T.I. shares the real reason behind his rap retirement at 45

T.I. has opened up about his decision to retire from rap, revealing that stepping away from music has felt like the natural next chapter after years in the industry.

The 45-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., said in a recent interview that his newly released album Kill the King will be his final project.

"I had been living a retired life for some time, probably since the pandemic," he told People. "I got used to being home and being around, and I just didn't want to do so much work."

Although he had largely stepped back from recording, the Atlanta-born artist felt he owed fans one last farewell.

"I don't think I could just disappear all of a sudden and nobody know why I've never put anything out again," he explained. "So I wanted to have a project and say, 'Hey man, this is it. Thank you for all the love and support.'"

T.I. said the title of his farewell album had been planned for years, tracing the idea back to advice he received early in his career from OutKast star Big Boi after adopting the nickname "King of the South."

T.I. said Big Boi warned him that claiming the title would make him a target. "He told me, 'Chess is a game of life. The game of chess is to kill the king,'" T.I. recalled. 

"At that moment, I knew that would be the title of my last album," he added.

The rapper also reflected on his latest single, Let 'Em Know, which was produced by Pharrell Williams and reached No. 1 on Billboard's R&B and Hip-Hop charts.

"I knew it was going to go. I just didn't know how fast and how far," he said, adding that the song was recorded aboard a yacht in the Atlantic Ocean.

Looking ahead, T.I. said he's ready to hand the spotlight to the next generation, including his sons Domani and King, who are both pursuing careers in rap.

T.I. is currently on his farewell King Succession Tour, which launched this month and features his sons, King and Domani, as he performs across major U.S. cities in support of Kill the King. The tour is also being billed as his final run of live shows.