DJ Toomp began to gain greater recognition by working with southern rapper T.I., who also hails from Atlanta, Georgia. They first worked together on T.I.'s 2001 debut I'm Serious, since then the two built a friendship and a work relationship, with him becoming T.I.'s main producer. Toomp was heavily involved in T.I.'s first four albums; together they brought trap music into the mainstream. Toomp then received critical acclaim in 2006, for producing T.I.'s hit single "What You Know", which peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, The song earned both Toomp and T.I. their first Grammy Award. In 2007, DJ Toomp was recruited by American rapper and fellow record producer Kanye West, to contribute production on his third album Graduation. Toomp, alongside West, co-produced the singles "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Good Life", as well as the album's outro "Big Brother", an ode to West's brotherly friendship with fellow American rapper Jay-Z.