TI-Paper Trail...5 years later
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25centsandwich
Members Posts: 456 ✭✭✭
in The Reason
I admit...I just started listening to this album again.
Im pretty fascinated by it...not because the record song by song but how big it was overall.
The general mood, the hits, the success, the fact that TI (who I think is one of the 15 greatest emcees ever) never really revovered from it....
Trap Muzik may be the favorite among his fans (mine too). King was probably his breakthrough....but Paper Trail defined him in the mainstream.
Remember when Wayne came out with The Carter III and sold a mil the first week? Nobody remembers how TI completely stole his thunder. He put up 3 #1 singles in a row after the success of The Carter and dominated the rap game for the rest of the year. Those songs were not only huge pop hits but undeniably listenable, even likeable to a ? hip hop fan.
The mood imo is defined by Ready for Whatever tho. I think its one of the best songs of his career. What's happenin was one of the memorable diss records of the time. 56 Bars, I'm illy showcased his lyrical side.
I think it gets overlooked because there was some wack tracks on it. Slideshow to be specific...but I also didn't care for On Top of the World or My life your entertaiment.
Overall though, I feel like it doesn't get credit. A classic imo.
Im pretty fascinated by it...not because the record song by song but how big it was overall.
The general mood, the hits, the success, the fact that TI (who I think is one of the 15 greatest emcees ever) never really revovered from it....
Trap Muzik may be the favorite among his fans (mine too). King was probably his breakthrough....but Paper Trail defined him in the mainstream.
Remember when Wayne came out with The Carter III and sold a mil the first week? Nobody remembers how TI completely stole his thunder. He put up 3 #1 singles in a row after the success of The Carter and dominated the rap game for the rest of the year. Those songs were not only huge pop hits but undeniably listenable, even likeable to a ? hip hop fan.
The mood imo is defined by Ready for Whatever tho. I think its one of the best songs of his career. What's happenin was one of the memorable diss records of the time. 56 Bars, I'm illy showcased his lyrical side.
I think it gets overlooked because there was some wack tracks on it. Slideshow to be specific...but I also didn't care for On Top of the World or My life your entertaiment.
Overall though, I feel like it doesn't get credit. A classic imo.
Comments
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Yea I liked that album allot when it came out, but for me it didnt have the best replay value probably cause half the songs had been on the radio so long. Definitely solid though, one of his top 3 albums, and I bought Paper Trail not Carter III though.
TIP was the king of rap till he went back to jail... -
thought it was a solid album
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Slept on album because of whatever you like. My favorite from him aside of trap musik and king. Only song is skippable is pornstar
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KING is my fave ti album but paper trails had a lot of good ones
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Huge album. I think it is an example of an album being commercial without sacrificing quality. It had some real bangers like:
56 Bars
I'm Illy
Ready For Whatever
Swing Your Rag
What's Up, What's Happenin'
Dead and Gone
Every Chance I Get
Slide Show
Even though there was filler like "Porn Star" and "My Life, Your Entertainment", it was dope for the most part. For better or for worse, Paper Trail also started the trend of the Rihanna featured anthem that became common place on Hip Hop albums. Aside from Memphis Bleek, I don't recall any Hip Hop album featuring Rihanna before Paper Trail. After Paper Trail, she pops up on albums from Jay Z, Wale, Eminem, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, and Drake. All of them except Wale had her on their singles. -
TI's 2nd best album. The "elitist"(myself included) are always gonna bring up "Whatever U Like" which ironically end up being his biggest record to date(dont quote me on that).
Slaughtered Heavyweights on "Swagger Like Us"
Only wack track was "Porn Star" imo -
Personally did not like it but it showed TI's growth as an artist.
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I liked it but I'll be a liar if I said I still bump any of the records off that CD today.
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this. it also increased his fanbase exponentiallyCashmoneyDux wrote: »Personally did not like it but it showed TI's growth as an artist.
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i still bump it
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great album, i think of all his albums that one may have the least skippables, only one i can definitely remember not ever liking is no matter what, first 3 tracks set it off like a muthafucka
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he was spittin game on "pornstar" tho...
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if ? actually listened to paper trail they should have appreciated all the game he was given away...he had a lot of grown man gems to offer to whomever took time to peep game. one of his most diverse albums imo. too bad he completely abandoned that flow...musically, he should have stayed in the direction he was going in.
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32DaysOfInfiniti wrote: »Yea I liked that album allot when it came out, but for me it didnt have the best replay value probably cause half the songs had been on the radio so long. Definitely solid though, one of his top 3 albums, and I bought Paper Trail not Carter III though.
TIP was the king of rap till he went back to jail...
Who's that in ur avi?
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Dope album but he won't make anything that touches Trap Muzik
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not a fan of this album, used to get bumped at work all the time made me hate it
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georgia boi wrote: »Huge album. I think it is an example of an album being commercial without sacrificing quality.
Even though there was filler like "Porn Star" and "My Life, Your Entertainment", it was dope for the most part. For better or for worse, Paper Trail also started the trend of the Rihanna featured anthem that became common place on Hip Hop albums. Aside from Memphis Bleek, I don't recall any Hip Hop album featuring Rihanna before Paper Trail. After Paper Trail, she pops up on albums from Jay Z, Wale, Eminem, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, and Drake. All of them except Wale had her on their singles.
