this is "nightline." >> tonight, monster storm. super-charged hurricane michael pounding the florida pan ham. our team in the middle of it all. >> it's going to go -- >> as the catastrophic cat 4 made landfall. >> i saw an entire home taken off of its foundation and rolled down the street. >> staggering devastation, hundreds of thousands without power. the deadly storm roaring inland tonight. rapper t.i. living his life. ♪ >> the star and entrepreneur known as the king of the south expanding his empire once again. from selling drugs when he was about 12 -- >> how many times you go to

jail? >> i can't count. >> to building a legacy. melania on "me too." her message tonight. the first lady in her exclusive wide-ranging interview with abc's tom llamas about life in the white house. but first the "nightline 5." overwhelming air fresheners can send you running. try febreze one. with no aerosols and no heavy perfumes. so you can spray and stay. febreze one. whether you're born for her danceoffs, more travels, more touchdowns, get the immune support that gives you more. airborne gummys have 50% more vitamin c, plus our crafted blend of

good evening. thank you for join is are you wide receiver given with the utter def staying of deadly hurricane michael. a storm of staggering fury slamming ashore at the florida panhandle, breaking records, barging its way inland tonight. at least one death now reported. abc's victor oquendo rounds up our team coverage with the latest from tallahassee. >> reporter: a hurricane's dramatic realtime destruction. category 4 michael shredded the florida panhandle today, unfolding under the light of day. around 12:40 central time, michael making landfall east of panama city with 155-mile-per-hour winds. a magnitude not seen on the florida panhandle in more than 100 years. whipping winds. flying debris. roofs ripped off houses. trees uprooted and tangled up.

>> it's pretty intense out here right now. >> reporter: and everywhere coastal water rising. spilling over, flooding. a hurricane so powerful, so destructive, it's the third strongest to ever hit the continental united states. our abc news team spread across michael as path, noting that michael is like no other. >> this now is the strongest, as far as winds go, this far north from the gulf of mexico since camille. >> reporter: the first outer bands began thrashing just after noon central time. the winds quickly picking up speed. >> i'm not standing outside because i can't and i won't, it is just too dangerous. we have seen debris flying, pieces of homes, you can hear it. take a listen to that. >> reporter: ginger zee's team at the center of the storm in mexico beach. winds so strong, houses blown right off their foundations. >> i saw an entire home taken off of its foundation and rolled

down the street. that is the type of storm surge we're talking about. my heart is racing. >> reporter: ginger's team losing satellite just as the hurricane made landfall. >> some of the most damaging winds set to make landfall imminently, just the sheer scope of these winds, 150 miles per hour. it's hard to wrap your head around this. >> reporter: david muir reporting from panama city sharing the sound of the howling winds. >> just waiting to her what it sounds like standing out here, the sheer force of this. listen to this. >> reporter: then the hotel where david was broadcasting takes a hit. >> it's going to go, it's going to go. >> reporter: the roof collapsing seconds later. monstrous winds pushing the crew to safety deeper inside the hotel. guests standing in the hallway, safer there than in their rooms. >> you can see the roof of the hotel that we had been standing

under, that was the shelter for a category 4 hurricane that has come down on these suvs. >> reporter: unlike last month's hurricane florence that parked over north carolina, michael is fast-moving, plowing in apocalyptic swath of damage. the scope of the devastation emerging as evening fell tonight. panama city in tatters. david checking in on the families riding out the storm in the same hotel. a mother and her children, one of them with autism, their room now flooded. >> i didn't expect to have a flooded hotel room. >> no. >> this is a couple of inches of water. >> i wasn't expecting it to get this bad that fast. >> reporter: on the third floor, windows blown out in the room of our abc news team. on the highest floor of the hotel -- >> those are the streets. the third floor of a hotel, the window blew in. you can see that the streets are completely flooded. >> reporter: in mexico beach,

the blue house across the street from where ginger was locked down during the storm, now completely gone. >> that is where the house used to be. we rode out hurricane michael in an interior space. now is the first time to come out here and the home that i saw floating away used to be standing there, it is no longer. >> reporter: on the other side of the condo where ginger was staying -- >> seeing all of this damage, more than just trees. so much debris. where homes were, they are not. they are moved. they are -- that one there off its foundation, in the middle of a road. cars everywhere under water. it's really wild to see in this raw moment. >> reporter: colleen stayed at home with her daughter and mom. >> hiding in the closet. all i could hear was a lot of wind. we came out a couple times just

