Reunited and it feels so good.

T.I. has been working hard in the lab on the follow-up to his 2012 “comeback” album, Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head, and after inking a lucrative deal with Columbia Records–in large part thanks to the persuasiveness of his recent go-to producer, and good friend, Pharrell–it appears that the heavily anticipated LP is currently in a full-fledged production process. Upon signing to his new major label home after spending 11 years with Atlantic Records–where he released five consecutive platinum albums–Tip announced he would be getting in the lab with Timbaland and Pharrell, the executive producer of his upcoming LP, and in an exclusive interview with XXL, the self-proclaimed King of the South revealed that he and Pharrell have revealed a “plethora of songs”.

We probably done recorded 14 records. Pharrell and I alone. Words couldn’t even begin to describe how cutting-edge, left-field and just how broad these records are. But they still have that texture that I speak of. They still have that Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack, a ridin’ dirty kind of … but a new way to present it to the world because it has that thing that Pharrell does to music that sets it apart from any and everything else that’s being played. And of course I had to give it the pulse of what I know. It’s incredible work. I did incredible work with Keno. I did incredible work with Sham [“Sak Pase” Joseph]. I have B.o.B did a record for me. It’s awesome.

In 2006, T.I and Justin Timberlake linked up for Timberlake’s #1 hit, “My Love”, from his diamond-selling album FutureSex/LoveSounds, and three years later the potent tandem linked up once again for the third-highest charting hit of T.I‘s career, the emotionally charged, introspective “Dead & Gone”. For T.I.’s upcoming album, Paperwork: The Motion Picture, the two superstars will go at it a third time, this time for a song called “Trap Me Up”, produced by longtime Tip collaborator, DJ Toomp (“Trap Back Jumpin’”, “No Mercy”, “Bankhead”). While there aren’t many more details to reveal about Tip’s upcoming work, it sounds like its shaping up to be pretty darn good.

-Khari Nixon (@KingVanGogh)