the deal a perfect union.

T.I. says: “We’re gonna work alongside each other for a common goal and release this Trae tha Truth project,” T.I. said of the deal in an MTV interview. Nothing is written in ink yet but both Tip and Trae agree that a contract is just formality at this point. “When cats [who are] cut from a certain cloth give their word and shake their hand, that’s what makes it a done deal — the ink is just a formality.”

Iggy Azalea
Reppin’: Australia/L.A.
Tip also added Iggy Azalea to his team. While Trae tha Truth is already an established veteran with a solid following, Iggy is a newcomer with room for growth and guidance. As such, T.I. will executive-produce her debut LP, tentatively penciled for June. But make no mistakes, T.I. will be the first to admit that it was Iggy’s idea.

T.I. says: “I think her exact words were: ‘It’s very smart of you to call me because I’m going to be smashing sh– for quite some time now and no one will be able to breathe if they’re not on my team. So it’s good that you’ll be here, so you’ll have oxygen.”

Chip (pka Chipmunk)
Reppin‘: London
Also on board with Grand Hustle 2.0 is London rhymesmith Chip (formerly known as Chipmunk). Chip is kind of a young OG with a few albums under his belt. Chip was already making strides in the U.K. when Tip reached out. “It got to a point where people in the U.K. felt like if there was someone could help bridge the gap between the cultures in urban music over there and the U.K. it’s me.”

T.I. Says: “U.K.’s finest.”

It’s an exciting time to be a Grand Hustle fan. We can’t wait to see what the crew has in store for 2012.

— Rizoh