Watch: T.I.'s New Video for 'No Mercy'

In the just-released video for the title track on T.I.'s new album No Mercy — out on Tuesday — he's got prison on his mind. Not surprising, since he'll still be behind bars for a parole violation when the album comes out.

In this clip from the video, T.I. pulls up to a church in a sports car, then is seen rapping inside accompanied by The-Dream, who co-wrote the song and sings its self-pitying hook: "No mercy for me, no crying myself to sleep... Good morning, reality/ Will I wake? We'll never know/ I'm late for my date with destiny."

He doesn't directly address prison in the song's lyrics, but they're a bleak reflection on his situation nonetheless, as he compares himself to Tupac in the song's second verse.

"Everybody's standing and waiting and they're hating/ Gospels say they should forgive me, they'd rather hand me to Satan/ Blatant displays the day of hypocrisy, boy you got to be kidding/ Could it be possibly the second coming of Pac is me?/ Remember that, when he was here/ And when he died you realized you need him here."

Video: T.I. Performs "Rubber Band Man" on VH1 Storytellers

Along with the "No Mercy" video and the album, T.I.'s VH1 Storytellers will air on the channel Friday, just three days after No Mercy comes out. The MC talks about his 11-month prison sentence during the show.

T.I. Shows 'No Mercy' In Video Premiere [MTV News]

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

More Song Stories entries »

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