Despite the Hawks losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime on April 1, the atmosphere at Phillips Arena following the game was cheerful.
About 10 minutes after the defeat, rapper T.I. returned to the court for his second performance of the night, following a two-song show during halftime.
His post-game set was perfect for Atlanta residents that needed an extra boost of hometown pride.
Prior to his performances, T.I. spoke with the media about a few of his upcoming projects.
Here are five takeaways from the press conference and the post-game concert:
- According to T.I., his tenth studio album and first under a new distribution deal with Roc Nation, will be the 2016 version of his sophomore album "Trap Muzik." He declined to reveal any further information about the album's release.
- The rapper didn't have to revisit the original "Roots" miniseries, based on Alex Haley's novel, for his role in A+E's upcoming "Roots" revival. His character, Cyrus, wasn't featured in the original film. Still, he believes viewers will enjoy Cyrus' "rebellious" spirit. According to Variety, the rapper will appear in the fourth installment of the miniseries as a slave who fights for the Union Army.
- As one of the newest owners of music streaming service Tidal, T.I. says he partnered with the company because he believes it is putting the power back into the hands of artists. "The agenda is to put the power back into the hands of the people who actually make the music and influence the culture," he said. Read: T.I. joins the Tidal team
- T.I. has more hits than you might remember. From "Rubber Band Man" and "What You Know" to "Live Your Life," the rapper has a slew of top 40 hits. He performed snippets of many of them during the post-game concert. "We [have] hits. We can do this all day," he said at one point during the concert. It's unknown whether or not T.I.'s upcoming album will add to the list of hits, but fans seemed more than content with revisiting the throwback singles during the concert. Note: The rapper did perform his current single "Money Talk" during halftime.
T.I. is the latest of many Atlanta artists to perform as a part of the Sprite concert series during Hawks games this season. Jeezy, Rich Homie Quan and Big Grams have also participated in the series.
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