(l to r) Reservoir head Golnar Khosrowshahi, T.I., Reservoir A&R EVP Faith Newman, and president Rell Lafargue. Photo Credit: Reservoir

Another day, another high-profile song-rights play – this time from Reservoir Media, which has scooped up T.I.’s publishing catalog and a piece of his non-Atlantic recordings.

New York City-headquartered Reservoir and Atlanta-born T.I. (real name Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.) formally disclosed their tie-up today. While their specifics-light announcement simply frames the partnership as a “publishing deal,” there’s a bit more to the transaction than the brass-tacks description suggests.

First, on the compositional side, Reservoir’s acquired most of the three-time Grammy winner’s catalog, including works featured on 2001’s I’m Serious through 2020’s The L.I.B.R.A. According to details shared exclusively with DMN by an in-the-know source, on the straight IP-buyout front, the agreement doesn’t encompass Kill the King, which T.I. released late last month.

But it does extend to the rapper’s many feature-fueled songwriting credits, including on efforts recorded by B.o.B, A$AP Rocky, Slim Thug, Trey Songz, Dave East, Sean Kingston, Big K.R.I.T., and a number of others.

As we previously reported, T.I. is embroiled in a buyback-focused legal battle with Cinq/GoDigital over his Atlantic masters – spanning 2003’s Trap Muzik through 2012’s Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head.

However, Reservoir’s taken an interest in the artist’s non-Atlantic recordings, including 2001’s I’m Serious (which released via Arista), 2014’s Paperwork (T.I.’s first post-Atlantic project), 2018’s Dime Trap, and some non-album singles.

According to Reservoir, which opted against divulging the multifaceted transaction’s price tag, the pact also covers T.I.’s futures. In a statement, the artist added: “I’m very excited about building a strong partnership with Reservoir as we work together to diversify the business and expand the reach of my catalog.”

In remarks of his own, Reservoir president and COO Rell Lafargue touted T.I.’s career accomplishments and the deal’s broader significance for the expansion-minded company.

“T.I. is one of those rare powerhouses whose music has real cultural significance and staying power,” said Lafargue. “Our focus has always been to grow our roster with world-class music, and welcoming one of rap and hip-hop’s most influential artists and bodies of work to Reservoir reinforces that mission.

“This partnership with T.I. also doubles down on our long-standing commitment to the genre’s storied history and promising future,” he concluded.

Last month, Reservoir unveiled a JV with Latin music publisher TU and inked a deal with Jady frontman Jarrett Doherty. And at July’s start, a jury opted against awarding T.I. and Tameka “Tiny” Harris punitive damages following a fourth trial in their marathon likeness dispute with toymaker MGA Entertainment.