T.I. Confirms B.o.B’s Collaboration With Taylor Swift

The Grand Hustle never stops.

In an interview with Fuse at the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas on Thursday (March 15), T.I. revealed that his Grand Hustle MC, B.o.B has secured a huge collaboration, with country pop singer Taylor Swift.

“I heard it," T.I. said of the collaboration between Taylor and Bobby Ray. “Taylor’s extended Hustle Gang. She a part of the crew. She just ain’t got her dog tags yet, but she’s a part of the crew, though.”

In the same interview, B.o.B revealed that the collaboration took place after Taylor came to Atlanta and formally reached out to Grand Hustle about working together.

Last year, B.o.B and Tip shared the same stage with Swift during two separate shows. First, B.o.B and Taylor rocked out to a rendition of his hit, “Airplanes,” in Dallas back in October. Then in December, the King joined Swift on stage in Atlanta, where Taylor sang Rihanna’s part in Tip’s hit, “Live Your Life.”

Footage of the latter appearance was shown on the VH1 reality series, T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle, on which Tip asks his daughter if he thinks he should be Taylor’s surprise guest after initial hesitation.

"I was pleasantly surprised and confused," T.I. told MTV News. "I was confused because I know it's a phenomenal opportunity, but being T.I. — the Rubberband Man — and Taylor Swift being America's Sweetheart, I had just gotten out of prison like two days [earlier] and all of a sudden my phone rings."

B.o.B’s sophomore album, Strange Clouds, is scheduled for a May 1 release.—Mark Lelinwalla