T.I. is using his interest in real estate to directly benefit the people in his community.

While on stage with Dame Dash and DJ Envy for informative dialogue with the Earn Your Leisure Network, T.I. shared real estate was his first step to diversifying his portfolio starting back in 2001.

As AfroTech previously mentioned, T.I. has an estimated net worth of $50 million and some of that can be credited to his major investments in real estate, with one of his homes valued at $2 million.

Although impressive, the rapper’s interests in real estate have focused less on residential properties and more on commercial properties.

He also recognizes the sector provides another avenue to directly give back to his community and announced his first real estate development, mixed-use affordable housing will be opening soon in Bankhead.

“Real estate was the first step that I took to diversify my portfolio,” T.I. said. “I started buying and flipping houses in 2001 with my uncle. As it grew, I just went from residential to commercial and just continued to buy, build, and grow. And now it’s grown to a place — I’m about to complete my first real estate development, mixed-use affordable housing right on Bankhead where I grew up at. Just seeing how much good use I can put my money to, you know what I mean? Because there was so many times I could have went and bought things that were more liabilities than assets, and I have still done that too, but I see how much more value the money can bring not just [for] myself, for others as well. That’s how we can build communities, you know what I mean? Not just have our money represent us, but have our money represent our communities as well.”

 

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T.I. believes affordable housing can be a solution to gentrification that has wrongfully forced many in Atlanta, GA, out of their homes. He believes the people who created the culture should rightfully have a place in the city to call home.

“With gentrification, 95 percent of the people who work in Atlanta can’t afford to live in Atlanta because the natives of the community, they’ve been pushed out by big people who come in with the big developments. Our grandparents and great-grandparents, the houses they worked hard to own for decades, now they can’t afford to pay the taxes. They lose their houses. Now we are living on the outskirts of the city. That changes a lot of things within the infrastructure of the city —  whether that’s politics, it changes the culture. So, we have to make sure that the people who made this city and the culture of this city what it is, still have a place in this city and can afford to stay there. Somebody has to be a part of that charge,” T.I. said.

T.I. is also strengthening his portfolio with companies that align with his mission to help underserved communities.

The rapper candidly spoke about his involvement with Moolah Mobile, a platform created by entrepreneur Vernell Woods that helps people from low-income communities pay their phone bills by paying them for watching ads and completing surveys, as AfroTech previously told you.

“This tablet will offer wifi and just services to areas in our communities that they try and keep sh-t away from us. That’s how they keep the information away. Most people who live in the hood don’t even have proper Wi-Fi service. You know what I’m saying? So, I think that we found a way to have the people make money and have the government subsidize some things in our communities that are necessary. And that’s Moolah, Moolah Wireless and Moolah tablets,” T.I. said.

In August 2022, T.I. partnered with the company to distribute 200 Moolah tablets to Morris Brown College students and 12 months of data service, AllHipHop reports. The gesture was to ensure that HBCU students could have a stepping stone toward success by providing opportunities through technology.