T.I. vs. T.I.P. is the fifth studio album by American rapper T.I., released on July 3, 2007 through Grand Hustle Records, Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took a year and a half to record towards early 2007, as T.I. stated and confirmed in an interview with MTV News. Production was handled by several record producers, including Kannon "Caviar" Cross, Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh, Lil' C, Wyclef Jean, Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Sedeck "All Hands on Deck" Jean, Keith "Lil' Wonda" Duplessis, Kevin "Khao" Cates, Timbaland, Bao Quoc Pham, Steve Holdren, Nate "Danja" Hills, The Runners, Tony Galvin, Eminem, Jeff Bass, and Keith Mack, among others. Notably, it is also his first album not to feature production from his frequent collaborator DJ Toomp. Upon its release, T.I. vs. T.I.P. received mixed reviews from music critics, but was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and selling over 470,000 copies in its first week. It also achieved nearly respectable international chart placements, produced three singles that attained chart success (including the lead single "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)"), and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). T.I. vs. T.I.P. was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, losing to Kanye West's Graduation at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. The album won the American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the American Music Awards of 2007, with T.I. also winning the American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist that year. Background Shortly after the release and major success of his 2006 efforts (his big screen acting debut ATL and his critically acclaimed fourth studio album King), T.I.'s friend, personal assistant, and an employee of his Grand Hustle Records, Philant Johnson was shot dead after a nightclub brawl between T.I.'s entourage and some Cincinnati thugs. After Johnson's death, T.I. mentioned that the business of rapping no longer felt good and admitted that he was seriously considering quitting music altogether. In the leaflet included with the album, T.I. dedicates the album to Philant "Big Phil" Johnson as well as his daughters Leiah Amoré Harris (who was born stillborn) and Deyjah Princess Harris; his three sons Messiyah, Domani, and Clifford Harris, and the mother of his children Tameka "Tiny" Cottle. Recording On March 19, 2007, via phone from Atlanta with MTV News, T.I. revealed some of the album's collaborators.