T.I. has shared some of his keen insights about rap verses on his “ExpediTIously” podcast, and soon he’ll be doing so in a classroom.
Billboard reports that T.I. will be teaching an undergrad course called the “Business of Trap Music” at Clark Atlanta University this fall. He’ll join Dr. Melva K. Williams, co-founder of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation and vice chancellor for Southern University Shreveport and New Orleans.
The course will be about trap music’s origins and how economics have played a role in it becoming one of the most popular subgenres of rap, one that’s bled into the mainstream and is used in everything from films to TV commercials.
“I’m excited to share my experiences and whatever resources or information I have that can be an asset for the future,” Billboard reported Tip said. “Drugs have existed for as long as humans have been on earth and music has existed for quite some time as well. The commonality that threads the two together is what makes trap music a dominant force in culture today.”
The term “trap” derives from trap house, a place that’s used by drug dealers to distribute illegal drugs.
There’s been an ongoing debate about who trap music’s originator is, with T.I. often claiming the title.
The Grand Hustle founder has gotten some pushback in the past for making the claim, but some might say it would be hard to argue with him, considering he named his 2003 album “Trap Muzik” years before the term became popular.
But a couple of years ago Gucci Mane claimed to be trap music’s inventor and brought up his 2005 album “Trap House” when he posted an old photo of himself.
“The Day I Invented Trap Music,” wrote Mane next to the throwback image.
But even before Tip and Mane made their respective trap albums, Kujo from Goodie Mob mentioned the trap on “Thought Process,” a song off Goodie’s 1995 classic album “Soul Food.”
“When I was out in the trap or when I was going through one of our episodes, only God knows,” rapped Kujo.
T.I. mentioned Goodie Mob when speaking of the “Business of Trap Music” course, and explained what he wanted to accomplish when he began making that type of music.
“My intention was to take my lifestyle and turn that into a philosophical presentation of music, so other people going through similar experiences wouldn’t feel alone or alienated,” he detailed to Billboard. “When we were coming up, the only artists coming from Atlanta was OutKast, Goodie Mob, and booty-shaking music. The first person to do it is always going to have the hardest time. After me, it was much easier for Jeezy and Gucci to be accepted.”
In a press statement, Clark Atlanta University president George T. French Jr. explained why he feels the new course will benefit students.
“In higher education, it is important that we challenge, empower and equip our students with the proper resources to excel,” he explained. “I believe the best way to do this is to understand their culture and create life-long experiences that will not only motivate our scholars but present them with opportunities to help them become globally competitive.”
