Us or Else

On July 22, 2016, during an interview with Ebro in the Morning on Hot 97, T.I. announced an EP, titled Us or Else.{{cite web|url=https://www.bet.com/article/euvo35/t-i-is-releasing-a-blacklivesmatter-project |title=T.I. Is Releasing an Entire Project Dedicated to #BlackLivesMatter | T.I. |publisher=BET |access-date=2016-11-18}} The EP was described to "be aimed at supporting the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and will speak explicitly about the twisted road race relations took in America to arrive at its current precarious state."[http://www.watchloud.com/2016/07/22/t-will-releasing-mixtape-dedicated-black-lives-matter/ ]{{dead link|date=November 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://thesource.com/2016/07/22/t-i-announces-new-mixtape-us-or-else-aimed-at-supporting-the-blacklivesmatter-movement/ |title=T.I. Announces New Mixtape, 'Us or Else,' Aimed at Supporting the #BlackLivesMatter Movement |date=22 July 2016 |publisher=The Source |access-date=2016-11-18}} The EP is also in response to the turmoil caused by the injustices going on in America, namely police brutality following the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2016/08/ti-we-will-not-premiere |title=T.I. Takes a Stand for Justice in New Video for "We Will Not" |publisher=Complex |date=2011-11-06 |access-date=2016-11-18}}

T.I. said he was "compelled" to write the EP "after the repeated deaths of unarmed black citizens at the hands of police."{{cite web|author=Noah Yoo |url=http://pitchfork.com/news/68482-ti-shares-new-ep-us-or-else-feat-meek-mill-killer-mike-listen/ |title=T.I. Shares New EP Us or Else Feat. Meek Mill, Killer Mike: Listen |publisher=Pitchfork |date=2016-09-23 |access-date=2016-11-18}}{{cite web|author=Adam Fleischer |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7526355/ti-us-or-else-ep-police-colin-kaepernick-protest |title=T.I. Talks Protest and 'Us or Else' EP |publisher=Billboard |date=2016-09-29 |access-date=2016-11-18}} T.I. has said that he is "late to the party" when it comes to what he calls "revolutionary art": "You know Common and Outkast and Public Enemy and KRS-One and Lupe [Fiasco] and Kendrick [Lamar] -- those are the ones. I am just the supporting cast in this particular genre. I felt like more people who stand in my position should be saying something. It seems like the people who have the broad audiences ... I guess for protection of their own success or legacy or brand, they chose not to say anything, and that it was I felt I didn't want to do."{{cite web|last=Howard |first=Adam |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/rapper-t-i-presents-counterpoint-all-lives-matter-crowd-n648326 |title=Rapper T.I. Presents Counterpoint to 'All Lives Matter' Crowd |date=15 September 2016 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=2016-11-18}}

