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Tavis: Tip "T.I." Harris is a rising young hip-hop star, an actor who 'Vibe' magazine calls the Jay Z of the south. His latest CD 'King' debuted this week as the number one album in the entire land. He's also starring in the new film "ATL,' the story of a group of high school teens growing up in Atlanta. But back to the CD. From 'King,' here is some of the video for his hit single, 'What You Know.'

Tavis: Tip. How you living, man?

Tip "T.I." Harris: What's happening, what's happening?

Tavis: You doing all right?

Harris: All right, chilling.

Tavis: Let me start by saying congratulations. It must feel awfully nice to have the number one debut of the entire year. (Laugh) Feels good?

Harris: Yeah.

Tavis: Did you expect that?

Harris: Nah. (Laugh)

Tavis: (Laugh) Yeah, you did.

Harris: Nah, I didn't expect it.

Tavis: You wouldn't have invested all this time and energy in this if you didn't expect this thing to do well.

Harris: I knew it was gonna be well received, and I knew it was gonna have phenomenal success. But I didn't think the largest debut of the year, and the largest debut in southern rap history. I didn't think that.

Tavis: What do you think, this is cause for a little bit of immodesty, but what do you think made that happen? This is not your first CD. What about this one made it hit like this?

Harris: I think I just started at ground level and spread it out, and this is just the product of a lot of years of sacrifice and hard work.

Tavis: Did you make any concentrated effort to make this CD, this record, different from previous CDs?

Harris: Yeah, I made a conscious effort to make this my best CD of my career. Like, yet to date. For the simple fact that I called it 'King,' you know what I'm saying? So it had to support that title. I really, at the same time, went ahead with if it ain't broke, don't fix it attitude, because a lot of people like things about me and my previous albums. So I just kept at it, and added what I felt could have been better.

Tavis: So it is prophetic, ya'll. He called it 'King' 'cause he knew he'd be the king, and he is indeed the number one record in the country. The biggest debut of the entire year. But I mentioned earlier that comparison that so many people are making it, that vibe put out there, calling you the Jay Z of the south. You cool with that?

Harris: Yeah. I'm flattered. (Laugh) You know what I'm saying? Those are huge shoes to fill, but if you're gonna compare me to somebody, as long they great, I'm good. Yeah.

Tavis: So you like Jay Z, I take it.

Harris: Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. He's a person (unintelligible).

Tavis: Tell me about the movie, "ATL.' 'Cause the soundtrack, obviously - your music is connected to the film. So tell me about the movie "ATL,' for those who haven't seen it already. 'Cause I got some questions I wanna ask you about that.

Harris: It's basically just an honest look inside the lives of this group of teenagers that grew up in my city. The most honest representation of my culture and my city that's ever been put on screen before.

Tavis: Did you feel a particular responsibility about that? It's one thing to be a part of a film project, another to be a part of a, another thing, I should say, to be a part of a project about your hometown. Any pressure in that?

Harris: I just knew it couldn't be whack. (Laugh) It had to really be accurate, you know what I'm saying? And it had to be substantial. It couldn't be just another movie. You know what I'm saying? It couldn't exploit the culture, it couldn't exploit the lifestyle. It had to really be documentary type approach to it. So I'm real proud of it, and a lot of people put a lot of hard work, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it. And like what you see is, like, all our hard work.

Tavis: What story did you want the movie to tell, and do you think the movie tells that story, whatever it is?

Harris: Everybody really wanted the movie to tell the story of kids that lived in the hood that wasn't necessarily in the dope gang. Because, like, that's so wildly publicized, even by myself at some times. But it's important for people to see that just 'cause you in the hood and that's around you, everybody ain't doing that.

Everybody that comes from the hood ain't in that. And even some of us that were, we smart enough and know enough to make a way up out of that. And that don't, just to let people know that that don't bind, you ain't bound just to that one way of life. You can do whatever you want to, if you put your mind to it.

