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| Artist: T.i.
Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $8.99 (47%)
New (44) Used (9) Collectible (1) from $9.00
Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 93
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
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 81
 T.I.- Paper Trail Is A Golden Road! September 30, 2008
Rodnick Darden (MPLS, MN USA)
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
I just have one thing to say to start off this review: It will be hard pressed to knock this from the top of the totem pole for hip hop album of the year. He came HARD! I honestly have to say that I was looking a little bit more forward to Jeezy's release of The Recession than Paper Trail, though I was looking forward to this as well with the depths T.I. had went through with the kind of criticized last release T.I. v. T.I.P. and the problems in his personal life (i.e. getting caught up with the arsenal of weaponry in his ride and house arrest). He came through in a major way. He got back to basics with the reference to the title in getting back into writing down his lyrics & verses and the output added up in the end. But I also think the title has a double reference as I would agree with Akash's review. T.I. is on a path to letting go of his past and on a paper trail to help make a life better for his fam and hoping that others around or associated with will follow him in the right way.
The production on the CD has a lot of thump-and-bump, sort of the crunk and heavy bass sound you are used to from the South. But he does have a couple of beats and sounds that give a nice switch-up with adding some piano here and some different sounding drums there. Getting a hand from a various group of producers from the likes of Toomp to Justin Timberlake, Kanye West to Drumma Boy, Swizz Beatz to Just Blaze. Kind of maybe different sounds in their own ways, but they come together to bridge their methods and make it work very well. You will catch yourself bobbin' your head or getting up rocking to the sound on pretty much all of the tracks.
Straight out the box from the jump, T.I. comes out swinging with the first few songs with hard-knocking beats and just snapping off. Coming with tracks like 56 Bars where he just raps straight through it with no hook and I'm Illy, Tip puts his feet in the dirt and it is not to be budged like he's stuck in concrete. Leads into the track Ready For Whatever, a heavy-drum song with a kind of a dark and haunting sound to it where he speaks on going through all he went and being able to come through it to the point that he is ready for anything that comes his way no matter what it is. Then who would have thought after that we would see Ludacris and T.I. come together on a track. But that is what we get with On Top Of The World in which they look back on the road they traveled to get to where they are now. May not be in my top five for the album, but I do like how they held it down. Them coming together is a statement in itself for T.I., saying that I'm past whatever beef I may have had with Luda. I've grown up, moved on and matured, a theme that resonates a lot later in the album. One of the tracks that grabbed me soon as I heard it was Live Your Life with Rihanna, heavy bumping song with an R&B twist. It is one of those feel good songs that everyone can relate to and sing along with a simple message that we forget sometimes: Don't worry what other people say and how they may talk bout you, but just keep living whether times are good or bad. The opera sounding singer in the beginning may have you questioning what kind of song is this at first, but stick with it. You'll see what I'm talking about.
Of course T.I. had to hold it down for the ladies which he does well with Whatever You Like and kind of with Porn Star. No Matter What kind of ties into Ready For Whatever in getting back to being able to come through any storm/issue that comes your way. The track with Usher, My Life Your Entertainment, could have been somewhat better especially with the A-town collabo though the concept of Hollywood and famous stars' lives being entertainment for some people to talk about was a good one. Also, Every Chance I Get is a little bit too gutter for my taste at this age but it may appeal to some. But he quickly rebounded for me with the wrap-up in the last four tracks. He formed a dream team in a way for the track Swagga Like Us bringing together himself with hip hop heavyweights Jay-Z, Kanye & Lil' Wayne. With Kanye behind the keys and bringing a track that has some African-sounding drums as the basis of the song, they each pass the baton to each other in trying to one up each other and as they do it blow off anyone outside of them who thinks they are close to any of them. Coming with lines like Swag on a hundred, thousand trillion/I know it got it first/I'm Christopher Columbus/Ya'll just the pilgrims and How is it to wake up and be the ish and the urine/Tryin' to get that Kobe number/One over Jordan(Kanye- possible friendly diss to Jay in that Hova always refers to himself as the Jordan of rap), I can't teach you my swag/You can pay for school/But you can't buy class(Jay), What the bleep you boys talkin' bout/Must be us/Cause we the only thing to talk about(Weezy), Sellin' lotta records/I respect and salute that/But spittin' real ish over hot tracks/I'm the truth to that(Tip), they all give you strong verses. Rate them individually how you want on their verses, but you most definitely must rate the song as a whole high up there. Slide Show with John Legend softens the CD up a bit in the right way with an introspective side of T.I. in saying learn from the highs and lows of life and believing you can make yourself into anything in living life moment by moment and when you do make it, look back on life like a slide show. You Ain't Missin' Nothing is a laid-back kind of song with a blues and jazz sound a bit with it background saxophones in a shout-out to those who are locked down in prison. This is definitely a song I feel cause with of my best friends is in the joint for murder and hoping he's keeping his head up and knowing we still thinking of him while at the same time not missing too much with everybody just take life by the day(other than raising his two baby girls). Dead and Gone with Justin Timberlake is what I hope T.I. is in the process of finishing, putting his old past to bed. Not having to live in the streets no more like some may still do now, maturing and leaving all of that behind. Stay in the streets long enough, your friends will leave you one way or another whether through death or getting caught up with jail time (or dropping dime on you before you can on them so they can snake their way out of time). At some point, you have to move on for your family's sake and that is what Tip gets at here with great help from Justin. Fitting close to a heck of an effort here from the South's King.
