T.I. - Paper Trail

Genre hip hop Publisher Grand Hustle/Atlantic

The ingredients necessary for a successful hip-hop album are pretty straightforward.  Add in some cameos from fellow rap heavy-hitters (Jay-Z, Ludacris, Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne).  Throw in popular R&B talents to sing the hooks on a few cuts (Usher, John Legend, Justin Timberlake).  Make sure to have at least one track produced by a well-known producer (Swizz Beatz).  Finally, team up with the hot artist of the moment to ensure radio and television airplay (Rihanna).  Add in the requisite bravado and designer label name-dropping, play at loud volume for 16 tracks, remove and let cool in CD collection for years to come. 

Although Paper Trail appears on the surface to be the standard hip-hop release from a reliable industry hit-maker, the album goes above and beyond the typical rap CD, with lyrics that are reflective, thoughtful, and refreshingly candid.  As most T.I. fans are aware, the rapper is scheduled to enter prison in March 2009 to begin serving a sentence he received after pleading guilty to federal weapons charges.  The charges stem from the October 2007 incident in which T.I. was arrested hours before he was to perform at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.  T.I. does not shy away from the incident on his CD, instead choosing to tell his side of the story the best way he knows how, laying his feelings bare through his rhymes.

On “Ready for Whatever”, T.I. provides a descriptive monologue, taking the listener back to October 2007, and his mindset at the time of his arrest.  He touches on the death of his close friend and personal assistant Philant Johnson who was shot and killed in 2006, and how Johnson’s death contributed to T.I.’s feelings of unease about his safety.  T.I. is sincere in accepting responsibility for his actions, but also vehemently raps about wanting to protect his family, the unfairness of the public judging his actions without knowing what it’s like to walk in his shoes, and feeling like a target because of his celebrity status.

Even with the heavy subject matter, the album is not a melancholy affair, as T.I. jumps quickly into “On Top of the World” with fellow ATL rapper Ludacris.  The two rhyme excitedly about all that they have been able to provide for themselves and the people around them as a result of their success.  Ludacris raps about footing the bill for a friend’s culinary school, and cleaning up people’s credit.  T.I. proudly boasts about paying tuition for college-bound family members, and breaking the cycle of drug selling and dropping out of school that existed in his family.

The next track “Live Your Life” starts off with a snippet from the song “Dragostea Din Tei” a catchy tune from Moldovan pop band O-Zone, made famous in the 2004 viral video of a young guy sitting in front of his computer dancing to the song while his webcam captured his head-nodding hijinks.  Rihanna’s distinctive voice beautifully recreates O-Zone’s sample with different words, but still maintains the high-pitched lilt at the end.   She almost dips back into the “eh, eh, eh” refrain from her hit song “Umbrella,” only this time drawing out the “eh” to create a triumphant battle cry that captures the song’s message to enjoy and celebrate one’s life.  On this song we witness T.I. as the wise veteran, mentoring newcomers to the game on what’s truly important, disdainfully calling out anyone who is, as he puts it, “unhappy with the riches ‘cause you piss-poor morally.”

“Whatever You Like” could have come off as a gold-digger’s dream, as T.I. raps about giving his girl whatever material item she could possibly want, but T.I., ever the ladies man, is also effusive about his romantic generosity and promises of a lifetime of financial stability.  “No Matter What” is slightly gospel-tinged, thoughtful and deep, as T.I. is resolute in his commitment to persevere despite the challenges he has faced.  Here he recounts the obstacles he has overcome, from starting out his life in poverty, to losing his friend and daughter in the same year.

“Swing Ya Rag” is a classic Swizz Beatz club banger, with another of Swizzy’s signature hooks that can’t help but cause the listener to break out into a fit of krumping immediately upon hearing the beat.  “Swagga Like Us” is T.I. rhyming with Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne, all on top of a Kanye West produced beat.  If that’s not swagger, there is no such thing, as these rappers definitely have swagger to burn.

John Legend fits perfectly on “Slide Show”, his gentle delivery evoking images of a commercial celebrating the merits of capturing life’s memorable moments with the latest in digital camera technology.  T.I. takes us on that journey, not photographically of course, but just as vividly, speaking as a wise teacher with lessons to spare.

T.I. again teams up with Justin Timberlake on “Dead and Gone,” the album’s final track.  The two worked well together on “My Love” from Timberlake’s 2006 album.  Timberlake sings that the “old me is dead and gone”, an appropriate way to end the CD, which has proven itself to be a musical 12-step program that ends with the patient recognizing where they went wrong, what lessons they have learned, and how they pledge to do better in the future.  Music as therapy at its finest.

Overall the CD is a masterful collection of songs, running the gamut of emotions T.I. no doubt experienced throughout the time he spent recording the album.  The album serves as a musical diary, and a good way to tide his fans over when he goes away to serve his time.  Paper Trail is something to leave behind for T.I. fans to ensure they don’t make the same mistakes, and to provide a reference tool they can turn to, should they confront some of the same issues as T.I.  The fans will have the benefit of T.I.’s hindsight, a musical morality tale with our famed hero thankfully living to see another day.