Atlanta rapper T.I. recently blasted the new generation of rappers in hip-hop, claiming that although there is a lot of talent, the culture is overcrowded and contains a lot of low-quality MCs.
The lyricist (real name Clifford Harris) proclaimed his opinion during a recent appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq, during which he made some basketball analogies.
Speaking about the new school, Harris stated, “This generation reminds me of every other generation. You got some people who are exceptionally dope and some people who are just alright. You know what I mean?”
He continued, “But it’s a lot more of it to choose from now. I feel that, actually, what they’ve done with music is equivalent to if they were to open up the doors of the arena and say, ‘Anybody think you can play basketball? Come on out of the stands out here to the floor. Here go you a jersey, man. Get in the game.'”
Elsewhere in the interview, Harris spoke about the trend of African-American celebrities becoming part-owners of basketball teams. However, he unveiled that he can’t see himself following suit.
Speaking about his peers and their investments, T.I. began, “So many of my contemporaries — like Nelly, you know, he got a piece of Charlotte — and Usher’s got a piece of Cleveland.”
The Atlanta native continued, “You know, people be asking me, ‘would I ever do it?’ And I don’t think I would, you know? Because I just can’t see me taking so much of my money, investing it in something, and I can’t do what the fuck I wanna do.”
He added, “I just can’t imagine that. I’m gonna put my money into something where I can dictate, and I can determine, the way it’s gonna go.” Other artists that have invested in the NBA include Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake who part-owns the Memphis Grizzlies.