In the end, this may have flew under the radar when you compare the anticipation levels to other albums (i.e. Wayne's Carter III). Wayne may have had his CD far more waited upon than T.I.'s, but I'm sure the outcome of this CD is what Wayne probably would have wanted in his own regard and T.I. beat him in that sense. Paper Trail gives you laid back joints, smashmouth joints, cool playboy joints as well as revealing his inner thoughts and feelings. You really start to see the man himself as the cover shows when it is all put together like this CD is and the events he has seen. The lowest points of your life can either break a person or bring out the best in them. T.I. used this to bring out some of his best work in his career. It happens a lot with these artists where going deep inside yourself after going through a valley sparks something in their work(his fellow A-town compatriot Monica comes to mind). Couple of the tracks are so-so, but overall definitely at least 4.5 stars. This is one record you definitely must check out!
 I must be missing something October 5, 2008
Joshua W. Hartman
4 out of 8 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.
Passionate, Mature, and Innovative October 15, 2008
Margareta Nguyen (USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I will say right now that I am NOT a hip-hop or rap fan. Or at least, I wasn't until I picked up this CD, no lie there. It started with not being able to get "Whatever you like" out of my head, which lead to sampling bits and pieces of upcoming tracks like "Dead and Gone," and "Live your Life," both of which I thought were amazing. I decided that I should get the album from the one song and two snippets I heard.
It was well worth it. In fact, for 10 bucks I thought I should have paid more. There are definitely some weaker titles but a lot of stand out ones as well. I'm not huge on collabs, but I feel that the partnerships/ collaborations T.I. made in this album really did what they were supposed to- expose listeners to different sides of T.I. and range, and accentuate the respective performances. In songs like "Live your Life," "My life your entertainment," and "Slide Show," the collaborations are with some interesting artists not really predictable to former T.I. listeners. The styles mix together incredibly, and accentuate the style of both performers/ several performers (Swagga like Us)
My favorite thing about this CD is the passion T.I. brings to the table in songs like "Dead and Gone" and "Ready For Whatever," (my favorite song on the CD). He actually raps about stuff, imagine that. In "Ready for Whatever" he elaborates on his jail sentence and his motivations behind his actions in a compelling depiction of his state of mind. The songs all encompass his state of mind at different times in his life, some dealing with the death of his friend, some dealing with his jail sentence, some dealing with the pressure he faces from his peers.
Trust me, not many of the tracks on this CD are REALLY about impressing girls with cash, riding in nice cars, and showing off jewelry like some older T.I. songs.
It's unfortunate that he went through what he went through legally, but I believe it has made him a stronger artist with experience and personal strife underneath his belt.
An extremely personal album, completely worth BUYING (not downloading).
Hova may have anointed Wayne, but T.I. just staged a coup September 30, 2008
Akash (Washington, DC)
3 out of 7 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.
 T.I. - Paper Trail 7/10 September 30, 2008
Rudy Klapper (Los Angeles / Orlando)
3 out of 5 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.
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