"I've been standin in this free line in the rain for forty five minutes. I'll be
damned if I pay to get in here!" This statement, and variations thereof, could
be heard throughout the night as about a thousand people stood in line for the
album release party for the self appointed "King Of The South", T.I.P.

It was four hours of dancing, watching other people dance and attempting to walk
through an over populated Club VISION before the show began at about 2:15 in the
morning (surely everyone in the club had the next day off ). Singer Monica
Arnold was standing in the VIP area where TI would be performing driniking VOSS
water (that good shit). About 50 other people that were surely a part of TI's
entourage, but unrecognizable to the general public, were exchanging greetings.
This entourage apparently thought they were the show as it took them twenty
minutes to clear the make shift stage at the front of the area so that the man
of the hour could perform. After some nasty looks and pusing around by security,
the area was cleared and TI was helped up on stage to the greeting of fans who
seemed to have waited all thier life for this moment. "WHAT"S UP ATL?!" were his
first words and as he flashed a smile to the crowed the cold and wet wait that
seemed eternal was instantly forgotten, erased
by a crowd hailing their king.

Before TI could perform he brought out a friend, Big Boi of OutKast. Being the
fire starter he is, TI took advantage of the monent, saying "Some people ask why
I call myself the King of the South. Well if the Kings of the South (pointing at
Big Boi) don't care if I call my self the King of The South then what the fuck's
the problem? You don't like it, come see bout me ight?" With that business taken
care of, the show offcially began as he performed several of his hits including
Bezzle, What's Yo Name and, Rubber Band Man.

Several other celebes were lingering around, including Killer Mike and David
Banner. Jazzy Pha (with drink in hand) popped out from beind the crowd on stage
to perfom "Lets Get Away" after a warning that he was "drunk and may forget the
words". Then there was Mannie Fresh who played a game of hide-and-go-seek. First
he was announced as being present, and the DJ began to play TI's new song
featuring Mannie. When Mannie didn't come out, TI performed the song alone. Then
no sooner than the song was done, Mannie appeared almost magically on stage, at
which point the song was performed again. There was also the Micheal Vick
mystery. He was twice said to have been in the building, but he never
materialized before the audience, although with the fifty or so people that were
crowding the too small stage, a look-a-like could have very well been possible.

What, you ask, would an album release party be without a fight? Well obviously
nothing unless there is three of them. Within the first thirty minutes of the
show, three fights broke out, the first being an attack by security (and some
randon kat that just wanted to fight) on a young man who was throwing what
seemed to be a demo directly at the stage in the direction of Jazzy Pha and TI.
As he was beaten by a man the size of a small car, his demo was tossed into the
crowd by someone on stage. Hint #364- Throwing your demo at a producer while he
is on stage performing is not a good way to get discovered, but it is a good way
to get your face beat in.

A second brawl breaks out and TI shows his wit saying, "A man ya'll cut that
shit out what you got to fight about?" With no end to the tussle in sight he
says, "Ight then just keep that shit by the door". Then not five minutes later,
another fight breaks out, this time to outlasting the song TI is performing. The
music stops and TI, shirt off, is yelling into the mic, "A ya'll can fight all
you want, this ain't gone stop the show." As security finally gets a hold of
things, TI comes in on cue, "Man I'm glad security takin that outta here but
wait a minute, that nigga right there was kickin his ass! For a long time!" The
crowd erupts in laughter as the two men who obviously missed their last anger
management class, were carried outside.

For some his title may be debatle. For others, his title may not matter. As a
visibly exhausted crowd left the club at three thirty in the morning promising
to purchase the CD later that day, one thing was definite though. Whether or not
anyone else sees that crown on TI's head, he does, and make no mistake, being
dethroned is not a part of the vision.

Nfared Vines




Go read my music reviews!!

www.middlechildpromotions.com ---NFARED













---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]