KING: 20 Years Later

The Album That Crowned T.I. King of the South

Magnum Opus.

A Latin phrase from the 1700s used by alchemists to describe “great works.”

It shouldn’t be used lightly, only in special circumstances like alchemy, where elements combine in a way that produces gold. Elements that produced great work.

On March 28th, 2006, T.I. released his 4th studio album “King,” and for many it was his magnum opus — the greatest work of his career.

After 3 albums with increasing momentum, the stage was set for his career to take the next step, and King overdelivered on all fronts.

It arrived the same week as his feature film debut in ATL.

This was during an era when 106 & Park still helped break records, malls were the weekend spot, and stores like FYE let you preview albums before dropping money on the CD (and Best Buy had first-week exclusives for $9.99).

This week is the 20th anniversary of King, and no matter where you rank it in T.I.’s discography, it’s arguably the most important album of his career.

Let’s revisit it.