T.I. turned his retirement lap into a victory lap as “Let ’Em Know” earned an RIAA Platinum plaque while the Atlanta rap heavyweight prepared to close his recording career with “Kill the King.”
In April, the Recording Industry Association of America certified the Pharrell Williams-produced single Gold after it reached the equivalent of 500,000 units in the United States. The achievement gives T.I. another commercial milestone more than two decades after his rise. “Let ’Em Know” arrived Jan. 18 as the lead single from Kill the King, the album T.I. has positioned as his final studio project.
“Kill the King” carries additional intrigue beyond Pharrell. T.I. previously revealed to AllHipHop that Dr. Dre contributed music to the project, adding another heavyweight producer to what has been positioned as the rapper’s farewell album. The Gold plaque therefore arrives at an intriguing point in T.I.’s career. Retirement usually suggests an artist looking backward. Tip’s final stretch has him doing almost the opposite.
