T.I. to teach “Business of Trap Music” course at Clark Atlanta University
The class will be available at the HBCU this fall.
This fall, T.I. will be heading to Clark Atlanta University to teach a course on “The Business of Trap Music” alongside hip hop scholar Dr. Melva K. Williams. Speaking with Billboard, the Atlanta-bred trap pioneer explained that the class will teach the history of the sub-genre’s origins and the financial aspect of how impactful trap music is on today’s hip hop.
“I’m excited to share my experiences and whatever resources or information I have that can be an asset for the future,” 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.”
“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 reflected. “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 [Mane] to be accepted.”
T.I. has also worked with the HBCU to provide scholarships for each of Rayshard Brooks’ children. The 27-year-old Black father of four was fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer earlier this month in a Wendy’s parking lot.
“What we concluded is if everyone does a little, nobody has to do a lot,” T.I. told the outlet about his conversation with university president George T. French Jr. “We’re doing all we can as a community to uplift the [Brooks] family here in Atlanta. If something happens to one of us, it could happen to any of us.”
As previously reported by REVOLT, Tip joined protesters demanding justice for Brooks on June 13. A few days later, ex-officer Garrett Rolfe was charged with murder.