T.I. Paper Trail Early Album Review

Rapper T.I. has been going through a highly controversial time in his life. The rap superstar was arrested for some very serious weapons charges and is looking at a prison term in the new year. However, that is not stopping him from releasing his latest album Paper Trail. Can T.I.'s latest opus live up to the incredible hype?

The first single off of Paper Trail is the Danja produced No Matter What. The song is a solid return for the self proclaimed "King of the South." The song reintroduces T.I. to the hip hop masses.

On the Jim Jonsin produced second single Whatever You Like, T.I. channels his inner crooner. The song is basically T.I.'s takeoff of Lil Wayne's Lollipop. However, the song just does not have the magic of Lil Wayne's single.

The third single is the Swizz Beatz produced Swing Ya Rag. The song has the frenetic pace of previous Swizz Beatz club anthems. The song is very infectious and easy on the ears.

One of the most expected songs on the album is Swagger Like Us (S.L.U.). The Kanye West produced track features verses from a rap dream team consisting of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West. The song is solid considering all of the great lyricists are on the track.

Justin Timberlake joins T.I. on the Timbaland produced track Dead and Gone. The track is one of the better tracks on the album and definitely has single potential. The track is extremely well produced and from the heart.

Just Blaze produces the Rihanna featured track Live Your Life. The song is a solid R&B and hip hop collaboration that will do well at radio and in the clubs.

The track My Life, Your Entertainment features Usher. The track does not sound like something Usher would be on. The song is darker with its ominous organ chords. The song is solid but nothing special.

Kanye West produces Slide Show featuring R&B crooner John Legend. The song is solid and different than what you expect from T.I.

DJ Toomp produces On Top Of The World featuring Ludacris and B.O.B. The magic between DJ Toomp and T.I. is clearly still evident on the track.

What Up What's Happening is produced by Drumma Boy. The song is harder than a lot of the commercial fare found on the album. The beat is simplistic yet very compelling.

Overall Paper Trail has something for everyone. It is one of the better rap albums in 2008. Overall Paper Trail gets 8.5 out of 10. If you are a fan of T.I. make sure you pick up Paper Trail when it is available in stores on September 30^th.