Told You So
T.I. Lyrics

Grand Hustle Pimp..
T.I. is introducing himself as the Grand Hustle Pimp.

Hey, whats happenin shorty
T.I. is greeting his audience.

Me being a true player and all
T.I. refers to himself as a confident and respected individual.

I mean you know as a stand up guy you know
T.I. sees himself as a morally upright and trustworthy person.

I really hate to say I told you so
T.I. is hesitant to express his satisfaction in being proven right.

But, man I told you so
T.I. is acknowledging his foresight and accurate predictions.

When we said Pimp Squad Click, Grand Hustle was the business
T.I. and his crew claimed that Pimp Squad Click and Grand Hustle were the best in the business.

When we said their was a whole nother side of Atlanta
T.I. and his crew mentioned that there were other individuals in Atlanta who were involved in illegal activities.

A nother bunch of motherf***ers in the trap, y'all didnt know
There were other drug dealers in the city whom the audience was unaware of.

Man, I told you so
T.I. reiterates his triumphant attitude towards his predictions.

They thought a pimp wasn't s'posed to blow
Pimps were traditionally not expected to gain success and power.

Because I was rappin about moving o's and blow
T.I.'s lyrics were about his involvement in drug trafficking.

Pimp I told you so
T.I. once again confirms his true predictions about his success as a pimp.

They thought that Outkast closed the door
Outkast was perceived as the only successful rap group from Atlanta.

And Ludacris came in and sold his 4?
Ludacris was a successful rapper who was perceived to have taken over the industry.

The Mac, C-Rod, Kuntry and Dro
T.I. mentions his peers who were also gaining recognition in the industry.

And AK had the coldest flow
AK (possibly a reference to Ayanna Kimani) had the best rap style.

N****, I told you so
T.I. once again confirms his correct predictions about the industry and its players.

I said the future was right up under your nose
T.I. had indicated that the future stars of rap were right there in Atlanta, but people were not noticing them.

You thought the south wouldn't explode no more
The audience did not expect southern rap to become more popular in the future.

Remember, I told you so
T.I. reminds his audience of his accurate predictions.

Way back when Kriss-Kross was hollering "Jump" on ya tube
T.I. is recalling the early days of rap and the rise of Kriss-Kross.

They was still gettin jumped at school, we used to tote them tools
Despite their popularity, even Kriss-Kross was not immune to being bullied in school. T.I. and his crew carried weapons for protection.

Don't get me wrong I'll give respect to them dudes
T.I. acknowledges Kriss-Kross's contributions to the genre.

But approach us wrong, and we'll smoke them fools, ain't no joke it's the truth
T.I. and his crew were serious about defending themselves and their reputation.

F*** a hater, let 'em do what it do
T.I. is dismissing his haters and focusing on his own success.

I'm busy now, but I'll be through in a few
T.I. is busy with his work but will come back to handle business later.

And then I'm coming for you
T.I. will take revenge on those who have wronged him.

So keep s*** talking like it's something to do
T.I. is threatening those who talk about him behind his back.

I'll spend a 100 grand get a killer something to do
T.I. is willing to hire someone to kill his enemies.

I been hustlin since 92' when I heard UGK
T.I.'s involvement in the rap industry started in 1992 after being influenced by UGK.

Hollering "Pocket Full of Stones" I was on my way
UGK's "Pocket Full of Stones" inspired T.I. to become a drug dealer.

Had a history in the yay, before I started to trap
T.I. has experience with drugs and crime before he started selling drugs.

13, let me take you back farther than that
T.I. is about to discuss his family's history of crime.

When my uncles was baggin blocks, used to count the stacks
T.I.'s uncles were involved in drug dealing and he helped count the money.

I was only 8, and my grand-daddy can vouch for that
T.I.'s grandfather can confirm that T.I. was involved in drug counting at a young age.

And my pops had alot of work, alot of folk he got 'em work
T.I.'s father was a drug dealer who provided work for others in the community.

And ran numbers, said if he ain't wanna, he ain't gotta work
T.I.'s father also ran illegal gambling activities and allowed others to work only if they were willing.

Why I sold rocks, I guess I got from pops
T.I. believes that he inherited his father's business acumen and started selling drugs because of it.

My uncles ? man ? a chip off the old block
T.I.'s uncles also inherited their father's successful drug dealing skills.

The n**** you hear now the same one from off the old block
T.I. is the same person as his father and uncles, carrying on their legacy.

Who used to stand on Front St. and get off the old block
T.I. and his family used to hang out on Front St. before they became successful drug dealers.

I remember the P$C, Killer Mike, David Banner and me and YoungBloodz
T.I. remembers his peers in the rap industry, including P$C, Killer Mike, David Banner, and YoungBloodz.

Ran through Atlanta with heat, when even Atlanta was sleep
T.I. and his peers were making music and gaining recognition even when the city was not paying attention.

N****, back before you heard of me
T.I. was successful before his audience knew who he was.

I was middle man into serving keys when KC was serving 3
T.I. was a middleman in drug deals when KC was only dealing with small amounts.

I'm on top because I deserved to be
T.I. believes that he is successful because he has worked hard and deserved it.

So simmer down, calm your nerves at least
T.I. is telling his haters to calm down and not get worked up over his success.

Speak your words with peace
T.I. wants people to speak kindly and without aggression towards him.

Before you lay out on the curb deceased
T.I. is threatening those who speak badly about him to stay away or face violence.

Think about it, it's absurd to beef
T.I. is suggesting that fighting and arguing over something petty is foolish.

I took my songs to street
T.I. brought his music to the streets and became a popular rapper.

He told me dopeboy was the bomb in the street
T.I. was inspired by someone who told him that selling drugs was a successful business model.

Since then, my name rang like alarms in the street
T.I.'s reputation as a successful drug dealer and rapper has spread throughout the industry and the streets.

Who knew how long it would be
T.I. did not know how long it would take for him to become successful.

If only LA knew how wrong he could be
Someone named LA made a prediction about T.I. that was ultimately incorrect.

I told you ain't nobody stronger than me
T.I. claims that he is stronger than his peers in the industry and anyone who tries to bring him down.