to see what was happening. i had to go upstairs and grab a few things. and i thought the roof was going to come off. >> reporter: she says michael spared her and her family. >> well, we came outside and saw that the trees were down, and we just saw the fence was down. we just knew we were very lucky. >> reporter: i'm in tallahassee northeast of where michael made landfall. here too the wind was a big worry. the meyers park neighborhood was hammered, downs trees, this sliced the roof in half. feet away take a look at the neighboring house. another huge tree on top of the roof, collapsing on it. just to give you an idea of the size, take a look, it spans the entire length of the roof going all the way into the backyard. >> reporter: michael now barreling toward georgia as potentially a category 1, already making its presence known. the furious winds tossing trees. >> honestly, there's a lot of noise. i mean, we thought the windows were going to break and any time.

>> reporter: tornado warnings are up in georgia where they worry they'll see scenes like this one. michael continues to weaken as it moves toward the carolinas where residents are still reeling from the destruction caused by hurricane florence. >> this time we'll be spared the full wrath of the storm. but heavy rain and tropical storm-force winds are headed our way. >> reporter: president trump debriefed by top fema officials in the oval office this morning. n maxwell to atlanta to orlando ready to move in. >> reporter: then deciding to go ahead with a rally in pennsylvania. >> i want to send our thoughts and prayers of our entire nation to everyone in the path of hurricane michael. >> reporter: tonight hundreds of thousands without power unclear when the lights will go on again. >> our thanks to victor. we turn to sam champion. put the storm in perspective for us. what made michael so powerful? >> one of the biggest headlines on this storm, on hurricane

michael, will be the rapid intensification of this system. the water temperatures in the gulf, 4 degrees above normal. that spot is some of the warmest waters in the gulf. watch this eye make landfall. it was strengthening and then held that perfect shape and strength for a while as it moved inland. now this storm joins the list, third on the list, not just of the strongest storms to hit florida but the strongest storms to hit the u.s. coast. 1935 labor day. 1969 camille. now michael. >> where's it headed now? >> we have a lot of time on this storm. overnight tonight into the day tomorrow, it's chugging through georgia into south carolina into north carolina. right field mond, virginia, south of that area, maybe even still a tropical storm. but the hurricane center believes as that circulation moves offshore, it may strengthen again. >> sam champion, thank you. always good to see you, my friend. ♪ immac hasly polished >> next, notes on life and

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♪ ♪ ♪ i said you can have whatever you like ♪ rapper t.i., "you can have whatever you like." he's a performer and entrepreneur who knows something about life and its ups and downs. a man now looking to expand his empire into a lasting legacy. my "nightline" coanchor dan harris with this candid and revealing conversation. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> this is how i spent my time. >> biking through these streets?

>> biking through these streets. >> we're riding through the old neighborhood with rapper t.i., tip as he referred to be called, once dealt drugs on these atlanta streets. now he's greeted like royalty. >> how y'all doing? what going on? >> at 38 years old, tip is in a fight to stay relevant in a genre that celebrates drugs and crime. ♪ don't stop me now no most. >> all while chasing an insatiable desire to become a legend. you are a rapper, actor, philanthropist, businessman, dad. >> son. brother. husband. i guess a fashion mogul. ♪ rolls on the right >> reporter: tip burst onto the scene in 2003 with his hit album "trap music."

♪ immaculately polished with the spirit of a hustler ♪ >> reporter: after his first hit record he went on to produce a series of hit singles like "live your life." ♪ you'll live your life hey hey hey ♪ >> reporter: he won grammys. >> ten years ago i'd have never expected to be here. >> reporter: but that was not enough. first to the big screen. most recently as dave in marvel's "ant-man and the wasp." >> you don't find someone like that, they find you. >> reporter: he even got into show tunes, composing a song with his son for the broadway show "spongebob squarepants" which landed him a tony nomination. did you ever think you'd be sitting where you are now? >> i mean, man -- i knew i was good. i knew. but i did not know how to make my dream a reality. >> you do not lack ambition. what is driving you, do you think? >> i have ideas in my head that i want to see fulfilled.

