Spring Break
T.I.'s Paper Trail: Take two
Max Irlander
Issue date: 10/16/08 Section: Entertainment
Rap artist T.I., who achieved great success with his previous two albums in 2006 and 2007, King and T.I. vs. T.I.P., seemed like he was at the top of his game. However his latest album, Paper Trail, has brought him to the next level of success in the rap game.
T.I. has recently received a lot of bad press about his unfortunate situations - whether it was his arrest for possessing illegal automatic machine guns, or the shooting of one of his best friends. Both were life-changing events that occurred within a short time of each other.
Considering that T.I. has come back from two traumatic experiences, he has created an album that really speaks out about his life and the past events that have significantly affected him.
His ability to rap about things that affect him is reminiscent of Eminem, who is known for talking about his past and the press and fans bombarding him in public. They have different flows and styles of rapping, but it is the experiences they talk about that really bring them together.
Some rappers use their life experience to fuel their rhymes, and that's definitely what T.I. has done with great success on his latest album, Paper Trail. He speaks out in songs like "No Matter What" and "Dead and Gone," which both seem to talk about the death of one of his crewmembers, Philant Johnson, who was killed during a gun fight after a performance with rapper Young Joc.
Other hits, like "My Life Your Entertainment" with R&B artist Usher, talk about how in the last year or so the press has really been involved in his life- to the point where he can't even get a moment to himself.
T.I.'s success even rings into the streets, considering that every car that passes by or cell phone that rings is playing his number one hit song "Whatever You Like."
Every song on Paper Trail has a strong, catchy beat that really hooks the listener in. His amazing rhymes make the perfect icing on the cake for a great album.
T.I. combines his talent with many other big names, such as Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil' Wayne on "Swagga Like Us," (my personal favorite), as well as other artists like Ludacris, Justin Timberlake, and Swizz Beats.
T.I. has significantly topped himself on his latest album Paper Trail. It is definitely an album worth purchasing, and it's an album that is easy to put on. The strong beats, T.I.'s rhymes and the all the artist collaborations come together to make this album what it is. This is an album I would recommend personally.
T.I. has recently received a lot of bad press about his unfortunate situations - whether it was his arrest for possessing illegal automatic machine guns, or the shooting of one of his best friends. Both were life-changing events that occurred within a short time of each other.
Considering that T.I. has come back from two traumatic experiences, he has created an album that really speaks out about his life and the past events that have significantly affected him.
His ability to rap about things that affect him is reminiscent of Eminem, who is known for talking about his past and the press and fans bombarding him in public. They have different flows and styles of rapping, but it is the experiences they talk about that really bring them together.
Some rappers use their life experience to fuel their rhymes, and that's definitely what T.I. has done with great success on his latest album, Paper Trail. He speaks out in songs like "No Matter What" and "Dead and Gone," which both seem to talk about the death of one of his crewmembers, Philant Johnson, who was killed during a gun fight after a performance with rapper Young Joc.
Other hits, like "My Life Your Entertainment" with R&B artist Usher, talk about how in the last year or so the press has really been involved in his life- to the point where he can't even get a moment to himself.
T.I.'s success even rings into the streets, considering that every car that passes by or cell phone that rings is playing his number one hit song "Whatever You Like."
Every song on Paper Trail has a strong, catchy beat that really hooks the listener in. His amazing rhymes make the perfect icing on the cake for a great album.
T.I. combines his talent with many other big names, such as Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil' Wayne on "Swagga Like Us," (my personal favorite), as well as other artists like Ludacris, Justin Timberlake, and Swizz Beats.
T.I. has significantly topped himself on his latest album Paper Trail. It is definitely an album worth purchasing, and it's an album that is easy to put on. The strong beats, T.I.'s rhymes and the all the artist collaborations come together to make this album what it is. This is an album I would recommend personally.
