11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘Place I find peace.' T.I.'s venture to stand-up comedy transcends career switch
There was one question on everybody's mind when Grammy Award-winning musician T.I. decided to take his talents to comedy.
Why?
The artist born Clifford Harris has multi-platinum hits, owns a successful music label in Grand Hustle Records and starred in several iconic movies including 'ATL' and 'American Gangster.' Yet, for the venerable entrepreneur and philanthropist hailing out of the Westside of Atlanta — the Bankhead neighborhood, to be exact — there was another dimension of his artistry that he hadn't displayed. That is, until he hit the stage.
'This is the place I find peace,' Tip Harris, best known as T.I., said of performing as stand-up comic. 'It's a freedom. It's therapeutic. That's what fuels my journey and my passion.'
T.I.'s unique form of therapy will be on full display Friday and Sunday as he and his comedy troupe 'HaHa Mafia' will take the stage at the Miami Improv Comedy Theater in Doral. Stand-up comedy, however, is far from a money-making venture; it's a way for T.I. to not only express himself but to shine the light on other comics, like his fellow mafia members, Tyler Chronicles and Erica Duchess.
'In my music, I'm serious because it comes from a very serious part of my life,' T.I. said. 'And that's probably the escape that I get in comedy because s*** be so serious and heavy in the music and now I can get out and tell a whole another side of the same experiences.'
The truth is, comedy, like many entertainment jobs, has a wide gap in terms of salary, especially for Black comedians. On one end, you have the Kevin Harts and Dave Chappelles of the world. Conversely, you have the men and women who fight to get an opportunity for a 10-minute set at an open mic. That spectrum has influenced T.I. to try to level the playing field – both within the stand-up but also in his cinematic endeavors, with launching independent film projects like 'Da 'Partments.'
'Most of the time, stories are being told by people who are far from the community so we have less of an ability to relate,' T.I. said, adding that he has a venture set to debut soon entitled 'In The Trap' which will feature up-and-coming acts similar to that of 'Comic View' or 'Def Comedy Jam.'
'If you not making it to a Netflix special,' T.I. added, 'there's no really other place for comics to be seen.'
Enter T.I.
'I ain't come in here to make a whole lot of money,' T.I. said, later adding that comedy, for him, is about 'having a good time, connecting with the audience and showcasing other people who I feel like their lives to this s*** and deserve to be seen and heard.'
'The love and affection and affinity that he has for comedy,' added Tyler, who was previously a cast member on MTV's Wild 'n Out, 'it really reignited that for all of us in the HaHa Mafia to be like 'Yeah, you know what? This s*** is fun.' And now, it has afforded us the opportunity to get ourselves in clubs that we might not be able to get to on our own merits.'
HaHa Mafia, which also includes Kelly K-Dubb and Ronnie Jordan, have known T.I. for years. In fact, it was K-Dubb that essentially kind of forced T.I.'s entry into comedy when he randomly called him up on stage in the early 2020s.
'When you're kind of just pushed into the pool and you find out you can swim by way of getting your first laugh, it kind of becomes infectious,' T.I. said.
Those laughs, however, paled in comparison to people praising his music or his acting.
'It was a different level of gratification for me and a different level of connection with the audience,' T.I. said.
Comedy wasn't always easy for him. T.I. was even famously booed in 2022 during a show at the Barclays Center. He took it in stride – stand-up comedy is truly one of the most difficult art forms – and bounced back.
People, because of their own shortcomings and fears and insecurities, they just try to push that on other people,' T.I. said. 'It's called projection and I understand that that exists but I don't allow it to become a part of my life.'
It didn't hurt to have a team of comedians around him who can help sharpen his skills, either.
'We have conversations about the philosophy,' T.I. said of him and the HaHa Mafia, explaining that him and the troupe speak very regularly. ' What makes things funny to this demographic versus this demographic versus this demographic and we kind of manipulate that to bend the air, if you will, to make that s*** work for our present positions and perspectives.'
Noted Erica, an Atlanta mother of three who's been a comedian for a decade: 'He's improved a lot. People don't know that he's already naturally funny – not just on the stage but off the stage. So now people are seeing his character on that level. Getting to the punchlines faster, that's one of the things he has improved at. And coming up with good stories.
Profound stories, for any comedian, are vital. But for Black comics, who, to paraphrase Bill Bellamy, are essentially cultural reporters for their communities, the task often hits closer home. To strike a balance between navigating racism and other inequities that Black communities endure and meeting the desires of an audience who wants to kickback and laugh at jokes is challenging, to say the least.
'We all know the feeling of when them police lights come on behind the car,' T.I. underscored. 'We all can relate to that. That's what we call a trauma bond — and that's what we present in our stories to the people.'
