Speaking with Carl Lamarre on Billboard’s In Conversation, T.I. reflected on his decision to leave the iconic label.
T.I. recently shared that leaving Atlantic Records was one of his worst career moves that he regrets.
“One of the reasons why I made one of the toughest decisions, arguably one of the worst decisions, in my career, I made the decision to leave Atlantic. Quite honestly, because I just got tired of wondering, ‘Was my success predicted on me or them?’” said T.I. “I had to know.”
T.I. also revealed that he didn’t recognize the benefits of working with a major label until he was on his own.
“I stepped away. And I almost immediately could see and tell there were a lot of things being done, you know, on my behalf, for my benefit, that I was probably oblivious to,” T.I. said. “At that moment, once I found that out, I was eager to learn what those things were. And how to identify and execute those things on my own behalf.”
The “Whatever You Like” rapper said the label had a “magic wand” to generate commercial success for their artists.
“I recorded the music,” he said, “but when I handed it off to them… [they] turned into the success that we all knew. I enjoyed the success and appreciated it… I just wanted to see what it took for me to do it myself.”
T.I SAYS THAT INDEPENDENT SUCCESS ‘FEELS BETTER’
As an independent artist, T.I. said that his success in the industry “feels better.”
“I mean, you know, it’s still a machine. But the machine is boutique,” he said of Grand Hustle, his record label. “It’s very insulated, and it’s more focused. It isn’t as broad… It’s taken a minute. I think we’ve identified it, and now we’re working on the execution.”