Tavis: I want to just get your opinion on this. This is not to cast aspersion on Warner Brothers, who's behind the film. They've been very good to me on this show over the years. But it's a legitimate question I wanna ask your opinion about. I've talked to some folk over the last few days who think that - and this ain't the first time this conversation's come up - who think that the trailer for the movie doesn't do justice to the movie.

To your brilliant answer now, the movie does tell a coming of age story about brothers who found a way, and who don't have to subject their lives to the drug culture. But in the trailer, you see Big Boy - I love Big Boy - who plays a drug dealer. You see those drug -

Harris: A very intelligent drug dealer.

Tavis: A very intelligent drug dealer. Most of them are, though. They ain't stupid, they just doing the wrong thing. But they ain't stupid, obviously. They know how to get paid. You just need to turn that to something legal.

Harris: I'm living proof.

Tavis: I know you are. (Laugh) We'll talk about your hustle in just a second. That said, though, this conversation I had the other day was with some people who thought that the trailer didn't do justice to the film. That if the movie really is about a coming of age story about these brothers who find a way, then why put the drug dealer in the trailer? Did you have any problems with that? It's not your decision. You don't do trailers, obviously.

Harris: It's my first movie.

Tavis: Right.

Harris: Like, everybody who I knew who saw the trailer said that it was wonderful. And then after they saw the movie, they said that I think the trailer's, like, the job the studio has when they make a trailer is to make you wanna see the movie.

And the job that the people who made the movie have is to make sure that when they wanna see the movie, that it's substantiating their anticipations from this trailer. And as long as people were satisfied, if it took a little negativity to get in there to force them to see something positive, then so be it.

Tavis: What does it say, you think, about your generation? That you have to hit them with some negativity, a drug dealer or the like, to pull them in to get a positive message?

Harris: When you start focusing on generations, you gotta look at the generation before that generation.

Tavis: Fair enough.

Harris: So I feel like if you're looking at my generation, then you know we got to look at the generation before us and ask, 'What could they have done more to show us that that ain't the thing that should draw you into the theaters?' We're a product of our environment. We do what we taught as humans. So we ain't really taught much, you can't really expect much.

Tavis: That might be the most intelligent thing I heard all day today. (Laugh) In the fine tradition of the Black church, I'll just say amen on that. Let me ask you right quick, what is on this CD, for those who haven't picked it up yet, and apparently, everybody has. (Laugh) It's already on the top of the charts. What you giving them on this?

Harris: Like I say, my best work yet. But I got productions from everybody from (unintelligible) DJ (word?), Neptunes, Swiss Beats, Just Blaze, K.O., Keith Mack, (unintelligible).

Tavis: My mama's watching this like, yeah, yeah, yeah, Keith Mack. (Laugh) Yeah, right.

Harris: And also appearances by Jamie Foxx. Your mama know Jamie Foxx.

Tavis: Yeah, my mama knows Jamie Foxx. My mama does know Jamie Foxx. (Laugh)

Harris: Okay? Jamie Foxx. (Word?) The P.S.C. (unintelligible).

Tavis: You (unintelligible) on this one.

Harris: Yeah.

Tavis: Let me ask you one last thing. On the acting thing, so, did you like this?

Harris: Did I like it? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

Tavis: Did Will Smith, who was one of the producers of it, with Overbrook. Will Smith, J.L., James Lasser.

Harris: (unintelligible), yeah.

Tavis: You got some pointers from Big Will?

Harris: Yeah, man. Will told me I'm gonna get out of it whatever I put into it. And I ain't went to sleep yet. (Laugh)

Tavis: Yeah, there you go. Listen to Big Will, you can't go wrong.

Harris: That's right.

Tavis: Nice to have you on the program.

Harris: Thank you, sir.

Tavis: And congratulations.

Harris: Thanks for having me.

Tavis: On the film and the CD.

Harris: Thank you, sir.

Tavis: That's our show for tonight. You can catch me on the weekends on PRI, Public Radio International. Check your local listings. See you back here next time on PBS. Until then, good night from L.A. Thanks for watching, and as always, keep the faith.