It began as a moment of release when Atlanta native and old family friend Sabrina Peterson first accused Clifford “T.I.” Harris of holding a gun to her head when she was 28, nearly a decade and a half ago. The accusation from Peterson, who has routinely been vocal with her critique of Atlanta’s circle of politicians and public figures, seemed to bring a basis to the forefront of her previous public opposition of the de facto “King of Atlanta.” What it did in all actuality, however, was open up a floodgate of accusations of violence, drugging, sexual assault, and other questionable acts allegedly suffered at the hands of the rapper and his wife Tamika “Tiny” Harris.
At first, one woman offered up a graphic tale of T.I. and an entourage breaking into her home, kidnapping her husband, and forcing her children into a closet at gunpoint, seemingly corroborating Peterson’s own violent account. However, it would soon catalyze into an opportunity for more women to tell of their own encounters.
While delving into the questionable sex lives of the rich and famous is no cause for a bulletin, it’s the consistency among accounts of physical and verbal abuse and alleged sexual coercion that’s caused the general public to take a deeper look.
Since her revelation, Peterson’s Instagram Stories feed has since transformed into an outlet in which women have revealed, in anonymity, their experiences. Among most tales, the background in their encounters remains constant as they detail being invited to join T.I. and Tiny in a sexual capacity and being offered various drugs in the process.
Grey areas present themselves as some women accuse the couple of refusing them entry into hotel rooms, being asked to leave, or even threatening to cancel their flights back home unless they partake in popping unknown pills. Furthermore, others recall “blacking out” during their encounters and waking up to bruises and bleeding in intimate areas they presume to be the result of intercourse for which they weren’t conscious enough to give consent.
“I saw about 4 different girls that look completely out of it and strung out on the couch and one in the bathroom hanging over the tub like she was gonna throw up,” details one woman who allegedly met the couple as a dancer in 2017. “…I was too scared I didn’t even tell my friend what happened until almost a week later. Please hide my identity.”
One woman, in particular, reveals that despite going to the couple’s home to engage in a routine hookup, she would later find out that she was allegedly raped by a member of their entourage while unconscious.
“They did threaten me about talking but I was so embarrassed I would’ve never told that story to anyone anyways,” she confides.
The origins of these accusers all range. Some state that they met the couple as dancers at Atlanta’s strip clubs while others recall being invited to the VIP section of popular nightclubs, being paid for their services in some instances. Most accounts conclude with common reasoning for their inability to speak up, citing alleged threats of violence or personal shame for their circumstances.
In another account, a dancer recalls meeting the couple in 2013, and being hit and punched by both T.I and Tiny during a verbal altercation at a private party. When she threatened to go to the authorities, she alleges that the two threatened to have her deported as they were familiar with her status as an undocumented immigrant.
“[I] changed my life and just pretended it never happened,” she says.
*Warning: Thes images contain graphic language*
