July 03, 2007

T.I. Regrets Scuffle With Ludacris' Manager; Says LP Is 'Best Hip-Hop Has To Offer'

By Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Bridget Bland (MTV.com)

T.I. says his fans know that even though he's an almost flawless entertainer, he's not perfect. He has publicly apologized for his altercation last week with Ludacris' manager Chaka Zulu and says he's glad his supporters haven't turned their backs on him.

"I appreciate all the support of the people and all the fans' concerns," he said last week at the BET Awards in L.A. "I appreciate people bearing with me and understanding that as good and perfect at one thing as I may be, it's still a lot of things about myself I'm still working on, and I appreciate you working with me."

Tip would not go into the specifics of what happened with Zulu at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, California, but did express remorse over the incident.

"I would just say that it was very unfortunate and very inappropriate," he said. "I won't divert attention away from such a positive event here at the BET Awards. I want to keep the focus on what we're here to do: that's to celebrate success. And I think that's more important."

The King of the South is forecasting just that - much success - for his next LP, Tuesday's T.I. vs. T.I.P.. Not only is it killing all his other projects, he says, but it smashes anything in the current marketplace.

"The absolute best hip-hop has to offer right now," he said when asked to describe his record. "This is my best body of work, hands-down, and not only my best album, but it's the best [hip-hop] album to be dropped in a number of years. You have to go back to Aquemini, All Eyez on Me, Reasonable Doubt, Ready to Die. You have to go back to all those classics to compare this album to."