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Paper Trail more often succeeds when the positivity sounds more earned than court-ordered.
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Sequenced as the record is, with each personality dominating certain stretches of runtime, Paper Trail feels almost vaudevillian.
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Even with the burden of sloppy crossover tracks, Paper Trail has enough standout moments for T.I.’s throne to remain secure for now.
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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."
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House-arrested rapper defends his realm.
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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.
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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.
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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".
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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.
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If you can't get with this expediently excessive piece of rich-get-richer, commercial rap albums are beyond your ken.
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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.
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He's embodied literature's most popular archetype--the survivor--by transforming his woes into a reflective, enjoyable album.
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His struggles did make for a strong album.
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Paper Trail tops them both [previous two albums] simply by being content driven, from the plot to the refined delivery.
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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.
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On what has been for the most part an impeccably executed commercial rap album, TI again reminds us what he’s really capable of.
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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.
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BlenderT.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]
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The WireThough 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]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 76 out of 83
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Mixed: 5 out of 83
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Negative: 2 out of 83
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Nov 13, 2017
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May 23, 2017
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Mar 22, 20158.2/10................................................................................................................................................