T.I.'s 'Dead And Gone' Video, Featuring Justin Timberlake, Pays Tribute To Friend

The clip is dedicated to T.I.'s friend Philant Johnson, who was killed in 2006.

By Jayson Rodriguez
The rapper told MTV News that the clip and his performance at the ceremony the next day would mirror each other and "personify the sentiment of the song and capture that [mood]."
His performances at the award show were among the broadcast's many highlights. For "Dead and Gone," Tip entered through a billow of smoke and Timberlake rode shotgun at the piano. Tip emotionally rapped the track's cautionary tale while JT tickled the keys in a melancholy staging.

"Now you gushin', ambulance rushin'," Tip rapped. "'You to the hospital with a bad concussion/ Plus you hit four times but it hit yo spine/ Paralyzed waist-down and ya wheelchair bound."

The Chris Robinson-directed video premiered on MTV Tuesday (February 17). The clip features the two artists in performance scenes outside the California desert, interspersed with visuals of the song's protagonist, an innocent kid who makes a bad decision and couldn't walk away from a fight. At the end of the first verse, he ends up in a wheelchair as a result of the beating he took, just like the lyrics dictate.

Toward the end of the video, the Atlanta rapper drives his car to a crossroad and gets out of his vehicle to meet Timberlake, who's positioned at the center of the road. The song's bridge begins and images of T.I. with his wife, a pastor, and a serpent flash across the screen, as does the word "good." Then images of a prison yard flash along with the word "evil," before the word "redemption" pops up followed by a picture of Philant Johnson's grave.

Johnson — boyhood friend of the rapper — was tragically gunned down in 2006 after a T.I. show in Ohio; the song is dedicated to his memory. Tip spoke at Johnson's funeral and described their bond.

"It just seems like as long as I can remember, he was there," T.I. said of Johnson. "As long as I can remember, his mama and my mama were partners. His cousin and my uncle were partners. His auntie and my grandmama stayed up the street from one another. And we just always knew each other, and it was cool."

source : Mtv