Talk about a throwback! Before the sold-out arenas, before the Grammys and the diamond records, T.I. and Usher were just two hungry kids from Atlanta with a dream, and FreddyO has the vintage footage to prove it. Check out a young Tip and a young Usher performing together at a kids birthday party in the A, their first show together, long before the world knew their names. The talent was already written all over them.
Watching this clip in 2009 is almost unreal when you see where they are today. T.I. is on top of the rap game with Paper Trail, one of the biggest albums in the country, powered by monster hits like ‘Whatever You Like’ and ‘Live Your Life’ with Rihanna. Usher is R&B royalty, fresh off Here I Stand and his smash ‘Love in This Club,’ with a voice and a stage show the whole industry studies. Two Atlanta boys who used to rock birthday parties now run the charts.
That is what makes Atlanta special. This city raises stars in church choirs, school talent shows and neighborhood parties, and it stands behind them until the whole world catches up. Even as kids you can see it: the confidence, the showmanship, the hunger. In the gallery below, catch up with Tip and the cast at The Grand Hustle premiere party, and Q from 112’s birthday celebration right here in the ATL.
Salute to T.I. and Usher for never forgetting where it all started, and to whoever had the camera rolling at that party: you captured history! Press play and take the trip back with us, then tell us in the comments: could you already see the stars they would become?
Watch more exclusive videos on the FreddyO YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@freddyo1983
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