ARTIST: T.I.
ALBUM: Paperwork
LABEL: Grand Hustle
RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2014
He Gone Got It
Written by Jeremy Weeden
T.I. is back with his 8th studio album, Paperwork, and it is his best work since 2007’s T.I. vs T.I.P.
The album begins with T.I.’s spoken word over a soulful beat and a man in the background singing, “I’m the King.” The song quickly turns cinematic with blaring horns over hard drums and T.I.’s double-time style flows effortlessly over the track. This sets the album up perfectly and has the listener anticipating what’s to come.
The next track “G Shit” featuring Young Jeezy is a bouncy affair produced by Pharrell. Young Jeezy shows his usual flair for entertaining with the lyrics, “When Jay was beefin with Nas I was sellin cocaine/When Game was beefin with 50 I was doin the same thang.” Next up is the album’s first single “About the Money” featuring Atlanta newcomers Young Thug and London on da Track. This club favorite is a perfect song to go riding to as the contrast between T.I. and Young Thug’s styles blends perfectly over London’s slow, bass-heavy beat.
Paperwork veers down a more serious path with “New National Anthem” featuring songstress Skylar Grey. T.I. raps about racism, injustices and hypocrisies in America. He touches on Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and speaks on what it is to be a black man in America, asking his audience of other races if they have ever had to explain what they were doing in their own neighborhood. T.I. ends the song speaking about different problems in our society saying, “Let me ask you something. If the kids are the future, tell me why you can get more for being C.O. (correctional officer) than you can for being a teacher. Tell me why it means more to the government to pay the people who got to watch over the prisoners, more than the people who got to keep the children from becoming prisoners. That make sense? Tell me why 9 ounces of crack will get you more time than a rape right now.”
Things heat back up with “Oh Yea” another song produced by Pharrell. T.I. sets this robust energetic track off with the crescendo of, “I’m a man of respect, man of the people/I stand next to God, to man I’m no equal/Man of respect, man of the people/I stand next to God, to man I’m no equal.”
Like many artist lately T.I. hops on the DJ Mustard train, and the result is the sonically pleasing “No Mediocre” featuring Iggy Azalea. This popular single is already certified gold by the RIAA.
The title track finds T.I. rapping to a mellower beat than he is usually known for. This Pharrell-produced track is reminiscent of early Kanye and is another excellent song on the album.
“Stay” is a personal song where T.I. opens up about him and Tiny’s relationship. An open book for most of his career when it comes to his life, T.I. truly bares all here. He tells Tiny how much he loves her and lets her know that if need be he will beg her to stay. “Light Em Up” is a tribute to his artist DOE B who was murdered in December. T.I. delivers a fitting tribute on this song featuring Grand Hustle artist Trae the Truth.
Paperwork places T.I. squarely back on top of his game. The album is a good blend of the different styles T.I. can bring to the table and will appeal to listeners of his early work as well as his more recent material. Already one of the top rappers to ever come out of the south, T.I. proves he is not done adding to his legacy yet with Paperwork.