Do you know what T.I is all about?
T.I. is under fire for his unconventional father-daughter views, as most people have heard by now. A lot of fans turned on him, just like that!
But despite all the controversy, he still has plenty of observers wondering how we got here. It's high time to find out, people.
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Humble Beginnings
Born Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. in Alabama, T.I. was raised by his grandparents. And there was a good reason for that: Dad suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Sometimes life really isn't fair, is it?
His father lived in New York City, and he would go up there to visit sometimes. Little did he know at the time that this would be the state writing laws in direct response to his virginity checks decades later!
Sadly, T.I. dropped out of high school under these circumstances and got by dealing drugs pretty early. By 14, he had been arrested multiple times! Sounds like a dead end track, but T.I. began rapping at an early age. At eight, he started building the skill set.
And in the mid-1990s, the career we all admire began in full swing with mixtapes in the trunk of his car. Was he working with anyone famous at that time?
Crime Time
A record executive discovered T.I. in the local scene, signing him to the Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment label. Soon, other labels would come calling as well.
Things finally seemed to be going well, so many might assume that T.I. stayed out of trouble to focus on building a brand.
But no! All the way up into the early 2000's, T.I. found himself in an endless string of convictions related to drug and gun possession.
This unreformed bad boy was not a domestic family man yet, though that would eventually happen. Who was the woman that changed it all?
Love at First Sight
In 2001, the rapper began a serious relationship with Tameka Cottle.
Fans might know her as Tiny from Xscape, and she goes by that name to this day. In 2010, they merged their children into one big, happy family. They got married!
The couple had their ups and downs over the years and even showed their home life on a reality show. Had this wild pair finally been tamed?
The Show Goes On
Well, it looks like T.I. was still not walking on the straight and narrow as the head of a family. In 2007, the feds arrested him 4 hours before the BET Hip Hop Awards.
He was charged with two felonies and possession of three illegal machine guns. Not exactly your average glock! As a person convicted of felonies in the past, he wasn't allowed to have firearms in any form. None, not three!
T.I. went to jail, and then suffered in house arrest for these legal issues. At least he had time to be a stay-at-home dad, right?
Tiny Too
In 2010, T.I. and Tiny were both arrested for drugs. For the rapper, this was a direct violation of his probation terms, so he went right back to prison. Yikes!
So close, yet so far. Perhaps it was during these years that T.I. started to think seriously about the trouble he wanted his daughter to avoid.
After all, he knew first hand what getting involved with a bad boy might involve: Jail and mayhem! What kind of philosophy did he develop, outside those strange podcast comments?
Sad Times for T.I.
In 2016, something tragic interrupted the whirlwind of jail and hip-hop events that had taken over T.I.'s life.
Just when T.I. and Tiny were celebrating the news that they were expecting another baby, Robert Morgan died. Who was that, you ask?
T.I. told everyone about it on Instagram. It was his grandfather, the man who raised him while his father suffered from Alzheimer's in New York!
Remembering Grandpa
In a post, T.I. memorialized his feelings:
"RIP to my Granddad “Daddy”da strongest most SOLID man I knew!!!!! Robert Morgan. Taught me how to peep bullshit, demand respect & stay prepared for anything life could throw at me. I know u my Granddaddy but all da time we spent together make me feel like I’m your third son. You’ve shown me more than I can express just by being U!!!! A true man’s MAN!!!! You lived 84 years & provided for 3-4 generations with not 1 complaint, just wisdom, results, and an occasional cussing out every now & then...We know how proud u were of US,just glad I got to let u know how proud we are OF U!!!! And although I’m not an emotional cry out my eyes kind of guy…Just know U WILL BE MISSED!!!!! WE WILL NEVER FORGET ALL YOU MEANT TO OUR FAMILY!!!! Now U & Mother can finally be together &Rest in Heaven TOGETHER!!!!! We Love U!!!!"
Sounds incredibly difficult to deal with, all things considered. Did Tiny ever get the chance to meet this beloved man in her husband's life before now?
Tiny Grieves
As it turns out, Tiny was also close with the man!
She remembered him on Insta: “Sad to go into the New Year losing your loved ones but #DaddyMorgan lived a good life & he will truly be missed! Never had a granddaddy so he was like the only Granddad I knew! So I’m thankful to have had him in my life...Too cool!”
It seems like Robert Morgan had impacted a lot of lives around him for the good. T.I. only had more glowing words for him on social media:
“We laid down a real stand up GUY today!!!! Not many men have raised as many Real Ones as He DID!!!!”
How would the family successfully move on? That's no easy question!
Always Going Forward
It's always hard to lose a significant loved one. In the aftermath, Tiny and T.I. still had each other and the young family they built in the public eye. Today, the couple has 6 children between them!
T.I. and Tiny have two boys together named Major Philant Harris and Clifford “King” Joseph Harris III. Then, there are the four children they both already had from previous relationships!
Sounds like a lot to deal with, for any couple. With a house full of youngsters and crazy past behind them, how was this hip hop duo dealing with modern parenting?
What happened next would shock the world!
The Interview That Broke The Internet
On the podcast Ladies Like Us, co-hosts Nazanin and Nadia witnessed the moment that went viral.
The rapper known for singing about luring "good girls" away from their chastity in Blurred Lines had some rather strict requirements for his own daughter.
