King Harris clearly never got the memo about acting like he grew up “in the streets” — particularly when he never had to hustle to survive. 

At just 21, the son of rapper T.I. recently hosted a sizable birthday celebration for his own son at their family home, surrounded by friends and loved ones. 

But what should have been a joyous gathering took a dramatic turn when T.I. publicly confronted his son about serving what he called a “struggle meal” during the party. What began as light-hearted teasing about the menu escalated into a deeper conversation about identity, authenticity, and King’s ongoing effort to project a life of hardship that doesn’t align with his actual upbringing. 

T.I., who built his career on rapping about overcoming adversity, didn’t hesitate to make it clear — in front of his family and the Internet — that those kinds of meals weren’t part of the world he created for his children.

The moment took place in a video posted on his brother Domani Harris’s Instagram page. King was standing outside the family home alongside his older brother, explaining his menu choice by comparing it to the “beanies and weenies kind of” comfort food he said he’d eaten as a kid. 

That’s when T.I. stepped in, unimpressed:

“And why [are] you actually cooking beans and weenies in my mansion, my brother?” he asked. 

Domani joined the joke, quipping that the smell of so-called “ghetto cuisine” might take over the entire house. King pushed back, insisting, “You can’t forget where you… You know what I’m saying?” In response, Domani suggested King should have simply hired his father’s and Killer Mike’s Bankhead Seafood Restaurant to cater the event. 

King then recalled a memory of asking his mother to make beanies and weenies when he was younger — and T.I.’s response at the time. King said:

“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.’”
His father snapped back,
“I have removed my woman from the struggle of beanies and weenies.” 

King defended his choice, explaining the meal was less about hardship and more about flavor and nostalgia — a sentimental nod to what he claims he grew up eating — though his father reminded him that the hardships he’s referencing were not part of King’s reality. 

When T.I.’s eldest son, Messiah Harris, arrived and King asked if he would eat the beans-and-hot-dog combo, Messiah responded without hesitation, “Probably not,” and that, according to T.I. and Domani, was confirmation enough.

The clip was posted by The Neighborhood Talks and quickly went viral, with social-media commenters chiming in. One wrote:

“King wishin he lived off Food Stamps and Section 8 when he could’ve just called up Gordon Ramsey.”
Another said:
“King is exhausting. Boy, you got a Picasso in your house!” — referencing the scene from the film ATL. 

One commenter went further:

“He wanna be from the trenches so bad.”
Meanwhile, King’s mother, Tiny Harris, defended her son:
“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.”
Her defenders added:
“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 episode isn’t the first time the Harris household has dealt with tension around identity and image. King’s attempts to align himself with street culture have sparked friction before — including a 2023 altercation with his father that circulated online. At the core: a father who built a more privileged life for his family and a son who feels alienated from that privilege and yearns to claim a tougher back-story.

King’s path has been anything but smooth. Many suggest he’s been his own biggest obstacle. Repeated brushes with law enforcement and public altercations have only fortified his claims of being “from the streets.” Each incident seems to reinforce his self-narrative of living the world his father once rapped about in Atlanta’s Bankhead neighborhood — even as his family keeps reminding him that he’s confusing narrative for reality. 

For example: his 2024 arrest after failing to appear in court for a speeding ticket, and being found in possession of a firearm at the time. Despite this, T.I. told the “Me & Halo” YouTube series that year that King has been “showing signs of maturing” recently. 

Becoming a father has reportedly prompted King to consider the weight of his choices — but maturity does not automatically banish old patterns, including the urge to romanticise hardship. The birthday-meal drama crystallises how this spirited Harris son grapples with an identity constructed from hardship he never truly lived.

Caught between the life he inherited and the one he claims, King eventually shrugged and conceded,

“I guess I need to upscale my taste buds, man.”