I haven’t heard an entire T.I. album since I’m Serious but I wasn’t gonna miss his 6th album, Paper Trail. I really wanted to know what’s been on T.I.’s mind since all of his legal problems, so I put the cd in and pressed play. He defiantly knows what he’s doing because he immediately hooks you with the intro. He spits crazy for like 3 minutes straight. And he mentions Tupac which is always a plus with me. But T.I. is really being a man about it and owning up to his mistakes and explaining his actions. He felt he had no other choice but to act in the manor he did. And who are we to say what he should have done in that situation cuz like he said on the album, “If you haven’t walked a mile in my shoes…you haven’t survived the sh*t I’ve survived…you can’t judge me.” “You can’t expect me to think like you cuz my life ain’t like yours.” And that is the truth if I’ve ever heard it. He loves his family and would do anything to protect them, so with that being said, let’s get back to the music.
T.I. is clearly saying whatever is on his mind with this album. He’s showing and proving that he is the king of this southern rap game and no one is going to take his crown. My favorite tracks are “Whatever You Like” and “Swagga Like Us” which features Kanye, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne. How can you go wrong with these heavy hitters on one song?! And I believe the video he shot for “Whatever You Like” is his best one yet. Another hot track is “My Life Your Entertainment” featuring Usher. Not only does T.I. snap on this one but so does Usher! He must have been feelin’ the title too. The album also includes John Legend on “Slide Show”, Ludacris on “On Top Of The World”, and Rihanna on “Live Your Life” which is tearing up the airways as you read this. With this track he reminds us to be thankful for the things we do have and stop worrying about what we don’t have.
Overall it’s a very good album. He has much respect for Tupac which causes me to be an even bigger fan of T.I.’s. He’s a father, a son, a significant other, and a man that doesn’t sugar coat anything. If he messed up he’s going to admit to it. If he feels someone did him wrong he’s going to let them know. He gives back to his community and takes care of his kids. Paper Trail will go down in history. This is actually one artist that I bet Tupac wouldn’t mind being compared to.