Awkwardly, he asks her to sign a release form to tell him everything the gynecologist sees in her underwear each year. Special focus: The hymen.
After telling the world he goes to the doctor with his 18-year-old daughter to check her vagina for sexual activity, people were disturbed.
What's more, he even said that he left something special for her after her Sweet Sixteen party. The rapper dad put a sticky note on the door: "Gyno. Tomorrow. 9:30.”
In the aftermath, his daughter became a known name: Deyjah Harris. Now, she's blocked her famous father and her family on Instagram by deleting her whole account!
How did things get this far, and what kind of feedback T.I. is getting from society at large?
Creepy as Hell
T.I. went into detail: "So we’ll go and sit down and the doctor comes and talk, and the doctor’s maintaining a high level of professionalism...He’s like, ‘You know, sir, I have to, in order to share information’ — I’m like, 'Deyjah, they want you to sign this so we can share information. Is there anything you would not want me to know? See, Doc? Ain't no problem.'" Wait, what?
Sex-Ed Secrets
As plenty of people know, there are many different physical activities that can break the hymen. After all, it's a very thin piece of tissue that was never designed to last forever into adulthood. Even riding a bike can rupture it!
And that's not even acknowledging tampons, a product marketed to teens. What could T.I. possibly say about his interest in this anatomy?
He explained further: “I say, ‘Look, Doc. She don’t ride no horses; she don’t ride no bikes; she don’t play no sports — man, just check the hymen please and give me back my results. Expeditiously!"
Intrusive, crazy. Did Deyjah really have any desire to share this information with her dad, of all people?
T.I. Does TMI
T.I. then made an announcement to the nation via podcast: "I will say, as of her 18th birthday, her hymen is still intact.” How did his daughter feel about this public discussion about her vaginal purity?
Eagle-eyed observers noticed that Deyjah started liking tweets calling out her dad as a pretty disgusting guy — specifically, “disgusting, possessive and controlling.” Thousands of people online were outraged!
As it turns out, health services in America do not look favorably on this kind of exam at all. A spokesperson for the Department of Health in New York called these tests “an assault on young women with no scientific or medical basis”. Would celebrities take T.I.'s side on this one?
Sharon Osbourne Speaks Out
Sharon was disgusted, and she is not the kind of woman to beat around the bush. She's Ozzy's wife, people!
After living a rock n' roll lifestyle at a young age and then raising children of her own, she shared her perspective with T.I. very publicly on this one.
The advice: "Don't talk about your kids' sex life, about what's going on in their body, it is sacred to them. It's not your life. Because you're the daddy doesn't give you other rights, it's not your life, let your daughter lead her own life. And keep her privacy."
Well said, rock mom!
Iggy Azalea Vents
Iggy actually seemed to know T.I. personally, and she gave social media direct feedback about her experience. Would the fellow rapper testify to his good character?
According to Iggy: "Unfortunately, he is dead serious...Really I wish the women who interviewed him would have said something to him. He has serious control issues with women in all aspects of his life & needs therapy." Not exactly on his side, we see.
Padma Lakshmi Brings The Heat
America's favorite Top Chef host had no time for T.I. and his hymen curiosities at all. Padma Lakshmi shared her response on Twitter, and she was not holding back.
The star reflected: "The double standard of the patriarchy is truly insane. Young women are fully capable of making their own informed decisions about their bodies and their sexuality." Tell 'em, Padma!
At this point, it was becoming evident even to T.I. that the public backlash was quite serious. Perhaps a clarification was needed?
Damage Control
Apparently, Jada Pinkett Smith has a Facebook Watch show these days called Red Table Talk. T.I. showed up with his wife, Tiny. What did they want to tell America about the controversy?
The rapper claimed he was “incredibly apologetic” to his daughter, but he was mad at all the people out there who misconstrued his podcast comments into something inappropriate and perverted.
T.I. clarified further: “I never said I was in any exam room. That is an assumption; that is a falsity. I never said it was being done present-day as an 18-year-old. I never said that her mother wasn't present...All of this false narrative has just been sensationalized.” Was it, though?
Jokin' Around
T.I. also claimed that much of what he said was really just a joke about being a parent in difficult times in modern society. He claimed he was surprised that people didn't understand in the first place:
“From a place of truth, I began to embellish and exaggerate, and I think a lot of people took it extremely literal because if you put any of my reputation — who I am as a father and who I've been — I honestly thought people knew me better than that.”
Calling the entire affair "hymen-gate”, T.I. was in hot water. Now, some people wondered why he was guarding his daughter so closely.
Considering the rapper's own public history with drugs, sex, and crime, was that hypocritical?
Men, Women, and Children
T.I. had more to say in his own defense about why he was so tense about Deyjah's interactions with men: “Our women, black women, are the most unprotected…women on the planet. I’m being criticized because I’m willing to go above and beyond to protect mine."
Now, he wants everyone to define“the purpose and place of a father in this society” after rejecting his approach. As someone who did not have an active father himself, T.I. says his goal is to be as involved as possible!
He was not really in favor of just donating sperm and paying the bills. Perhaps he is right, but a yearly hymen check seems way outside the norm in the United States.
The question remains: Will Deyjah ever forgive her father? Only time will tell!