Kevin Winter/Getty Images for BETAfter a year full of drama and backlash, T.I. has decided to cut professional ties with his former mentee, Iggy Azalea.
The rapper told New York's Hot 97 Ebro in the Morning that he "took a bit of a rest stop" in his relationship with the female emcee, though he hasn't stopped defending her.
"I ain't gonna make no excuses," he tells the radio hosts. "In her defense, she had a lot thrown at her at one time. Any human being anywhere [is gonna] have a hard time adjusting."
He continues, "It's very difficult to be the new kid and to be the butt of the jokes…It came at a time when culturally in this nation—when she's not from here—we were actually looking for a source to place that pent-up aggression. Some stuff they brought upon themselves. In some cases, it kind of was the easiest place to put some pent-up aggression."
However, he says the breaking point in their professional relationship came after Azalea's Twitter feud with Q-Tip last December, which concerned issues of cultural appropriation and the history of hip-hop.
"After I kind of had smoothed it over, like okay, 'What is really meant to be said here is...' Then, after it was cool, you know what I mean, everything was cool," T.I. recalled. "And then they kind of came back and undid what I had just [orchestrated]."
Essentially, he did his best to always make things right for Azalea, but in his eyes she kept tearing down what he built up for her. In the end, it was only bringing him down, too.
Still, he believes the "Fancy" crooner is talented enough and surrounded by a strong enough team to get through all the drama.
"I really do feel that they just needed a little more time to adjust, which I feel they can do," he revealed. "They have the talent, they have the charisma… They have all the tools necessary to move beyond those situations."
Heres the deal, I am still signed to @tip and do business with him.
The first ive heard of us having an "issue" is via a radio interview.
? IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) September 17, 2015Meanwhile, T.I. admitted he hadn't personally talked to her about his decision. Thus, the interview came as a big surprise to Azalea who took to Twitter on Thursday to inform her fans and followers that they are, in fact, still partners.
"Heres the deal, I am still signed to @tip and do business with him," she writes. "The first ive heard of us having an 'issue' is via a radio interview."
She continues, "Personally, i dont think the radio is the place to talk about your personal issues with someone thats part of your team... He seems to think theres nothing wrong with what he said, everybody else seems to disagree."
The "Pretty Girls" rapper hopes T.I. will clear up the confusion soon.
"Im sure tip will publicly clarify what he meant when he feels he has the right platform to do so and other than that, im chillin."