T.I. chases ‘album of the year’ with new disc

Paper Trail

T.I.

Grand Hustle Records

Lil Wayne, Kanye West

A-

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Weezy, Jigga,… Paper Trail

T.I.

Grand Hustle Records

Lil Wayne, Kanye West

A-

‘

Weezy, Jigga, Kanye and Fiddy — watch your backs.

T.I.’s label is promoting his new album as ‘the best album of the year,’ and though it’s not quite the best, the album almost lives up to the hype.

With his sixth studio album, not only can the Atlanta-based rapper finally be included on the same level as the previously mentioned rap industry giants, but he is more than capable of holding his own among them.

With a near-perfect balance of radio-friendly hooks, irresistible beats and lyrics that resonate with the tabloid-friendly drama recently surrounding T.I., Paper Trail could easily be one of the best rap albums of the year.

Though T.I. is no stranger to critical acclaim and commercial success, his latest effort will prove a milestone in his career. Every track oozes high production values, and the major radio hits flow seamlessly from the grittier, harder-sounding songs.

A main source of creative inspiration for the album is taken from his arrest on weaponry charges almost one year ago. And with some bittersweet irony, its release marks both an anniversary of the heavily covered incident and the impending one-year jail term T.I. was sentenced to serve.

This doesn’t mean the album is laden with drab and depressing retellings of the episode — T.I. takes his subject and uses it without letting it thematically and musically overwhelm the CD. And of course, an ample amount of time is devoted to T.I.’s ‘swagga,’ which he has finally reigned in and perfected.

‘I’m Illy’ let’s the rapper’s ego run wild, but unlike Kanye West, it never becomes off-putting for the listener. It’s the quintessential pump-up track, and his claims of being ‘illy,’ like some deranged PSA, make the listener wish that he, too, were ‘illy’ (a quick Urban Dictionary visit confirmed this).

There are a number of tracks that remain lodged in the top spots on radio-play charts. First, there is the duo of songs T.I. performed at the VMAs — ‘Whatever You Like’ and his Rihanna collaboration, ‘Live Your Life.’

The former recalls Nelly’s practically retro hit ‘Ride Wit Me,’ with its insistence on living the lavish and carefree life, accompanied by a sing-song chorus and R’amp;B-tinged bass beat.

‘Five million dollar home, drop Bentley’s I swear,’ he raps. At least we know T.I. is keeping blase about our crumbling economy.

‘Live Your Life’ takes the infamous ‘Numa Numa’ song from a few years ago, adds T.I. and the guaranteed-hit sticker we call Rihanna, and one of the best male/female hip-hop collaborations of the past three years is born. Seriously, the track is so hot, it practically dares you to get it out of your head.

‘Swing Ya Rag’ is another bouncing club-banger that finds T.I. with Swizz Beats and lets girls know that the Louis Vuitton bags are out this year — it’s all about ‘the Louis rag.’

It’s not all fun and Rihanna, though.

‘No Matter What’ talks directly about T.I.’s arrest, but he remains optimistic through his solemnity.

‘Apologies to the fans, I hope you can understand it / Like ya change in directions, even when you ain’t planned it,’ shows that the rapper doesn’t consider the situation as another opportunity for street cred, but for his legion of fans, he needs to adapt and move on.

Even more emotional, and downright sentimental, are the John Legend and Justin Timberlake pairings ‘Slide Show’ and ‘Dead and Gone,’ respectively. Both include solid chorus entries from the singers, and T.I. hits his true lyrical stride here. ‘Dead’ is especially haunting and gives Kanye’s ‘Jesus Walks’ a run for its money.

There are no flat-out missteps on the album, but there are tracks not up to the level with the rest. ‘Porn Star’ combines a typical rap-song subject with a downright awkward beat, and ‘You Ain’t Missin’ Nothin’ toes the line of dullness way too often.

These are excusable faults, though, because then we arrive at ‘Swagga Like Us,’ the most epic pairing of rap giants in recent memory — Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and T.I. sampling M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes,’ the track’s subdued presentation neutralizes the sheer grandiosity of the track’s cred. There is so much talent, so much ego here, it alone makes the album worth a listen.

‘You go see Weezy for the wordplay / Jeezy for the birdplay / Kan-yeezy for diversity and me for controversy,’ T.I. boasts in the final verse, but people go to T.I. for more than just his controversy.

People are hitting up T.I. because with this album, he might have earned his crown as the new King of Rap.