T.I. - Paper Trail

*** 1/2

After suffering many hardships, including personal deaths and arrest, T.I. demands recognition as one of the top rappers of the game. With "Paper Trail," he attempts to shed his "trapper" persona with emotional release and setting his album up for automatic success and acclaim.

Any die-hard fan can admit that T.I. showed little lyricism on his past two albums. T.I. addresses that claim by starting the albums with lyrical rage and prowess. He truthfully describes his arrest on "Ready For Whatever," shows that he won't be taken out the game with "No Matter What," and basically brags about his catalog on "I'm Illy." With all of the effort put into his lyricism, he has great instrumentals to match. With big budget production from Just Blaze, Swizz Beatz, Kanye West, Drumma Boy, and DJ Toomp, the production is exciting and energetic, but doesn't overpower the lyrics, which magnifies the album's message.

What would a big-budget album be without guest appearance? Guest appearances include Jay-Z, Rihanna, Usher, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and even R&B singers John Legend and Justin Timerlake. The most notable appearances are from Ludacris and B.O.B., who appear on the celebratory and hit-worthy "On Top Of The World." Despite the big name appearances, T.I. is never outshined and is still the star.

Even though the album contains many instances of raw lyricism and emotion, Tip has to also include pop singles for the cash flow. Whenever T.I. becomes the perfect gentleman to the ladies "Whatever You Like" attracts the ladies on "Porn Star," or crafts a song for the clubs with "Swing Ya Rag," the meaning of the album is dilluted, but assures that the album will attract the ladies. Despite the pop singles, the high-point of the album, "What Up, What's Haapnin," easily overshadows all of the flaws. T.I. uses the Drumma Boy instrumental to disgrace his haters (you know who) and not even mention his name. He also ends the album with "Dead & Gone," a near-flawless track with Justin Timberlake, which paints a portrait of how easliy life can end, and to appreaciate what you have.

T.I. is a perfect of example of how struggles can make or break a person. On "Paper Trail," T.I. writes his most personal and truthful songs ever. This album also shows how T.I. has the ability to pen hits without compromising his artistic creativity. Despite the hardships he's endured over the past year, T.I. easily assures his position as one of the top rappers of today. Just listen to the lyrics to "No Matter What." No matter what you think about the album, we can all agree that T.I. will be contender for album of the year at the Grammy's.