the idea is to do something that hasn't been done before. things that people think can't be done. it's a drug. >> it's a healthier drug than they're offering in the trap. >> reporter: he grew up in the bankhead area of atlanta. his mom was on welfare. he looked for ways early on to support himself. you started selling crack at 12, 13 years old? >> 12, 13 years old. >> how many times did you go to jail? >> i can't count. i can't count. >> how chaotic and dangerous did your life become at its worst? >> we were in shoot-outs every week. my uncle calls me to my aunt's house, hey, lee's about to get you a piece of paper to sign, it's insurance, because you're about to die. >> reporter: salvation came in the form of music. ♪ money rolls cars and clothes >> that first album was about a young man who was talking about his firsthand experiences in the trap. >> reporter: he is the

self-proclaimed creator of trap music. a genre of southern rap steeped in drugs and partying. even after he became a star, the arrests continued. meanwhile, as his rap sheet grew, so did his family. >> so, uh, things have changed a bit. >> reporter: he and wife tamecka tiny harris got their own popular reality show, "t.i. and tiny: the family hustle." >> mama. >> dada! >> yes! >> at this point in your career, who do you look at as a role model? >> ambassador andrew young. harry belafonte. jane elliot. jaz.puff i kind of take a of their books. >> now this is important. the house right there? the brick house? that's where i got my first kiss. >> reporter: he is now bringing that good will to his beloved hometown. his real estate venture, buy back the block, buys up homes in

his old, gentrifying neighborhood, and flips them into affordable residential spaces. >> this is bankhead seafood, we're going to rebuild it. with as much growth and opportunity that's going on in my community, we refuse to be left behind. you had a good day? all right, man, y'all be good. >> reporter: now, 15 years after trap music first came out, tip is releasing his ninth studio album "dime trap" which is out right now. >> this is two chains exhibit. he donated this car to us, let us use it. >> reporter: in his old neighborhood he's opened up a popup trap museum, homage to the genre. >> over here, this is gucci man's exhibit. an actual crack house, if you will. >> looks like there's weed, not crack. >> well, actually -- >> oh, it's both. >> crack there. at least simulated. >> this is not real crack? >> this is not real crack.

>> how do you draw the line between celebrating/glorifying, or just documenting? >> this is what the deal. these are the humble beginnings that a person came from. if you don't take notice to the beginning of it, then you can't really appreciate the destination that he arrived to at the end. >> reporter: his status affords him a certain kind of access, so when his friend and frequent collaborator, kanye west, made headlines, tip stepped in. >> you hear about slavery for 400 years? for 400 years? that sound like a choice. >> have you avived at a place where you can understand why he would say something like slavery is a choice? >> i think his isolation and disconnect with people plus his fascination with power and fame, i think he's a little jaded, if you will. i do also believe when he says slavery was a choice, i don't think he meant it the way people

took it. >> reporter: tip has been a fierce critic of the man west supports, donald trump. panning an op-ed to the president condemning him for being hostile to the issues the black community cares about. do you think it makes any difference when you say something? >> no, not at all, not to him. when i wrote the letter i wasn't necessarily addressing him, i was addressing his followers. i want them to know that that [ bleep ] ain't going to ride. i wanted them to know. >> reporter: he acknowledges he is engaged in a difficult balancing act. do you feel there's any tension or balancing act between being a role model to the community and to your kids and staying relevant in the rap game? which sometimes doesn't always celebrate good behavior? >> sure. absolutely. you become boring at that point. i have enough things going on, i don't really have to -- i don't have to chase sensationalism. rather than try to be a role model, i'd rather be a real model.

>> what's going on? >> reporter: to those who idolize him in his hometown, that seems to be enough. >> this is my home. and i always know if i can't go nowhere in the world and i don't mean anything to anybody, i'm a king right here. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm dan harris in atlanta, georgia. and next, first lady melania trump speaking out on "me too." where's gary? 'saved money on motorcycle insurance with geico. goin' up the country. later, gary' i have a motorcycle! wonderful. ♪ ♪ i'm goin' up the country, baby don't you wanna go? ♪ ♪ i'm goin' up the country, baby don't you wanna go? ♪ geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides. endless shrimp is back at with all the shrimp you want,

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finally tonight, the first lady opening up on her views on the "me too" movement. here's a preview of that upcoming abc news exclusive interview with tom llamas. >> what is your take about the "me too" movement, though? do you believe in them? do you support the "me too" movement? >> i support the women. and they need to be heard. we need to support them. and also men. not just women. >> do you think men in the news that have been accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment, have ndyarreated unfa evidence that, you know, that if you accuse of something, show the evidence.

>> someone might say, how could you say that mrs. trump, you need to stand with women? what do you say? >> i do stand with women. but we need to show the evidence. you cannot just say to i was sexually assaulted or you did that to me, because sometimes the media goes too far. and the way they portray some stories, it's not correct. it's not right. >> that exclusive conversation airing this friday on "20/20" at 10/9 central. thank you for watching "nightline." th

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