T.I. — The Nation’s Top Hip-Hop Dad
Despite reports to the contrary, the hip-hop generation has several stellar examples of fatherhood available to them. They can look to the high standard set by the nation’s first black president, Barack Obama. In him we find a dedicated husband and adoring father. And like so many others, it is the juxtaposition of the qualities that make him great against the qualities that make him human, that diminish his imperfections until they are nearly indiscernible.
Recently, a phenomenal younger man has seeded the culture with images of what it means to be a hip-hop generation family man. i.e., that is father, husband and son. T.I. is proof of the commitment to family that is inherent in black men and he stands in sharp contrast to the stereotypical deadbeat or negligent “baby daddy.” The successful rapper is also a living reminder that troubled young men from the nation’s urban centers are more than capable of facing down their challenges and confronting adversity to become victors and achieve great things.
From awards ceremonies to concert tours and ultimately inviting the cameras into your home, the stakes are high for everybody involved. Concert promoters, network executives and moviemakers all have a stake in the revenues the talented rapper generates. But T.I. and his wife, Tiny, and the Harris children have the larger stake in his success and his future and he deservedly gives them the lion’s share of his love and commitment.
These things we know for sure…
