Urban Legend: A Review of T.I.'s Third Album

In 2001, he declared himself a legend on his debut album I'm Serious, but was rather roundly ignored, mostly due to poor promotion by his record label. In 2003, he returned with a much stronger follow up Trap Muzik that showcased the gifted songwriter and agile lyricist at which I'm Serious had only hinted. This album not only featured superior production, but also superior songwriting, as evidenced by the strength of the singles Be Easy, 24's, and Rubberband Man, as well as the platinum sales. After this national exposure, he returned a year later with the follow-up Urban Legend, which while generally solid, is not quite the perfect follow-up to such a promising sophomore set.

First, either perhaps excited to work with other well-known artists or perhaps just concerned with matching his previous sales, there are just too many features here, most of which add nothing of value. The messy Get Loose features a colorless Nelly verse and that T.I. easily outshines. The same goes for the bland hook vocals provided by Lil Kim on limpid Get Ya S--- Together. Both tracks are clearly attempts at crossover hits, but neither works well due mostly to weak production. What They Do is not bad per se; it is simply generic with a generic B.G. verse. And Limelight featuring T.I.'s extended family P$C is mediocre at best.

Second, despite the album's crossover attempts, two of the three singles are far more hard-hitting than most of the other records on Urban Legend. That is good because those singles: U Don't Know Me and ASAP are excellent (though they do sound extremely similar). But that also calls attention to the disc's unevenness. Songs like these, as well as Motivation, Stand Up (featuring Trick Daddy, Lil Jon, and Lil Wayne) and My Life (featuring Daz Dillinger) are among the albums best because T.I. is in his comfort zone. But they belong elsewhere, on a disc that is aggressive all the way through, rather one that suffers substantial shifts in tone as does Urban Legend.

However, T.I. is still usually an adept songwriter, and records like Countdown (whose instrumental recalls Rubberband Man), Prayin for Help, Why You Mad at Me, and The Greatest are very well crafted, even if the beats lack the requisite catchiness of radio tunes. The lead single, Bring Em Out, does have that requisite catchiness and then some, but it is distinctly different in tone from the next two. This kind of cognitive dissonance regarding street and commercial records, which is also evident on such albums as Jay-Z's In My Lifetime, Vol.1(read review), and Nas' It Was Written(read review), is a bit disconcerting, though it might be expected. This has very much a sophomore album feel to it, and these are common sophomore album mistakes. Regardless, Urban Legend is a generally solid, and occasionally brilliant, effort from one of hip-hop's rising stars.

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