#1 Really? Heeell no.
#2 That isn't a trend. It's called the entertainment business trying to market an artist in other fields. It wasn't a coincidence that alotta people had her on after it's a business move. 2007-08 is when she changed alot of her business surroundings & had more endorsements & sponsors along with alot of PR. So, business move.
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damobb2deep wrote: »he was spittin game on "pornstar" tho...
I can't get passed the beat. -
Dope when it came out and dope now. I always told people T.I. been one of the shapest spitters specially before his last situation look at the album's the hits bars numbers always ahead of Wayne on my list. Judging off straight up rap
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Dope album but he won't make anything that touches Trap Muzik
Just like Nas won't make anything that touches Illmatic, Jay with Reasonable Doubt, Em with MMLP etc...
We as fans have to understand these ? get mega rich after making those classics so they won't ever be in the same mind frame -
This ? had me like wow wasn't a t.i fan like that but when i heard this im like dam this ? can spt n/h
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7c4HD4odGg -
CirocObama wrote: »georgia boi wrote: »Huge album. I think it is an example of an album being commercial without sacrificing quality.
Even though there was filler like "Porn Star" and "My Life, Your Entertainment", it was dope for the most part. For better or for worse, Paper Trail also started the trend of the Rihanna featured anthem that became common place on Hip Hop albums. Aside from Memphis Bleek, I don't recall any Hip Hop album featuring Rihanna before Paper Trail. After Paper Trail, she pops up on albums from Jay Z, Wale, Eminem, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, and Drake. All of them except Wale had her on their singles.
#1 Really? Heeell no.
#2 That isn't a trend. It's called the entertainment business trying to market an artist in other fields. It wasn't a coincidence that alotta people had her on after it's a business move. 2007-08 is when she changed alot of her business surroundings & had more endorsements & sponsors along with alot of PR. So, business move.
#1 It's not like he put 16 singles on the album. Most of the album is vintage T.I. How exactly does he sacrficice quality?
#2 If a bunch of artists start doing the same thing as another it's a trend. There's a difference between marketing an artist in other fields which works the other way around. "Umbrella" was Def Jam marketing Rihanna in other fields and she still wasn't big with Hip Hop until after "Live Your Life". She became like the "it" girl to feature on a commercial Hip Hop song after that. Also hopping on trends still qualifies as business move in regard to marketing. Still don't see what endorsements, sponsors, and PR have to do with her being featured on Hip Hop albums though. She'd still have the same endorsements, sponsors, and PR without appearing on those songs. In fact, her more Urban songs targeted towards Hip Hop crowds are flops in comparison to her more mainstream records. Her biggest Urban records are the "Live Your Life" and "Run This Town". -
georgia boi wrote: »CirocObama wrote: »georgia boi wrote: »Huge album. I think it is an example of an album being commercial without sacrificing quality.
Even though there was filler like "Porn Star" and "My Life, Your Entertainment", it was dope for the most part. For better or for worse, Paper Trail also started the trend of the Rihanna featured anthem that became common place on Hip Hop albums. Aside from Memphis Bleek, I don't recall any Hip Hop album featuring Rihanna before Paper Trail. After Paper Trail, she pops up on albums from Jay Z, Wale, Eminem, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, and Drake. All of them except Wale had her on their singles.
#1 Really? Heeell no.
#2 That isn't a trend. It's called the entertainment business trying to market an artist in other fields. It wasn't a coincidence that alotta people had her on after it's a business move. 2007-08 is when she changed alot of her business surroundings & had more endorsements & sponsors along with alot of PR. So, business move.
#1 It's not like he put 16 singles on the album. Most of the album is vintage T.I. How exactly does he sacrficice quality?
#2 If a bunch of artists start doing the same thing as another it's a trend. There's a difference between marketing an artist in other fields which works the other way around. "Umbrella" was Def Jam marketing Rihanna in other fields and she still wasn't big with Hip Hop until after "Live Your Life". She became like the "it" girl to feature on a commercial Hip Hop song after that. Also hopping on trends still qualifies as business move in regard to marketing. Still don't see what endorsements, sponsors, and PR have to do with her being featured on Hip Hop albums though. She'd still have the same endorsements, sponsors, and PR without appearing on those songs. In fact, her more Urban songs targeted towards Hip Hop crowds are flops in comparison to her more mainstream records. Her biggest Urban records are the "Live Your Life" and "Run This Town".
#1 Well first of all, IMO, it sounds all over the place. 2nd, i disagree. It definitely sounded like he sacrificed quality for commercialism. Now i'm not one of those anti-mainstream or anti-underground people anyway & rarely do i put artists in boxes but to me it's pretty obvious that he went more for the pop route. Now, i definitely think that there was songs were he talked about everything he went through or just rapped nice. But the balance on that was way off. He leaned more to the other side.
#2 Tbh that's a looooong explanation that i definitely think i know a lil' bit more about than you (no diss!) but it's way too long of a discussion & i don't feel like pouring it all out now. I think you missed some of my points too. But it's all G, i respect your opinion. -
No way he "sacrificed quality for commercialism". TI hasn't changed since I'm Serious
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it's ok a 6/10
Trap Muzik is easily his best tho that album had good production, think he relies too much on people like Rihanna for hooks and his content is too boring for me the whole trap/drug dealer content get's boring
Trap Muzik is definitley decent tho
