Ravinia 2019, Issue 3, Week 5

8:00 PM TUESDAY, JULY 2, 2019 PAVILION T.I. † † Ravinia debut T.I. In the 15 years since he released his break- through album Trap Muzik —which both fur- thered the explosion of Southern hip-hop music and launched the subgenre of trap music into the mainstream—Tip “T.I.” Harris has also be- come a groundbreaker and visionary across pop culture. Last year he brought that widespread acclaim full circle with Dime Trap , his 10th al- bum in a career that has been highlighted with three Grammy Awards, 11 Billboard Awards, three BET Awards, and two American Music Awards, in addition to the millions of albums and singles sold. T.I. has also become a seam- less collaborator in music at large, pairing up with such superstars as Drake, Beyoncé, Phar- rell, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Robin Thicke, M.I.A., and Lady Gaga; recently, he teamed with Kanye West for the popular, politically charged standalone single “Ye vs. The People,” on which he represented “The People.” Over that same de- cade and a half, T.I. has also been the steward of Grand Hustle Records, producing multiple breakout artists, including Iggy Azalea and Tra- vis Scott, and bringing a purpose-driven sensi- bility with releases such as his 2016 EP Us Or Else , which addressed police brutality and racial inequality in the United States and drew critical praise for its social conscience. That title became the banner for T.I.’s heightened, multimedia ap- proach to activism, from a short film and op-eds in the New York Times and Washington Post to the launching of the social justice philanthropy Harris Community Works, through which he has supported relief efforts in Puerto Rico and Houston and engaged with the Mayor of Atlan- ta’s Transition Team in driving policy and advo- cacy efforts. As his Grand Hustle has branched beyond music to curate numerous brands, so has T.I. ventured into film and television, fash- ion, technology, lifestyle ventures, and more, including as an artist/co-owner of the Tidal streaming service and co-creator, producer, and star of the BET entrepreneurial competition series The Grand Hustle . He’s also recently co- starred in Marvel’s two Ant-Man movies, earned a Tony Award nomination as a contributor to the music and lyrics of SpongeBob Square Pants: The Musical , and curated the pop-up Trap Music Museum. T.I. is making his Ravinia debut. JULY 1 – JULY 7, 2019 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE 91