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Life & Arts

'King' sets T.I. on top of hip-hop world

by ELI JABBE
The Daily Cougar

T.I. is one of hip-hop's premier stars. Unlike many other southern rappers, he's a good lyricist. 

He first emerged with I'm Serious in 2001, which wasn't a bad album, but flopped business-wise. Next was the 2003 album Trap Muzik, which is a classic. Then came Urban Legend, released in late 2004, which was in rotation for much of 2005. Clifford "Tip" Harris' latest album King had high expectations, and it met them.

Early on, T.I. gets two great tracks from super producer Just Blaze (who crafted countless Jay-Z classics). My favorite of the two is "King's Back," which samples the tubular bells from The Exorcist theme. The other Blaze track, "I'm Talking to You" disses an unnamed rapper and although it sounds like it's aimed at Ludacris, Lil Flip and Lil Wayne, T.I. said it's not. These two tracks give King a sound different from his earlier albums. "Front Back" features UGK, and Pimp C explains, "I keep my money on my mind."

"Live In The Sky," featuring Jamie Foxx, features Tip in an introspective mood: "Life's ups and downs, they come and go / But when I die, I hope I live in the sky." The Foxx-less original version of this song is actually better than this version. "Ride Wit Me," which would have been a better first single than "What You Know," features a nice beat with organs and is excellent. 

On "Get It," T.I. teams up with Swizz Beatz again, but the result isn't as good as their previous collaboration. "Bring Em Out" is one of the lowlights of the album. T.I. teams up with Mannie Fresh for "Top Back," which is one of the best tracks on the album. Over Fresh's triumphant horns, T.I. explains how he likes to cruise: "I like my beat down low, and my top let back." 

Definitely one of their best collaborations, "I'm Straight" features T.I. explaining how insignificant fame is, and how he'd be all right without it with the line, "You can keep the fame / I'm straight." Young Jeezy steals the show with his usual advanced lyricism: "You wonder why I talk about 8-balls all day / You should try to stand around with 8-balls all day (yeah)."

"You Know Who" is short, but one of the better tracks. "Goodlife" features a beat and chorus from Pharrell of the Neptunes, and Common, of all people. One of the highlights, it features a vintage Neptunes' beat and Common explains, "They say life's a teacher: you're gonna get tested." Last is "Bankhead," which is cut with other artists from Tip's neighborhood in Atlanta. 

Over a nice Toomp beat, T.I. rhetorically questions himself: "Where am I supposed to go? Bankhead."

T.I.

King

Atlantic Records

Verdict: 'King' isn't T.I.'s best album, but I definitely recommend it to fans.
 

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