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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Paper Trail
by T.I.
The sixth album for the rapper features guest artists such as Ludicris, Rihanna, Usher, Jay-Z, kayne West, Lil Wayne, Justin Timberlake, and John Legend.
| LABEL: |
Grand Hustle/Atlantic |
| RELEASE DATE: |
30 September 2008 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Rap |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
91
MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
If you can't get with this expediently excessive piece of rich-get-richer, commercial rap albums are beyond your ken.
90
RapReviews.com
With very little filler and a strong selection of songs from start to finish, the hype that this is potentially "album of the year" according to Atlantic Records may ACTUALLY be true.
83
Entertainment Weekly
Despite his often earnest lyrics, the radio-friendly party anthems, flirty come-ons, collaborations with A-list pals (Rihanna, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Justin Timberlake), and outstanding production prove this beleaguered bad boy still knows how to have a good time.
83
The Onion (A.V. Club)
A welcome return to form after the underwhelming, muddled concept album "T.I. Vs. T.I.P.," Trail is an uneven but oft-invigorating combination of velvet and grit, angst and celebration.
80
Vibe
His struggles did make for a strong album.
80
Billboard
He's embodied literature's most popular archetype--the survivor--by transforming his woes into a reflective, enjoyable album.
80
Boston Globe
Paper Trail tops them both [previous two albums] simply by being content driven, from the plot to the refined delivery.
75
Paste Magazine
Even with the burden of sloppy crossover tracks, Paper Trail has enough standout moments for T.I.’s throne to remain secure for now.
70
Blender
T.I. boats one of gangsta rap's most mellifluous voices and more polysyllabic lexicons, and when he combines the two, he's dazzling, hypnotic, virtuosic. [Dec 08/Jan 09, p.82]
70
Hot Press
House-arrested rapper defends his realm.
70
All Music Guide
There is a sense of urgency and a new dimension of self-reflection not touched upon throughout the holding pattern that was "T.I. vs T.I.P."
70
Sputnikmusic
More lyrical than Lil' Wayne and catchier than Young Jeezy, T.I. has once again proved the fact that he represents an excellent blend of lyrical talent and pop sensibility.
67
cokemachineglow
Sequenced as the record is, with each personality dominating certain stretches of runtime, Paper Trail feels almost vaudevillian.
62
Pitchfork
Paper Trail more often succeeds when the positivity sounds more earned than court-ordered.
60
Rolling Stone
T.I. is still a bit too keen to remake his signature hit 'What You Know,' but songs like the clever 'I'm Illy' and the Just Blaze-produced stomper 'Live Your Life' find T.I. reconciling himself to his lot in life: he's a well-oiled hit machine who's more fun than deep.
60
Slant Magazine
T.I.'s voice is still one of the best instruments in all of hip-hop, but the vapidity of his words is all the more pronounced after his audience has been waiting so long for him to say something interesting.
60
The Guardian
His apparent claims to have had "no choice" in his most recent legal entanglement--attempting to procure machine guns from an FBI cooperating witness--do him little credit, but the skilled, catchy choruses of On Top of the World, Whatever You Like and current UK hit Live Your Life suggest he is still a strong "buy".
60
The Wire
Though you'd be justified in hanging this writer for conflating person and persona, you're asked to contemplate the uneasy positivity that chacterizes Paper Trail's three mot popular songs. [Dec 2008, p.74]
60
Prefix Magazine
On what has been for the most part an impeccably executed commercial rap album, TI again reminds us what he’s really capable of.
The average user rating for this album is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 34 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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