On his new song “What It’s Come To,†rapper T.I. says he’s up against “some lying-ass bitches,†in an apparent reference to the multiple allegations of sexual assault and drugging leveled against him and his wife Tiny. The couple, who have repeatedly denied the claims, are currently under criminal investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. The investigation was opened after an unnamed woman spoke virtually to the police in April. This all comes months after dozens of alleged victims across several states came forward with accusations of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and drugging. Multiple of them called for a criminal investigation. T.I. and Tiny’s attorney told Vulture earlier this week that the couple has “not spoken to or been contacted by†police in Los Angeles or Las Vegas (a case was closed in the latter state due to to the statute of limitations for sexual assault). They are also facing a defamation lawsuit from a woman who alleges that T.I. once held her at gunpoint.
In “What It’s Come To,†T.I. raps that he’s never been ashamed to look in the mirror, and that he has a “heart of gold†and pure motives. “They say hell have no fury like a woman scorned, fuck that, I’m cranking up the jury, who you lying on shawty,†he says. The lyrics go on to suggest that his accusers are attempting to extort him, and that claims of this nature should not be made through “anonymous provocative conversations.†Near the end of the track, he references going to jail for a year after refusing to talk to police about their investigation of Big Meech, who was convicted for drug dealing. Comparing their situations, T.I. describes Meech as “willing to face whatever consequences for his vision, while I’m up against some lying-ass bitches.â€
Update, June 8, 3:20 p.m.: On June 7, T.I. released a music video for “What It’s Come To†that features a woman identified as “The Parasite.†She plots to make money by making false allegations against T.I. and Tiny and recruits other women via text to play “fake victims.†The video’s intro places a laugh track under the voice of Sabrina Peterson, an accuser who alleged that T.I. held her at gunpoint. The audio comes from a May 26 video in which Peterson offered to drop her defamation lawsuit if the couple apologized within seven days. “Tell the truth and apologize, and I’m gone,†she said, adding that she didn’t want any payment (T.I. wrote “An Apology????†in the caption of a photo posted on May 31 of him laughing). A clip from Peterson’s request for an apology is also included in the video’s outro, shortly before “The Parasite†is is flattened by a dumpster that falls from the sky. The music video’s final shot is of promotional art for T.I.’s album Kill the King, which is billed as “the final album.â€
Peterson responded to the video on her private Instagram account. In screenshots posted by the Shade Room on June 8, she wrote that public opinion cannot save T.I., adding that that he is not taunting her but rather his investigators and the other women that he has victimized. “I took the high road & tired to give mercy but you repaid it with mockery,†she said in the caption. “Get out the booth & behind cameras & SEE ME IN COURT!â€