A "TRL" Breakout Star of 2005, CEO of Grand Hustle Records and king of the South — T.I.'s been called all of those things.

But Tuesday in Atlanta, he was happiest to hear his favorite title: "Daddy." Tip was enjoying a rare day off from the road, where he's been pumping up his latest LP, Urban Legend.

"They starting to know, they starting to recognize what I do," he said about his daughter's elementary school classmates. He also said that balancing family life and his profession is "difficult, but it must be done" (see "T.I.'s Rubber-Band-Man Guide To Keeping The Bounce In Your Hip-Hop Career").

That balancing act is about to get tougher, because Tip is adding "entrepreneur" to his list of titles: He's in the process of coming out with official clothing and sneaker lines. Currently a spokesperson for the S. Carter sneaker line, the ATL native is in negotiations to come out with his own sneaker through Jay-Z's shoe label.

"We just have to finalize the deal, get all the particulars taken care of, but it's definitely in the works," the Rubber Band Man explained. "The sh--'s gotta be fly."

T.I. said the shoe is still in the design phase, but he has a strong idea of what he wants.

"I like a mixture of things," he said. "I like a classy, basic tennis shoe like the S. Carter, Air Force One or classic Reebok. I also like the new-age or new-school sneakers like the Michael Vicks or Air Max or [Air] Huaraches. We gotta find a cross between them two [genres]."

Any dude with hot footwear knows he has to have the gear to match, and the MC hopes to have his clothing line, the Crown Collection, come to fruition by the fall.

  "The T.I. Trilogy."

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