T.I. – Paper Trail – Review – T.I.

“One for da money, two for da show dawg/ Three for the niggas hatin' on da low”, says T.I.P to all those who thought he couldn’t come back after he caught that case, in “56 Bars”, the intro to “Paper Trail” the album that still topped the Billboard 200 Chart after being fully leaked on the net. Ordinary Joe here, and I’m about to lay down the review for one of this years hottest albums. Yep, Atlanta Rapper T.I. is back with a vengeance, stirring up the industry like it’s his play ground once again.

The album carries a strict street swagger while appealing to the masses with a sometimes pop sound. From the range of “I’m Illy” with lyrics like “Before you rap bout me best ask bout me/ I'm out my f**king mind need counseling” to “Live Your Life ft. Rihanna” with “So keep on getting your paper and keep on climbing/ Look in the mirror and keep on shining”. T.I. reminds listeners, that not only is he the best, but if they try hard and don’t change who they are…they may have a slim chance of being as good as he is.

“On Top of the World”, which features Ludacris is one of the few party anthems, “I used to dream oh whoah/ about the money and the cars and girls/ but now I sing oh whoah/ because I’m sitting on top of the world”, shows that these two, like most rappers, know how to brag of their riches…can’t hate um for that, can we? The album’s second single “Whatever You Like” which made a record leap to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 (before Britney’s Womanizer trumped it) features the artist exhibiting what would be some singing talent as he tells a lady “Go get it/ I’ll buy it/ Tell em other broke niggas be quiet”

“Facin’ all kind of time/ but smile like Im fine” he tells us in “No Matter What”, addressing the looming one year term he must spend in prison following a federal sentence for weapons charges. This was also the reason “Paper Trail” was recorded while T.I. was under house arrest. “My Life Your Entertainment ft. Usher” shows that T.I. can make fun of his situation. Also, he has expressed some regret, but holds that it was necessary for his protection. Usher helps him out again as T.I. takes it smooth at least once on the album in the wavy sounds of “Porn Star”.

Featuring a sample from the now pregnant and eccentric artist M.I.A’s song “Paper Planes”, “Swagger like Us” is definitely one of the album’s hottest songs. It features an assortment of the most talented rappers in the industry, Kanye West who produced the track, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. Kanye banged out “My swagger is Mick Jagger/ Everytime I breathe on the track/ I asthma attack it”, While Jay-Z chanted “But I can’t teach you my swag/ You can pay for school but you can’t buy class” but what made all the Lil Weezites out there scream was “And when it comes to styles I got several/ Sharper than a swagger, dagger or metal”. However, T.I. would not be left out, delivering arguably his best verse of the album.

The Ordinary Joe Blog gives T.I.’s “Paper Trail” a “B” for his ability to persevere through one of the hardest times in his life, and produce and album of sheer Rap Quality

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