On July 5, 2016, Grand Hustle's resident disc jockey DJ MLK, released a song, titled "40 Acres" featuring T.I., RaRa and Rossi.{{cite web|last=Lilah |first=Rose |url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/hustle-gang-40-acres-feat-rossi-rara-and-ti-new-song.1970460.html |title=Hustle Gang - 40 Acres Feat. Rossi, RaRa & T.I. | Stream [New Song] |website=Hotnewhiphop.com |date=2016-07-04 |access-date=2016-11-18}}{{cite web|date=2016-07-05 |url=http://rapdose.com/2016/07/05/hustle-gang-40-acres-feat-ti-rossi-rara/ |title=Hustle Gang - 40 Acres (Feat. T.I., Rossi & RaRa) |publisher=Rap Dose |access-date=2016-11-18}} On August 5, 2016, T.I. released the EP's first single, titled "We Will Not". The song was produced by his frequent collaborator Mars from the production team 1500 or Nothin'. On August 19, 2016, T.I. released the music video for "We Will Not".{{cite web|last=Goddard |first=Kevin |url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/ti-we-will-not-new-song.1970877.htm |title=T.I. - We Will Not | Stream [New Song] |website=Hotnewhiphop.com |date=2016-08-05 |access-date=2016-11-18}} On August 31, 2016, T.I. released the EP's second single, titled "Warzone", with an accompanying music video one week later, exclusively through TIDAL.{{cite web|author=Adelle Platon |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7494725/ti-warzone-us-or-else-mixtape-dime-trap |title=T.I. Releases Politically Charged 'Warzone' |publisher=Billboard |date=2016-08-31 |access-date=2016-11-18}}{{cite web|url=http://allhiphop.com/2016/08/31/t-i-drops-new-single-off-upcoming-us-or-else-ep/|title=T.I. Releases New Single "War Zone" Off Upcoming "Us or Else" EP|first=Michael|last=DeBlasio|date=31 August 2016}} The music video for "Warzone", produced by Antwanette McLaughlin and directed by Laurel Richardson, "imagines what it would look like if everyday white people were targeted by police. Taking that scenario one step further, we see reenactments of the murders of Tamir Rice (a 12-year-old killed by police, while playing with a toy gun in Cleveland), Eric Garner (who died after being placed in an apparent chokehold by NYC policemen) and Philando Castile (shot and killed by a St. Paul, Minnesota police officer during a traffic stop), with white actors in the victims's places. Footage of T.I. rapping the song's Black Lives Matter–inspired 'Hands up / Can't breathe" chorus is interspersed throughout."{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2929877/ti-warzone-video/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910084734/http://www.mtv.com/news/2929877/ti-warzone-video/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 10, 2016 |title=T.I. Flips The Script On Police Brutality In 'Warzone' Video |publisher=MTV |access-date=2016-11-18}}{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2016/09/ti-new-song-war-zone |title=T.I. Drops His Politically Charged Video for "War Zone" |publisher=Complex |date=2016-09-08 |access-date=2016-11-18}} T.I. has said the video is in response to the "All Lives Matter" slogan: "We wanted to give 'the other side' -- and when I say the 'other side' I don't mean police, I don't mean white people, I mean people who think we're just overreacting, the 'All Lives Matter' people -- we wanted to give them the least amount of ammunition to oppose our message. And the way to do that, we thought, was to go with the most atrocious of all of the travesties. And don't get me wrong, there are still more that are equally atrocious, but for the purposes of our video ... those were the ones that seemed most effective." On September 30, 2016, the album was released via other digital distribution platforms such as Amazon and iTunes.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/us-or-else-ep/1157803532 |title=Us Or Else - EP by T.I. on Apple Music |website=iTunes |date=2016-09-30 |access-date=2016-11-18}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Us-Else-Explicit-T-I/dp/B01M146YFN |title=Us Or Else [Explicit]: T.I.: MP3 Downloads |website=Amazon.com |access-date=2016-11-18}} In October 2016, T.I. performed "We Will Not" at the 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards, where he dressed as a member of the Black Panther Party and was surrounded by "Black Lives Matter" signs.{{cite web|author=Adelle Platon |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7533348/ti-black-panther-party-we-will-not-performance-2016-bet-hip-hop-awards |title=2016 BET Hip Hop Awards: T.I. Channels Black Panther Party for 'We Will Not' Performance |publisher=Billboard |date=2016-10-04 |access-date=2016-11-18}}{{cite web|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2016/10/t-i-perform-2016-bet-hip-hop-awards/ |title=Watch T.I. Perform 'We Will Not' at 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards - XXL |website=Xxlmag.com |date=5 October 2016 |access-date=2016-11-18}}{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/68378-bet-hip-hop-awards-2016-ti-performs-we-will-not-surrounded-by-black-lives-matter-signs-watch/ |title=BET Hip-Hop Awards 2016: T.I. Performs "We Will Not" Surrounded by "Black Lives Matter" Signs: Watch |publisher=Pitchfork |date=2016-10-05 |access-date=2016-11-18}}

