Stale Paper Trail

Ever since King dropped, I have been a staunch TI supporter. Why? Straight outta the bloated "Swagga Like Us" joint, TI says, "Sell alotta records I respect and salute that/but spitting real life on hot beats I'm the truth at." He leaves it up to Lupe and Weezy for the wordplay. He leaves the double entendres at the door. He focuses on what is going on in his life and in his streets. There is a gritty, dark underlining manner that demands attention. Yet, TI has the knack of spitting a hook which, to his credit, gives his songs a radio-friendly disposition.

In King there was a certain bravado that youth carries as a bedside partner. Completely accurate and justified that this man was making street bangers, "What You Know," "Why You Wanna," and "Top Back." While there may have been pressure for his next release, TI vs TIP, he did a great job culminating an album that really captured a ton of energy (credit: Just Blaze and Wyclef Jean). TI was taking a chance making a metaphorical album conveying his inner struggle with his present and past. It was deep and it worked. And once again, he found a way to bring us closer to who he is. It was in this album that you could hear his doubt in what he was doing in the street, while trying to justify his actions.

Enter Paper Trail.

The album may be a God bless to all of his fans considering the circumstances. Busted for a weapons charge, TI should have gone away for a long time. Without going through the rumor mill for why it didn't happen, he got away with house arrest. So in his home studio, he prepared for the appropriately titled, Paper Trail. That being because this was the first album since his mainstream success that he actually wrote the lyrics down on paper for modification and reworking later. I can honestly say after plenty of listens, this albums sounds minimally better lyrically than any other TI album.

In his second released single, "Whatever You Like," TI offers a humiliating display of word choice, ultimately warning listeners that this may be his most superficial album. "Stacks on decks/Patron on ice/We can pop bottles all night/And baby, you can have whatever you like/I said, you can have whatever you like," crudely sings the chorus. This attempt at a sexual love song slightly mirrors Weezy's tactics for dropping the explicit "Lollipop" first, only Static Major's textured sound juxtaposed with Weezy's oddities made it refreshing and not cliched. It's tracks like this that are sandwiched between tracks like "Live Your Life" and "No Matter What" that make the track lineup slightly hypocritical.

TI doesn't come through as clear on this album as others. He's conflicted. At the end of "Ready for Whatever," the beat dies down and a exposed TI goes into his marred history saying, "True enough I was dead wrong/I broke the law and deserved to be punished/I understand that/But listen I have a house full of kids/A mama and an old lady who's life is in my responsibility.../In order to understand my training of thought/You have to put yourself in my position/You can't expect me to think like you/Cause my life ain't like yours." While the honesty serves its purpose for this track, you start to pick up that he is caught between his apologies and his justifications.

True enough, that cerebral cut flows into the frentic, upbeat "On Top of the World" feat. Ludacris. Lyrically, this is the strongest track on the album, partially because of Ludacris who unleashes his knack for finishing each line with a punch. Not to mention that this collaboration puts an end to a feud that has rivaled the Jay/Nas beef. Surprising chemistry. But in terms of the album's flow and context, it is another head-scratcher in its placement. This album is a bit of a rollercoaster in its reflective, apologetic moments sitting next to its bratty, egotistical moments sitting next to its ballad, love-addled moments.

While I have my quaffs about the album, the first half is filled with sure fire crowd-pleasers with its highlight being Just Blaze-produced, "Live Your Life." The energy comes screaming out from the offset of the hook. Rihanna was the perfect choice as her voice injects a subtle strength that sends this track into high favor. X-factor? The sample of "Dragostea Din Tei" by O-Zone still brings a tiny smile to my face. The audacity and brilliance of Just Blaze goes unnoticed sometimes. Not this time. He produces the strongest track on the album.

From there however, it gets confusing. "My Life, Your Entertainment" furthers the theme that hip hop is killing him while his saving grace as well, and the producer Drumma Boy did well giving Usher a nice backdrop for his usual, syrupy delivery. After that is the laughable track, "Porn Star" and the transparent Swizz Beat-produced anthem, "Swing Ya Rag." I understand why he put "Swagga Like Us" in the last quarter of his album. There is really no reason to finish the album if not for the West made banger or "Every Chance I Get." On that track, TI comes shining through lyrically and smashes the beat the pieces. It's no coincidence that his swagger is no stronger than on this track. The contemplative nature is thrown out from the beginning and he can sound no better, however even the duet with Timberlake (which was actually produced by Timberlake and Rob Knox) can't save the last bit of the album from mediocrity. The problem is Justin shopped a Justin track to TI. After a whole album of ATL-molded trap music, the album's ender sounds like a B-side to Future Sex/Love Sounds.

TI tries as hard as he can to hammer the point in the summation. "That part of me left yesterday/the heart of me is strong today/No regrets I'm blessed to say/the old me dead and gone away." That would be fine if that weren't what the last album were about. Well the song would be fine without the goofy bridge that speeds the track up just have to flow back into its lurching pace. Anyways, although the message mirrors past albums, the confusion personifies itself all the way through this album. From the shifty track listing to his colloquial speech, TI successfully let us in again, only this time he couldn't control the art. The art controlled him. He fell into his own wallowing in some tracks ("Ready for Whatever and "No Matter What") and then tried to compensate for it with rap cliched nonsense ("Whatever You Like" and "Swing Ya Rag").

The point is that as far as the mainstream rap game is concerned, Weezy Baby still owns the year's best rap record. And I'm sure the sales will still favor Wayne after the dust settles. TI still offers more of an array than most rappers, but failed to top his previous efforts with this album. Ultimately, it is forgettable. And for that there is no paper trail.


Best Tracks - Live Your Life, I'm Illy, On Top of The World, Every Chance I Get

6.1/10


This. Is. Truth.