Paper Trail is T.I.'s sixth studio album, and was apparently penned whilst T.I. was on house arrest awaiting gun crime charges back in November 2007. It is rumoured that this is the first time that T.I. has written lyrics on paper since I'm Serious', his debut album - hence the 'Paper Trail' album title.
The first single from the album is 'No Matter What', a rolling, snare-driven track that talks about his possible incarceration, losing his partner and child, revenge, and staying on top. Possibly not scenarios you and I may have experienced, but we can all totally understand the message.
'56 Bar Intro' contains quite possibly my favourite lyric in the whole world - 'I'm back on top like a toupee'!! Not every rapper can get away with that, surely?!
'You Ain't Missing Nothing' is a really beautiful piano-led track. The lyrics are deep and well written, almost as if T.I. is talking to a friend or relative. It's all about staying strong, and toughing it out - something ALL of us know a lot about, right?
'Whatever You Like' has a catchy, synthesized riff in the background, and a really catchy hook ("you can have whatever you liiiiiike") and looks set to be a club banger of the same genre as 'Live Your Life', the disgracefully catchy single from the album featuring the lovely Rihanna (see the
single review here).
Justin Timberlake's influence on 'Dead and Gone' is awesome - the track, for me, is a perfect blend of Justin's melodious voice and T.I.'s dirty southern accent, and shows both artists' versatility.
'Swing Ya Rag' is a bolshy, bashy, play-it-as-loud-as-you-can track that is ripe for a dancehall remix - expect to hear this on Goldfinger's show any time in the future, and in every basement club in a 30 mile radius of your hometown.
'My Life, Your Entertainment' is a surprisingly honest and insightful account of fame, its trappings, its pros and cons. It certainly makes you think twice about how 'great' it is to be in the industry, and shows T.I.'s lyrical talent; something that I believe gets glossed over in the music industry's quest to fill nightclubs and download charts.
I think my absolute and total favourite track on this album is 'Porn Star', which begins with a beautiful rattling drumbeat and the fantastic statement "Is it just me or have you got too much ass in them jeans?". Now there's a line EVERY girl wants to hear
!
Last but not least I feel I have to mention 'Swagga Like Us', the track featuring his Royal Highness Jay-Z, and which samples new UK sensation M.I.A.'s "no-one on the corner has swagga like uuuuus" hook. Rumour has it that there have been some battles surrounding this track, and the credits pertaining to it, but that's just hearsay so...open for discussion!
This is a really deceptive album that I wasn't entirely sure about for quite a while. My first gut reaction was yeah, it's average, but same old story, about the same old story - I grew up in a rough place, it was tough, you don't understand, that's why I have to be a thug. Same old same old, you know? But, I'm not one to base my opinions on one listen, so I reserved judgment and kept it on shuffle. I'm really glad I did. This is an accomplished album, and has definitely made T.I. a fixture in my iTunes library.
Track Listings: 1. 56 Bars (Intro) 2. I'm Illy 3. Ready For Whatever 4. On Top Of The World(feat. Ludacris and B.o.B.) 5. Live Your Life (feat. Rihanna) 6. Whatever You Like 7. No Matter What 8. My Life Your Entertainment (feat. Usher) 9. Porn Star 10. Swing Ya Rag (feat. Swizz Beatz) 11. What Up, What's Haapnin' 12. Every Chance I Get 13. Swagga Like Us T.I. and Jay-Z (feat. Kanye West and Lil' Wayne)
Check his myspace out:
http://www.myspace.com/trapmuzik
Links: T.I Website Atlantic Records 
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T.I. - Paper Trail (Album)
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