Paper Trail | 
| Artist: T.i.
Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $8.99 (47%)
New (35) Used (7) Collectible (1) from $9.99
Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 9
Format: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.3
MPN: 512267
UPC: 075678989797
EAN: 0075678989797
ASIN: B001B56KVG
Release Date: September 30, 2008 (New: This Week)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | 56 Bars (Intro) | | • | I'm Illy | | • | Ready For Whatever | | • | On Top Of The World(feat. Ludacris and B.o.B.) | | • | Live Your Life (feat. Rihanna) | | • | Whatever You Like | | • | No Matter What | | • | My Life Your Entertainment (feat. Usher) | | • | Porn Star | | • | Swing Ya Rag (feat. Swizz Beatz) | | • | What Up, What's Haapnin' | | • | Every Chance I Get | | • | Swagga Like Us T.I. and Jay-Z (feat. Kanye West and Lil' Wayne) |
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Product Description
T.I. has grown to truly be one of his generation's most captivating speakers. Whether he's conversing frankly with a room full of youth about the positive side of staying in school and following their dreams, or moving tens of thousands at one of his concerts, the audiences are immediately engrossed by the King of the South's words. T.I., here delivers his most potent and important LP to date; 'Paper Trail.' The title is a direct reference to T.I.'s return to literally writing down his lyrics- a practice he hasnt engaged in since his debut. By going back to the basics T.I. has evolved into a better MC. The album features guest appearances and production by Lil Wayne. Rihanna, Usher, The Dream, Fall Out Boy, Kanye West, B.O.B, John Legend, DJ Toomp, Swizz Beatz, Drumma Boy, & Danja. This is the explicit version.
Album Description
Explicit Version.T.I. has grown to truly be one of his generations most captivating speakers. Whether he's conversing frankly with a room full of youth about the positive side of staying in school and following their dreams, or moving tens of thousands at one of his concerts, the audiences are immediately engrossed by the King of the South's words. T.I., here delivers his most potent and important LP to date; Paper Trail. The title is a direct reference to T.I.'s return to literally writing down his lyrics- a practice he hasnt engaged in since his debut. By going back to the basics T.I. has evolved into a better MC. The album features guest appearances and production by Lil Wayne. Rihanna, Usher, The Dream, Fall Out Boy, Kanye West, B.O.B, John Legend, DJ Toomp, Swizz Beatz, Drumma Boy, & Danja. 16 tracks.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
 Hova may have anointed Wayne, but T.I. just staged a coup September 30, 2008
Akash (Washington, DC)
30 out of 36 found this review helpful
Ostensibly, "Paper Trail" is a reference to T.I. taking the time to put his thoughts on paper rather than relying on spontaneity and his mental notebook for his lyrics. Having listened to the album closely I'd like to draw two additional meanings from the title, each alluding to our old friends T.I. and T.I.P. First, there is a set of songs on this album that read unmistakably like pages from a diary, songs that are deeply personal and insightful. The second "Paper Trail" is simply money, and it inspires a set of songs about the fun and the swagger that comes with fortune. On "Paper Trail," T.I. expertly walks the line between relevance and entertainment, and delivers a magnum opus.
Four tracks best illustrate the lyrical diary I gleaned from this album. Lead single "No Matter What" is a window into T.I.'s time under house arrest and is astounding in its sincerity and lyrical complexity, he raps "Even though it's heavy, the load I'll still carry it/ Grin and still bear it, win and still share it/ Apologies to the fans, I hope you can understand it/ Life can change directions, even when you ain't plan it." "Ready for Whatever" is a stunningly honest explanation of his weapons charges, "Yes officially I broke the law, but not maliciously/...Either die or go to jail, that's a heck of a decision/ But I'm wrong and I know it, my excuse is unimportant." "Slide Show" blessed by John Legend is likely the most inspirational rap track of the year, on which T.I. advises his fans, "Don't forget that impossible is nothing, your environment is irrelevant/ Just don't let your emotions, overpower your intelligence/ Refuse to give up, Your mistakes don't define you/ They don't dictate where you're headed, they remind you." "Dead and Gone" with Justin Timberlake calls on listeners to let cooler heads prevail in tense situations, "No more stress, now I'm straight/ Now I get it, now I take/ Time to think before I make mistakes, just for my family's sake." These four tracks, and additionally "Live Your Life" and "You Ain't Missing Nothin", represent T.I.'s nuanced understanding of not only rap and music, but of life itself.
