Diddy in a Ferrari, a young Kanye West, and the back of a beauty shop: The life and legacy of T.I.'s landmark sophomore album 'Trap Muzik' at 20 years old

• T.I.'s landmark sophomore album "Trap Muzik" is now 20 years old.
• Insider spoke to T.I., as well as DJ Toomp and Jermaine Dupri to discuss its life and legacy.
• "Being able to coin a phrase in hip-hop that will be around forever is amazing," Dupri said.

Great albums aren't always recorded in fancy music studios.

50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" was mostly recorded in producer Sha Money XL's New York basement. And Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago" was recorded in a hunting cabin in Wisconsin.

In the case of T.I.'s "Trap Muzik," it was the back of an Atlanta beauty salon that served as the canvas on which his landmark sophomore album would be painted.

"It was an old storage room that she rented out to us after hours," T.I. tells Insider.

Despite its humble origins, "Trap Muzik," released on August 19, 2003, proved to be T.I.'s big commercial break.

More than that, however, the project marked the birth of trap music as we know it today.

The history of trap music

Rappers had touched on the topic of the "trap" — a house from which drugs are sold — long before the release of "Trap Muzik."

UGK, 8Ball & MJG, and Master P all rapped about selling drugs in the early to mid-1990s. T.I. himself even mentioned "the trap" on his 2001 track "Dope Boyz."

However, no rapper had ever dedicated an entire album to the subject.

So, when T.I.'s debut album "I'm Serious" failed to take off commercially the way he had hoped — something he blames on minimal record label support, and a lack of "cohesiveness" — the Bankhead-born star knew what to do.

Across "Trap Muzik's" 16 tracks, T.I. delivered an honest and wide-ranging reflection on the nuances of trap life.

The rapper touched on everything from trying to find love ("Let Me Tell You Something") to dealing with neighbors who did not agree with his lifestyle ("Doin' My Job"). 

"It's basically a collection of stories, perspectives, and lessons learned from my teenage years," T.I. says.

"We wanted to make sure it was authentic to the lifestyle and the culture that we were representing," he adds. "We wanted it to sound like when cats is outside exchanging war stories, or going back-and-forth about conspiracy theories."

"We wanted it to be poignant, but also to the point."

Diddy's drive-by

To help deliver "Trap Muzik," T.I. enlisted the help of both familiar faces and newcomers.

DJ Toomp, who served as executive producer on T.I.'s first album, returned in the same capacity, while Jazze Pha and Mac Boney again had guest verses.

Producers The Neptunes and Lil Jon, however, made way for Jason Geter, David Banner, and Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

Ye, who was 26 at the time, and best known as a producer, helped craft "Doin' My Job" and "Let Me Tell You Something."

T.I. describes his recording session with Ye as "historic," noting that Ye played him a number of tracks from what would become his own seminal debut album, "The College Dropout."

"That shit was like, 'Whoa'," T.I. says. "After that, I knew he would either do exceptionally well, or exceptionally bad."

Meanwhile, Banner, fresh off scoring his first ever hit with "Like a Pimp," produced "Trap Muzik's" marquee track, "Rubber Band Man."

Released as the album's third single, the song peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has since been described as one of Atlanta's best rap songs ever.

T.I. says he knew the beat was "special" the second he heard it, but deliberately chose not to make it the album's lead single.

"It just had to be, you know, presented the right way," he says, referring to the song's star-studded music video, which featured cameos from Usher, Bow Wow, and Jagged Edge.

Diddy also appeared in the video — a cameo that T.I. says came about after a chance meeting with the rap mogul three years prior.

"It was just a regular weekend in Atlanta," he recalls. "I was having my car washed when I see a convoy pull up led by a Ferrari."

"I heard, 'Hey, you T.I?'" he says. "I said, 'Yeah, what's up? Who is that?' He said, 'Man, this Puff Daddy. I've been checking you out, man. You got some dope shit.'"

After that, the two exchanged numbers.

"Diddy being in the video was a huge deal for us and it played such an enormous role in this particular song being presented the way we hoped," T.I. says.

A lasting legacy

"Trap Muzik" was both critically acclaimed and a commercial success, with sales of over 1 million copies by 2007.

Legendary music producer Jermaine Dupri tells Insider that he feels the album resonated with people because it was "something fresh."

"It was something that was real, but at the same time was new as far as being heard and presented the way it was being presented," he says.

The album was also a significant landmark in hip-hop's history as it marked the birth of trap music as its own subgenre.

"He coined the name," says Dupri. "He basically created this space. Being able to coin a phrase in hip-hop that will be around forever is amazing."

"Not many people can claim to have done that," says Toomp.

Now, trap music is among the most popular subgenres of hip-hop.

Artists like 21 Savage and Future, both from Atlanta, are among the scene's most popular. As is Lil Baby, who has had three consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.

The sound of modern trap may be heavier and faster than that of "Trap Muzik," but the subgenre's core elements, namely its lyrical content, remain the same.

"I'm humble and blessed to have been able to start something so organically that 20 years has become a global sensation," T.I. says. "I think that's serendipity at its best."