T.I. is fully invested in his comedy career, but fans are hardly laughing at the wait for his final two albums. He has been teasing his rap retirement since 2021, but no one other than the man himself really knows when he will take his final bow.

The “Rubber Band Man” was a juggernaut of a hitmaker for a decade-plus run in the 2000s. His features include JAY-Z, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Destiny’s Child, Robin Thicke, Kanye West and the list goes on. His discography boasts four singles that claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a total of 19 Grammy nominations and three wins and years of praise for being one of the most successful rappers hailing from Atlanta. Yet, he is adamant that his chapter as the “King of the South” is coming to an end.

The Grand Hustle Records’ head honcho recently spoke with GAFollowers about the status of the projected double-record, Kill the King and Kiss the King. Off top, T.I. reiterated, “I keep saying I got two more albums,” but “when [I’m going to] present them, how [I’m going to] present ‘em,” he doesn’t know. As previously reported by REVOLT, the lyrical farewell will mark his twelfth studio effort. “I go and record all the time. I can play two albums worth of music right now.” So, that begs the question, what is the hold-up on delivering the anticipated bodies of work? “I just ain’t really into doing the work that it takes to put it out,” he admitted.

Furthermore, the emcee shared, “It’s really just that … I could just throw the music out there, but I, you know, the work that comes with releasing an album is something I haven’t pushed myself to want to do.” That work has much to do with photoshoots and press days to promote the project. “That’s the nuts and bolts of it. I think it gets down to the bottom line being I don’t want a job. I don’t want a job. I’ve been working, man, 25 years. I don’t want no job. I wanna do things that I really, really, like, enjoy doing.”

For now, fans will have to count the delay as a blessing that T.I. has not ended a rap era. His last album, The L.I.B.R.A., was released in 2020 and before that, it was 2018’s Dime Trap. And in true comedic fashion, he told GAFollowers that a Pimp Squad Click mixtape is well on the way. “Oh yeah, now that’s something I can do. Me and the P$C we [are] actively working on releasing music to the world. That’s something that I can definitively say is in the works. And it’s in collaboration with DJ Drama and Gangsta Grills. We gon’ do a new In da Streets."

And for doubters, T.I. is certain the project will come to fruition because it requires very little of him. “I don’t have to show up. Once I do the music and the music catch on … you got [Young] Dro, you got [Big] Kuntry [King], you got Man [Boney], man, I can come in the last five minutes of it, ‘Hey, what’s up y’all. How y’all doing? Yeah, man, y’all go get that, man,’” and then dip off having fulfilled his promotional duties with minimal schedule constraints.