T.I.P. and the financially-focused half of the album come into sharp relief on more carefree tracks including hit single "Whatever You Like." "Swing Ya Rag," which will have even the most jaded gangster on the dance floor also falls into this category as does "Every Chance I Get." One would be remiss to not mention goliath record "Swagger Like Us" featuring Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne (obligatory verse ranking: Tip, Hov', Weezy, `ye).
In sum, this album manages to cater to both listeners that are looking for a message and those looking for an escape. It is not without its problems (how "Porn Star" made the album over the leaked "Like I Do," I'll never know) but a T.I. album with a blemish outshines 99% of records today. Personally, it is my album of the year.
 Another Run-o-the-mill "Hip-Hop" Album September 30, 2008
Andrew A. Burnett (Los Angeles, CA)
8 out of 26 found this review helpful
So I bought this album about an hour ago, and I have listened through. Its Pretty Bad.
I won't say its abysmal, but it's pretty close.
Standard Synth chords, Standard Auto-Tune Vocals on half the album. Standard beats with nothing
more than a low-kick and snappy snare about em. A standard album on todays mainstream terms.
Which in my opinion is pretty lame.
I am sure a lot of you will disagree with me because you like your bassy, club-style, say-nothing hip-hop.
But this album makes me sleepy with its complete lack of innovation. So listen to this album and let your brain enjoy a nap.
 T.I. - Paper Trail 7/10 September 30, 2008
Rudy Klapper (Los Angeles / Orlando)
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
"It's the King, b*tch," T.I. announces to all willing to listen at the end of second track of his latest album, Paper Trail, and evidently a year of house arrest has done nothing to blunt T.I.'s cockiness nor his attacks on the haters. Considering the large amount of time he had to spend bumming around his multimillion-dollar mansion, it should come as no surprise that Paper Trail marks the first time since his debut that T.I. has handwritten all of the record's lyrics, and there was certainly no shortage of material; fifty tracks were recorded, with a sizable sixteen making the final cut and coming in at an epic 73 minutes long. Thematically Paper Trail is more straightforward than 2007's odd T.I. vs. T.I.P., mainly consisting of pointed jabs at jealous rivals ("I'm Illy") and boisterous brags about how successful he's been (single "Whatever You Like").
T.I., like all southern gentlemen, is still quite the lothario with the ladies, as he displays on the tasteful slow jam "Porn Star," remarking "I promise all I want to see is you under me," but his performance is so half-hearted and the production so standard that the song comes off as a parody of itself. "What Up, What's Haapnin'" is stereotypical southern-rap bombast, blaring horns and a rapid-fire drum beat framing T.I.'s repetitive "haters get out" message. And while the opening three songs are appropriately thug ("I'm Illy" is the highlight with a minimalist beat and a series of furious verses), all turn out to be a weak appetizer to the epic "On Top of the World" featuring Ludacris, the album's first real success and a track that is not only effectively poppy but also a lyrically accomplished summation of T.I.'s career.
Paper Trail still keeps its eyes on the prize much more so than its predecessor, providing a series of future singles that will no doubt keep T.I. in the commercial spotlight for much of the next year. While "Live Your Life" is the current college favorite with a novelty "Numa Numa" sample and a Rihanna guest spot, the triumphant "No Matter What" is the easy centerpiece of the highlight with its squeaky synths and a Santana-esque guitar line on the chorus. The production is what you would assume from a T.I. album, a mix of standard southern rap, commercially viable poppy hip-hop, and the occasional inspired out-of-left-field beat (the "Paper Planes" sample on "Swagga Like Us").
The typically superb production, strong supporting cast, and T.I.'s continually assured flow make up, for the most part, the regularly recycled themes that make up the majority of Paper Trail, and the one-two punch of "Slide Show" and "Dead And Gone," featuring John Legend and Justin Timberlake respectively, that close out the album (not counting boring dud "You Ain't Missin' Nothing"), make sure that the crown of King of the South remains firmly in T.I.'s hands.
Paper Trail September 30, 2008
Corey Thomas (Detroit Michigan)
5 out of 68 found this review helpful
This is Just Ridiculous T.I. Why are you trying to be
a lyrcist? your from the south your dumb your ugly
its not in you to be a lyrcist finish talking about
that meaningless dribble that you always rap about
everybody knows that people from the south are
the dumbest people in the world T.I.
Your not a Lyricist And your not an emcee
your a Gangster Rapper (Which is lame in itself!)
 I must be missing something October 5, 2008
Joshua W. Hartman
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I just dont see what everyone see's in this album, this to me is his worst one yet, it just sucks to me. I aint tryin to hate on it but I just expected more.
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