Atlanta rapper’ and self-touted King of the South’ T.I.‘s new album “T.I. vs T.I.P.
” doesn’t steal the throne from his Grammy-nominated 2006 album “King
,” though it manages to rule over most other commercial hip-hop on the charts right now.
The record is billed as the two personalities of T.I.’ one representing a laid-back businessman and the other a loose-cannon gangster’ and it’s clear that the feisty, pistol-packing hustler is a lot more fun.
“You Know What It Is” features Wyclef Jean
as a producer and performer’ a siren string line underlines T.I.’s characteristic Southern drawl woven with reggae grooves.
The first single from the record, “Big Shit Poppin’ (Do It),” produced by Mannie Fresh
(Juvenile
, Hot Boys
, Lil’ Wayne
), is catchy in an annoying, “can’t wait for the ringtone” kind of way.
Jay-Z
, Eminem
, Nelly
and Busta Rhymes
also make appearances on “T.I. vs. T.I.P,” which actually doesn’t hurt the songs as much as it could. It’s no “King,” but T.I. still reigns supreme.“Joe Wertz
This article appears in Dec 1-7, 2010.
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