'The Family Hustle’: T.I. On Balancing Work, Wife And Kids

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By Nadeska Alexis

VH1 rolled out the season premiere of "T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle" last week, but when the show hit the air on Monday night (December 5) for its official debut, fans were treated to an additional episode. During the two 30-minute clips, we watched T.I. get adjusted to life after prison, which included balancing family life with his efforts to get back on track in hip-hop. When MTV News caught up with Tip in NYC last week, the Atlanta rapper explained what it felt like, trying to get back in his lane with the cameras in tow.

“I think the best part about it was the fact that I just came back, so I had nothing to really compare it to,” he said. “It all came at the same time. I didn’t get home, get used to being home, didn’t have to adjust...It was just [like] this is the new way. So as I came home and got acclimated with my home life, the show was a part of that, so I got used to both things at the same time.”

During the second episode, T.I.’s struggle to keep up with work and family becomes more apparent as he tries to attend two of his sons’ football games, plus rehearsal for the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards in a short period of time. When he wasn’t able to make all three--thanks in part to his driver missing an exit on the highway--Tip opted to skip rehearsals and attend the games instead. After being away for so long, the Rubberband Man says that trying to find a happy medium between work and family was the most difficult part of being back home.

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“I’ll say the balance of both, it’s complex and sometimes stepping away from it for week, a day, a month, can...once you get back into it, it reminds you exactly how much work it is, so the combination of both or all things, that took the most adjusting.”

[url=http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/12/05/vh1-ti-tiny-family-hustle-balancing-work-life-kids/]View the full article[/url]