{{Music ratings

| MC=

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite web|last=Young|first=Neil Z.|date=|title=Us or Else – T.I. {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/us-or-else-mw0002984175|access-date=September 23, 2016|website=AllMusic|language=en-us}}

| rev2 = DJBooth

| rev2Score = {{Rating-Christgau|hm3}}{{cite web|last=Young |first=Zeil Z |url=http://djbooth.net/news/entry/2016-09-23-ti-us-or-else-ep |title=T.I.'s "US or Else" EP is His Most Political & Inspired Work |publisher=DJBooth |date=2016-09-23 |access-date=2016-11-18}}

| rev3 = HipHopDX

| rev3Score = 4.5/5{{cite web|url=http://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.2798/title.t-i-us-or-else-review|title=T.I. - Us or Else|work=HipHopDX|publisher=Cheri Media Group|date=September 25, 2016|access-date=September 27, 2016}}

| rev4 = The Star

| rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Ndolo|first=Davies|date=October 1, 2016|url=http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/10/01/album-review-tis-us-or-else_c1428576|title=Album Review: TI's "Us Or Else"|work=The Star|access-date=October 20, 2016}}

| rev5 = Vice

| rev5Score = {{Rating-Christgau|hm3}}{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=October 14, 2016|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/flyover-drawl-expert-witness-with-robert-christgau/|title=Flyover Drawl: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau|work=Vice|access-date=October 20, 2016}}

}}

Us or Else received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Aaron McKrell of HipHopDX wrote, "It's [the] conviction that keeps the EP from being just a collection of obligatory anthems. When Clifford Harris flirts with being self-righteous, it's his self-awareness that keeps him grounded. Us or Else is a commanding assortment of protest tunes strengthened by the passion of its composer." In Vice, Robert Christgau named "40 Acres" and "Black Man" the EP's highlights and wrote, "Intelligent black man goes straight conscious while wisely ceding the EP's most intelligent rhyme to Killer Mike".

{{Track listing

| headline = Us or Else {{nobold|— Standard edition}}{{cite web|url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/64979423 |title=TIDAL |website=Listen.tidal.com |access-date=2016-11-18}}

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 22:24

| title1 = We Will Not

| note1 =

| writer1 = {{hlist|Clifford Harris Jr.|Lamar Edwards|Michael Cox Jr.|John Groover Jr.}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Mars|Mike & Keys}}

| length1 = 2:50

| title2 = Black Man

| note2 = featuring Quavo, Meek Mill and RaRa

| writer2 = {{hlist|C. Harris Jr.|Quavious Marshall|Robert Williams|Cordale Quinn|Terrell McNeal|Edwards|Brandon Rossi|Rodriguez Smith}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Lil' C|MP808|Mars|Rossi}}

| length2 = 4:42

| title3 = Warzone

| writer3 = {{hlist|C. Harris Jr.|Cox Jr.|Groover Jr.|Edwards}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Mike & Keys|Mars}}

| length3 = 3:44

| title4 = Switchin' Lanes

| writer4 = {{hlist|C. Harris Jr.|Justin Scott}}

| note4 = featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Trev Case

| extra4 = Trev Case

| length4 = 4:10

| title5 = 40 Acres

| note5 = featuring Killer Mike and B. Rossi

| writer5 = {{hlist|C. Harris Jr.|Michael Render|Rossi|Jamil Pierre|Pierre Medor}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Deputy|Medor}}

| length5 = 3:52

| title6 = I Swear

| note6 =

| writer6 = {{hlist|C. Harris Jr.}}

| extra6 = The Pusha Beats

| length6 = 3:03

}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{T.I.}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:T.I. albums

Category:Roc Nation albums

Category:Grand Hustle Records EPs

Category:Songs about racism and xenophobia

Category:Albums produced by Lil' C (record producer)

Category:Albums produced by Mars (record producer)

Category:2010s concept albums

Category:Political hip-hop albums

Category:Protest songs

Category:Political rap songs

Category:Works about police brutality

Category:Songs about police brutality