Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head (Grand Hustle, 2012) by T.I.

The 16-track album is good, but not quite as strong as Paper Trail.  Although it is a very well-rounded album.  It has a great intro song which samples Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" and then has material which covers various avenues.  "Trap Back Jumpin'" is reminiscent of Trap Muzik material.  "Guns and Roses" is a great record with Pink that has crossover appeal (but doesn't sell out) and "Hallelujah" has T.I. giving his take on religion.  However, the highlight of the project is Andre 3000's album-stealing verse on "I'm Sorry."

T.I. Vs. T.I.P. (Grand Hustle, 2007) by T.I.

Conceptually, this album is very ambitious.  It's like Trap Muzik combined with King.  Over the course of 18 tracks, the LP is broken into three acts.  As a result of this though, the project becomes a bit cluttered as a whole.  Nevertheless, there are still some great songs.  "Big Shit Poppin'", with the guitar riff from the "Top Gun Anthem," has some of Mannie Fresh's best board work since Cash Money's reign in the late 90s and Busta Rhymes steals the show as usual with his guest work on "Hurt."  The bluesy vibe of "Watch What You Say" gives Jay-Z space to deliver a solid verse and "Respect My Hustle" finds T.I. and his alter-ego T.I.P. challenging each other.  T.I.'s Paper Trail, released a year later, is a way better album.  But T.I. Vs. T.I.P. shows a young person dealing with his past in the streets, coming to terms with fame and realizing who he is now all at once.  Even if it isn't done really well, the fact that T.I. even attempts to do so still counts for something.

Paper Trail (Grand Hustle, 2008) by T.I.

I was not a huge fan of T.I. when his career first started to be honest.  Not until I heard his remake of UGK's "Front Back" and "Big Shit Poppin'" (Mannie Fresh provided awesome beats as well) did I began to pay attention to Tip Harris.  It was then that I learned T.I. didn't write his rhymes down and that he was going to on his next album, Paper Trail.  I loved "No Matter What" and was writing for Billboard at the time so I bought the album the day that it was released so I could be ready immediately when the next single from the set was announced.  I was impressed to say the least.  The collaborations were great (especially Ludacris on "On Top of the World" and Justin Timberlake on "Dead and Gone"), the singles had substance ("Live Your Life"), and his lyrics were deep ("Slide Show").  It is one of my favorite southern rap albums and a modern hip-hop classic.   {Writer's note: Because of a family emergency, I was unable to post for multiple days and so I am posting multiple times now to make up for it.  I apologize for any confusion and/or inconvenience.}