King Harris clearly missed the memo about acting like he was raised in the streets — especially when you never had to hustle to survive.
The 21-year-old son of rapper T.I. recently celebrated his son’s first birthday with a huge party at their family home with loved ones.
However, King recently set off a fresh wave of family drama after his father publicly pressed him about serving what he describes as a “struggle meal” at a kids’ party. What started as lighthearted banter about the menu quickly snowballed into a heated discussion about identity, authenticity, and King’s ongoing attempt to prove he’s lived a life of struggle that doesn’t quite match his reality.
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And T.I., who spent most of his career rapping about escaping hardship, didn’t hesitate to remind his son — and everyone watching — that those kind of meals aren’t part of the life he worked to build for his children.
The moment unfolded when T.I. confronted King for cooking what he labeled a “struggle meal” for the celebration, in a video shared on his brother Domani’s Instagram page.
King, standing outside their dad’s home with big brother, attempted to justify the choice with nostalgia. He compared it to the “beanies and weenies kind of” comfort food he grew up liking.
But when his dad came out later, he wasn’t having it.
T.I. cut in immediately, asking, “And why [are] you actually cooking beans and weenies in my mansion, my brother?”
King’s big brother chimed in on the teasing, joking that the smell of the so-called “ghetto cuisine” would end up taking over the whole house. King pushed back, insisting, “You can’t forget where you… You know what I’m saying?”
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That’s when Domani offered a twist, asking why he didn’t hire his father and Killer Mike’s Bankhead Seafood restaurant to cater the entire party.
Things shifted when King pulled out a memory about him wanting hot dogs and baked beans when he was younger.
He reminded T.I., “Remember when you checked me out because I asked my mama — I asked my mama to cook me some beanies and weenies, and you said, ‘No, no, no. My woman ain’t cooking no beanies and weenies.’”
T.I.’s response came quick and sharp: “I have removed my woman from the struggle of beanies and weenies.”
King defended his choice, saying the meal wasn’t about struggle but about flavor and nostalgia — a sentimental memory his father often has to remind his redheaded son he never actually lived through.
When T.I.’s eldest son, Messiah, walked up, King asked whether he’d eat the beans-and-hot-dog combo. He didn’t hesitate to respond, “Probably not,” which was all the confirmation his dad and Domani needed.
The Neighborhood Talks posted the clip, and commenters clocked in immediately.
One person wrote, “King wishin he lived off Food Stamps and Section 8 when he could’ve just called up Gordon Ramsey.”
Another commenter wrote, “King is exhausting. Boy, you got a Picasso in your house!” — a playful nod to the iconic scene from the film “ATL,” starring T.I. and Jackie Long.”
YOU GOT A PICASSO IN YO HOUSE
pic.twitter.com/1ZVdBY2HcU
— ARM
(@ashstonia) March 12, 2021
Getting back to King, another viewer chimed in, “He wanna be from the trenches so bad.”
His mother, Tiny, then comes to his defense just as she normally does when King’s character is being attacked, “Why can’t it be that’s what he ate as a kid so he loves it. I cooked it all the time. Money or not.”
“Thank you! Mrs. Harris as spoken,” said one person who praised Tiny for standing by her son. Another said, “He ain’t from the trenches, but he was raised by them so maybe that counts for him. I love beenies & weenies every great once in a while.”
This isn’t new territory for the Harris household.
King’s desire to align himself with street culture has caused friction before, including a physical altercation between him and his dad in 2023, which caught on social media. In that incident, as in this one, the underlying tension was the same — a father who spent his life creating a safer, more privileged reality for his family clashing with a son who feels disconnected from that privilege and determined to craft a grittier identity.
King’s journey has been anything but smooth, with many suggesting he’s the source of his own chaos. His repeated brushes with law enforcement and public altercations have only intensified his claims of being “from the streets.” Each incident seems to reinforce his belief that he’s living out the same world his father once rapped about after growing up in Atlanta’s Bankhead neighborhood — even as King’s family keeps reminding him that he’s confusing fantasy with reality.
Take, for example, King’s 2024 arrest after failing to appear in court for a speeding ticket — and being caught with a gun at the time.
Still, his father stated on the“Me & Halo” YouTube series that same year that King has been showing signs of maturing over the past few years.
Becoming a father seems to have pushed him to consider the weight of his choices more seriously, but maturity doesn’t erase old habits — including the urge to romanticize struggle, even at a catered birthday party.
The birthday-meal drama underscores how this feisty Harris son wrestles with an identity shaped by hardships he never lived.
Caught between the life he inherited and the one he wants to claim, King still gets checked by his father, finally shrugging and conceding, “I guess I need to upscale my taste buds, man.”
‘Wanna be from the Trenches So Bad’: Tiny Harris Claps Back After T.I. Embarrasses Son King at Their Grandchild’s First Party