Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia–based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. The label was distributed by Atlantic Records until December 2012. It currently operates as an independent record label. Its roster has included the artists 8Ball & MJG, B.o.B, Killer Mike, Young Dro, DJ Drama, Meek Mill, Chip, Travis Scott, and Trae tha Truth, the latter of whom also serves as the label's vice president. The label also houses a roster of record producers, which has included Lil' C, Mars and Nard & B.
The label has released 33 studio albums, with 14 of them certified gold or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The label has released six albums that reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, namely King (2006), T.I. vs. T.I.P. (2007), Paper Trail (2008), The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010), Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016) and Astroworld (2018). Grand Hustle has released many Top 40 hit singles, including "Bring 'Em Out", "What You Know", "Shoulder Lean", "Dead and Gone", "Airplanes", "Magic", "Strange Clouds", "Both of Us", "Antidote" and many more. Among those singles, six of them went on to reach the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart – "Whatever You Like", "Live Your Life", "Nothin' on You", "Sicko Mode" and "Highest in the Room".
History
2003–11: Beginnings and various signings
Due to the poor commercial reception of his debut album, I'm Serious, T.I. was released from his Arista Records contract. He then formed Grand Hustle Entertainment and began releasing several mixtapes, with the assistance of DJ Drama. He resurfaced in the summer of 2003, alongside fellow Atlanta rapper and former label-mate Bone Crusher, on the song "Never Scared", and he signed a joint venture deal with Atlantic Records. T.I. released his second album Trap Muzik on August 19, 2003, through Grand Hustle Records; it debuted at number four and sold 109,000 copies in its first week. It spawned the singles "24s", "Be Easy", "Rubberband Man", and "Let's Get Away". In March 2004, a warrant was issued for T.I.'s arrest after he violated his probation of a 1997 drug conviction. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
In 2005, fellow Bankhead-based rapper Alfamega signed a deal with Grand Hustle Records. In July 2005, the label released the soundtrack to the film Hustle & Flow. The soundtrack included the song "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp", which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Also in 2005, T.I. added American soul singer-songwriter Governor to the Grand Hustle roster, after Atlantic Records chose T.I. to act as his mentor. Atlantic Records' plan for Governor, who joined Atlantic's roster almost four years prior, was to market him a devotee, or a card-carrying member of T.I.'s "camp". Atlantic first tried to pair him with record producer Dr. Dre, and then with gangsta rapper 50 Cent. Both plans fell through. In search of quick street credibility, the label brokered a deal for the singer to join T.I.'s imprint. After appearing on several of DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz mixtapes, Governor later released his Grand Hustle debut Son of Pain, in September 2006.
By early 2006, T.I. had signed fellow Bankhead-based rapper Young Dro, to the label. Young Dro released the single "Shoulder Lean" in the summer of 2006. It had heavy rotation on BET and MTV2, and its cellular phone ringtone sold over 500,000 units. The single is featured on Dro's major-label debut Best Thang Smokin', released in late August the same year. In December 2006, the label released Grand Hustle Presents: In da Streetz Volume 4, a compilation album featuring contributions from several Grand Hustle artists including aforementioned newcomers Alfamega, Young Dro and Governor. The compilation's title comes from a mixtape series entitled In da Streetz, that T.I. and his hip hop ensemble Pimp $quad Click (P$C), released in their early careers.
On October 13, 2007, federal authorities arrested T.I. four hours before the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. He was charged with two felonies – possession of three unregistered machine guns and two silencers, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. The arrest was made in the parking lot of a downtown shopping center. T.I. was arrested after allegedly trying to purchase the guns from a "cooperating witness" with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. According to federal officials, the witness had been cooperating with authorities a few days prior to the T.I. arrest. The witness had been working as T.I.'s bodyguard since July, authorities said.