T.I. has shared new music amid his back-and-forth with 50 Cent, declaring himself “the strongest for the longest” and among the “top three” in Atlanta.
The track was first previewed alongside a photo of Tip in a mask and sunglasses on X and Instagram. Though initially speculated as a preview of a longer track, the minute-plus song has since been shared to streaming services under the title “War.”
It’s unclear whether the song will ultimately appear on the Grand Hustle co-founder’s forthcoming Kill the King album. The album, notably, has been teased as potentially being T.I.’s last.
“The bear hibernating, don’t poke him / When you see the giant sleeping, shouldn’t have woke him,” T.I. raps in the clip.
Deeper into the track, he urges unspecified foes to “please hop off of my scrotum” before declaring himself “the strongest for the longest” and an all-time icon of the Atlanta rap scene.
“Top three in my city, you know I’m in that / And I ain’t number three, what you gettin’ at?” he raps.
Elsewhere, T.I. laments those who “pretend that the king won’t get a sledgehammer for an insect.” The preview closes out with him asking, “Oh, you n***as want war?” before breaking out into laughter.
To be clear, Fif is not directly mentioned in the previewed track. The timing, however, has some fans wondering if this is intended for the Atlantan’s would-be VERZUZ competitor.
As you’ll recall, talk has revived as of late about T.I.’s previous desire to take on 50 Cent in a VERZUZ event, which has led to a back-and-forth that has played out on social media in recent weeks. At one point, Fif called Tip “King Rat” in an IG comment, spurring a response.
“You playing on MY NAME when only one of us a rat in real life…you know I got your paperwork right?” T.I. wrote earlier this month. “And my transcript is available online. Your excuses is useless. Get yo ho ass in the box or STFU and live in fear. You soft son. You’ve lost my respect. Fckn [duck].”
This was followed by more from both artists, including T.I. saying on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast that he didn’t want to “stand on stage” with Fif at this point, adding, “I don’t respect him.”
As for T.I.’s new album, he rolled out “Let ‘Em Know,” produced by Pharrell, as the lead single back in January. Revisit it below.