T.I. still wants you to know that he’s the godfather of trap music. In an interview with Nick Cannon released Tuesday, T.I. opened old wounds with fellow Atlanta-based rapper Gucci Mane pertaining to who started trap music. In 2018, the two trap music pioneers engaged in a petty Instagram beef, with the rappers trading posts declaring themselves the inventor of the genre.
In 2019, T.I.’s comparing the trap music inventor debate to The Wire. When talking to Cannon, T.I. compared himself to Stringer Bell, while calling Gucci Mane Avon Barksdale.
“(Do) You watch The Wire?” T.I. said. “You do know that Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale hold the same amount of weight, they produce the same amount of action and activity, they just go about it in different ways.
“Stringer Bell has a vision beyond his present circumstances and is working toward a certain goal. Avon Barksdale loves what he is so much, he leaves everything on the court. People who appreciate Barksdale, they (are) going to tell you Gucci Mane started trap. But, that(‘s) because of how they see themselves in life. There’s nothing you can do to change that. People who see themselves as a Stringer Bell, who have different visions and ambitions for themselves, they know that T.I. created trap music. The only thing about this group of people is they’re supported by facts.”
T.I. ends his argument with his signature statement on the topic, stating the words trap and music have never been combined until August 19, 2003, which is the release date of his second album, Trap Muzik. For now, T.I. has the last word, unless Gucci Mane makes it a point to respond.
