HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''I'm Serious'' is the debut
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American rapper
T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...
, released on October 9, 2001 by
Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
and Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment. It remains his only release with the former label. The album included guest appearances from
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
of
the Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...
(who called T.I. "the
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
of the South"),
Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...
,
Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by his stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late ...
, Bone Crusher,
Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
, Mac Boney,
Pastor Troy Micah LeVar "Pastor" Troy (born November 18, 1977) is an American rapper from Augusta, Georgia. He is best known for his 2002 single "Are We Cuttin'" (featuring Ms. Jade), which entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The year prior, he signed wi ...
, P$C and
YoungBloodZ YoungBloodZ is an American Southern hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia composed of J-Bo and Sean Paul (later stylized as Sean P) formed in 1997. The duo were discovered by Kawan Prather and signed with his company Ghet-O-Vision, an imprint of ...
, while production was handled by DJ Toomp, Craig Love, Maseo, Brian Kidd,
The Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...
,
Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...
, Yung D,
Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
and T.I. himself. ''I'm Serious'' underperformed commercially, only peaking at number 98 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart and selling an estimated 14,000 U.S. copies in its first week. Critical responses were generally mixed to unfavorable; many reviews pointed to the fact that many of the tracks sounded the same, and a few were blatant rip-offs.Jon Azpiri (2001-10-09)
"T.I. I'm Serious"
Retrieved on June 21, 2009.
Other critics commented saying, "T.I. claims to be the king of the South, but fails to show and prove. He does, however, have potential. If his talent ever matches his confidence, he may just be headed for stardom."" T.I. "I'm Serious" Album Review"
Retrieved on June 21, 2009.
The album has since sold 200,000 copies.


Background

In 1999, T.I. was discovered by fellow Atlanta native Kawan "KP" Prather—whose company, Ghet-O-Vision, is frequently mentioned on the album. As Ghet-O-Vision was an imprint of Babyface and
L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer who served as president and CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, as well as chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Mus ...
's Atlanta-based record label imprint
LaFace Records LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...
, to which Prather himself was also signed, T.I. was led to sign with the label in preparation for his own debut album. His original
stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
was "Tip", a nickname given to him by his paternal great-grandfather,T.I.: Me, Myself & I
''Vibe''. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
which was shortened to T.I. out of respect for labelmate Q-Tip. Later in 2001, LaFace was collapsed and sold to its parent label and distributor
Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
, merging the rosters of both labels. According T.I. himself, the buyout made LaFace cease operations in his
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
hometown, thus creating a more strenuous commute as the Arista headquarters was located in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The album was preceded by its title track as its lead single, "I'm Serious". The song was released commercially to radio on June 26, 2001 and failed to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, although it found success locally. It was produced by
the Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...
and features Jamaican singer
Beenie Man Moses Anthony Davis OD (born 22 August 1973), professionally known as Beenie Man, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay. His awards include DJ of the Year Award eight years in a row. His twelfth studio album '' Art and Life'' received a Grammy Award ...
. The label declined to release a second single. After the album failed to garner much success beyond regional boundaries, T.I. and manager Jason Geter considered their grassroots promotional marketing in Southern cities, and questioned their need to enter a second album cycle with the label. A bargain proposed by T.I. gave the Arista three options: remunerate US$2 million to each of the album's executive producers, arrange a 50/50 revenue cut, or drop him from the label; Arista ultimately chose the latter. T.I. then signed with
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
within the next two years, through which he released his second studio album, '' Trap Muzik'' (2003), as well as each of his subsequent releases until 2014.


Content

As a teenager, T.I. was a
drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...
; such activity is frequently detailed on the album. By age 14, he had been arrested several times.


Critical reception

Upon its release, ''I'm Serious'' received positive reviews from most music critics. Some critics, however, pointed to the fact that many of the tracks sounded the same and that a few were blatant rip-offs.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
writer Jon Azpiri wrote "T.I. claims to be the king of the South, but on ''I'm Serious'' he fails to show and prove. He does, however, have potential. If his talent ever matches his confidence, he may be headed for stardom."Azpiri, Jon. Review: ''I'm Serious''
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. Retrieved on 2010-12-06.
Down-South gave the album a four out of five stars saying "With his solo finally about to drop, this album should be his gateway into the mainstream arena. Overall, this album is all I expected plus more. I don't seen how anyone couldn't like it because it's so much diversity. So when you see this album on store shelves, be sure to grab it, you won't be disappointed."Down-South, Down-South
Review: ''I'm Serious''
. Down-South. Retrieved on 2010-12-06.
HipHopDX wrote "Lyrically, Atlanta-bred T.I. (TIP to kids around the way) isn't far behind a lot of other gifted young cats tryin' to make it in the rap game. But rather than doing stand-up on the mic or seeing how many words he can rhyme with Versaci, this 20-year-old tells wonderfully-detailed stories on I'm Serious about coming up when all the elements try to keep you down. But T.I.'s at his best when he uses his head and not his, well, head. Similarly, I'm Serious gets it done by talking about familiar hip hop topics (gats, girls and makin' green), but doing it in a way that somehow comes off as fresh and original."HipHopDX, HipHopDX
Review: ''I'm Serious''
. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-12-06.
Rhapsody writer Sam Chennault wrote "The opening salvo from one of Southern hip-hop's most charismatic emcees, I'm Serious is more introspective and less bombastic than T.I.'s subsequent work. "Still Ain't Forgave Myself" and "What Happened" are surprisingly tender, though "Dope Boyz" and the Neptunes-produced "What's Your Name" set the stage for the emergence of T.I.'s playa/pusha persona."Chennault, Sam
Review: ''I'm Serious''
. Rhapsody. Retrieved on 2010-12-06.


Commercial performance

''I'm Serious'' was released on October 9, 2001 through
Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
in the United States. In its first week of release, ''I'm Serious'' made its debut on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart at number 98, and it debuted at number 27 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart. The album has sold at least 163,000 copies in the United States.


Track listing

;Sample credits * "I Chooz U" contains a sample of "I Can Sho' Give You Love" as performed by Willie Hutch.


Personnel

Credits for ''I'm Serious'' adapted from
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. Credits: ''I'm Serious'' Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-12-07. *
Beenie Man Moses Anthony Davis OD (born 22 August 1973), professionally known as Beenie Man, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay. His awards include DJ of the Year Award eight years in a row. His twelfth studio album '' Art and Life'' received a Grammy Award ...
– performer * Josh Butler – engineer * Andrew Coleman – engineer * Myrna Crenshaw – vocals (background) * DJ Toomp – producer * Jay Goin – mixing * Robert Hannon – mixing * Troy Hightower – mixing *
Chad Hugo Charles Edward Hugo (born February 24, 1974) is an American musician and record producer. Alongside childhood friend Pharrell Williams, he formed the production duo the Neptunes in 1992, with whom he has produced numerous hit records for variou ...
– arranger * Dave "DasKyz" Hummel – engineer * James Humphreys – assistant engineer * Ken Ifill – mixing *
Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...
– performer * Craig Love – guitar * Charles Pettaway – producer * Matt Still – engineer, mixing *
Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by his stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late ...
– performer *
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
– arranger * Mike "Hitman" Wilson – engineer


Charts


References


External links

*
I'm Serious
' at
Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
{{Authority control 2001 debut albums T.I. albums Albums produced by DJ Toomp Albums produced by Jazze Pha Albums produced by Lil Jon Albums produced by the Neptunes Arista Records albums