October 10, 2008

T.I. Gets Political As Guest Editor Of 'King'

By Shaheem Reid (MTV.com)

T.I. might have phoned some things in, but he didn't dial it in as the guest editor in chief for King magazine's November issue - the man with the #1 album in the country gave the publication his all.

"It's only right that King would indeed have a King as editor in chief," T.I. said in a statement. "I guess this is, indeed, my magazine. Understand that. ... Keep it pimpin'."

"We always intended to work with Tip on a bigger level," King's regular E.I.C., Jermaine Hall, told MTV News. "He had done [the fashion section] Tag for us in the past and other sections of the magazine and always did a really good job. He was always thorough with it. So when we started the discussion for this issue, we saw he was taking it seriously. He really wanted to run the magazine for an issue. That was the deciding factor."

The issue - with Reagan Gomez-Preston, the co-star from Tip's current video, as the cover girl - has a political theme. Besides his guest editing, some of T.I.'s thoughts show up in print, such as a dream collaboration with T-Pain and blunders made by President Bush over the past eight years. One of the mag's highlights is a roundtable discussion moderated by the Parker Report's Erik Parker. Tip and other notables, such as Kevin Powell and Yung Berg, discuss a myriad of topics, including voting.

"When I'm speaking to young people," T.I. said, "and they say, 'Who you voting for?' I say, 'Well, what you think's wrong with the country? What problems do you need to be fixed? OK, then cut your PlayStation off and turn to CNN and listen to these people. Listen to each of the candidates' platforms, and whoever you think is speaking passionately and intelligently and will do the things you think need changed, that's who you vote for.' It ain't as easy as saying, 'T.I., OK, tell me who to vote for.' "

"I got a phone call on my cell from Tip saying, 'Yo, I'm at the roundtable,' " Hall recalled. " 'I'm gonna hit this point, that point. What else do you need me to take care of for the issue?' It was his suggestion to grab Reagan for the cover. He went far and beyond really doing his job for the magazine. It reminded me when Bono had the guest-editor spot for Vanity Fair - dude went in. It was very important for me with this issue to be able to really reach the 18-, 19-, 20-, 21-year-olds, those people who weren't so politically aware in the past. With his reach and influence, it was really a no-brainer."

You want to talk about reach - Tip just celebrated his third consecutive #1 album, with Paper Trail debuting atop the charts Wednesday. He also has the current # 1 song in the country with "Live Your Life" - that track actually bumped Tip's other smash, "Whatever You Like," down a spot this week. Tip and Rihanna recently filmed the video for "Live Your Life," and it should be out soon.