T.I. is not as visionary as Kanye West, not as bankable as Lil’ Wayne and not as influential as Jay-Z, but do not let these small details take away from the fact that T.I. is one of the most talented rappers making music today. On his sixth album, Paper Trail, T.I. continues to demonstrate the split personality of his last album, T.I. vs. T.I.P. On the one hand, he displays his hit-making persona, including the No. 1 single “Whatever You Like.” On the other, he offers more inventive material — such as “Slide Show”, which features John Legend both playing piano and delivering an excellent chorus.
After being convicted of a felony in February, T.I. was sentenced to spend the year 2009 in prison after completing 1,000 hours of community service, and the sentiment throughout Paper Trail reflects his outlook following these developments. Closing track “Dead and Gone” offers a huge synth-and-orchestral production backing T.I. while he delivers some of the best rapping on the whole album, and the feeling is distinctly remorseful. It is a starkly different tone from the rest of the album, most of which contains rap’s ubiquitous boastful lyrics, but T.I.’s flow makes it all easier to listen than, say, Soulja Boy.
The album’s best moments come when the producers step out of their normal comfort zone. The two previously mentioned tracks, “Slide Show” and “Dead and Gone,” featuring John Legend and Justin Timberlake at the helms, respectively, are both examples of this. Another is “Live Your Life,” which is produced by Just Blaze, and samples elements of “Dragostea Din Tei” while featuring a standout chorus and verse by America’s current pop superstar, Rihanna. It is by far one of the album’s best moments and has already appeared as the No. 1 single on the iTunes top songs chart.
There are a few moments on the album when trying to be inventive proves too much for T.I. and his cohorts, such as the M.I.A.-sampling “Swagga like Us.” Certainly it was a great idea on paper — get T.I., Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z together on a song that samples the summer sleeper-hit “Paper Planes”; however, the result is a near disaster. The song is clunky, chaotic and lacks clear direction — when it finally ends, the listener is left wondering just what exactly all that noise was.
T.I. also falls short when he brings in another guest, this time in the form of R&B crooner Usher, in the tabloid-bashing “My Life Your Entertainment.” Unlike “Swagga Like Us,” this one probably didn’t read well on paper from the beginning. To spend the majority of one’s album boasting about Gucci do-rags and flashy bling, and then turn around and ask for privacy just does not work. The main problem, however, is that T.I. is hardly a main staple of People and US Weekly magazines, which makes for a disconnect between the song and the listener.
Despite these minor mishaps, the album does work as a whole. T.I. makes sure to plug in several universal party songs, such as the previously mentioned “Whatever You Like,” and the more creative “Swing Ya Rag,” which features an excellent production from producer Swizz Beatz. T.I.’s recent prison sentence has also brought out the softer side of him, such as the inspiring “No Matter What.” Also look out for “You Ain’t Missin’ Nothing,” which adds some cool jazz elements.
As he prepares to enter the jail yard for a year, T.I. seems to have had a few revelations about his own character, and this is reflected throughout the album. It may not shake the industry as Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III, or turn heads like Kanye West’s latest output, but do not be fooled — Paper Trail is one of 2008’s best rap albums made by a rapper who not only talks the talk, but can walk the walk too.
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