Georgia
native, T.I. (TIP) has been recently making a surge with his hit "I'm
Serious", which features Beenie Man. The Neptunes laced track
has had the club jumping for the past couple of months. With his solo
finally about to drop on Arista Records, this album should be his
gateway into the mainstream arena.
The album begins with an
Intro, which consists of a real tweeked guitar as T.I. speaks
a bit about his album. This beat is so hot that it's a shame that
he didn't rhyme over it.
Still Ain't Forgave Myself" starts off with a couple of
hits by piano keys, which then leads into nice bassline. The song
has TI glancing at his life at retrospect from birth to present. This
song actually is one of my favorite tracks on the album.
"Dope Boys" is an up-tempo track with a bumpin' bassline
about selling drugs. That's pretty much all there is to this, however
despite played subject matter, the song still bangs and is worth the
listen. Thinking about this, it sounds like hype anthem that would
rival the likes of "Ante Up" by MOP.
"What Happened" features TI showing a wide array
of flow as he sounds similar to Juvenile in my opinion. The uptempo
beat is really catchy and I'm feeling the chanting chorus.
"You Ain't Hard" features a sample by The Commodores
from "It's Your Thang..." and adds another guitar to give
it more of a rough edge. This song is another one of my favorites
from the CD..damn, I'm loving these gritty guitar lines.
"Why I'm Serious Interlude" has him talking over
the same beat as the Intro. Basically, it's getting everyone hype
for his first single,
"I'm Serious", which is up next. The track features
production by the Neptunes as well as the reggae vocals of Beenie
Man. I don't care for the beat really because it sounds just like
every other Neptune's track, however TI and Beenie both overshadow
the horrific beat to the point that it doesn't matter what's playing
in the background over their vocals.
"Do It" has sort of a happy-dramatic feel to it..similar
to video game music. TI comes solid and really knows how to work this
female orientated track. The beat keeps changing up leaving the listener
on edge to find out what's up next.
"What's Yo Name?" is another beat by the Neptunes,
but surprisingly has a fresher sound and is something I can vibe to.
Despite being young, TI displays his veteran rhyming skills as the
Neptunes sing the chorus line. I'd go as far as this is the best track
I've ever heard produced by the Neptunes EVER.
"Hands Up" has a dope Spanish feel to it. This should
be another track that gets the crowd hype in the club. This is another
track that is getting a lot of rotation in my CD player.
"Chooz U" features a pimp storytelling-type beat
as TI sprinkles unexpected wordplay that gets your attention at first
glance. Damn, he just keeps pumping out quality track after track
on the album.
"I Can't Be Your Man" is another female orientated
track with an interesting beat. The vibe is somewhat serious, however
inserts his personality cleverly through it as he speaks on reasons
why he can't be another woman's man. "Hotel" features
the legendary Oakland, now based in Atlanta, artist Too Short. For
the most part, I feel anything that Too Short touches is automatically
solid. TI displays storytelling ability as Too Short exhibits his
typical lyrical weaponry.
"Heavy Chevys" is a riding track that you can roll
around in your car with all day long pumping it through your subs.
The song is about cars, not much more to be said on this, however
still solid.
"Grand Royal" starts off with Rockwilder sounding
production, but then leads into a smoother feel similar to Jazze Pha.
The chorus is really catchy and should become a favorite of yours.
The Outro to the album has the same beat as the other two interludes
as TI shouts out people that helped him get to the position he's at
now.
"I'm Serious Remix" featuring Pastor Troy. I've seen
this track on a few mixtapes already, so it's most likely going to
gain a following as well. The song, is one of the crunkest songs I've
heard this year that just makes you want to throw your bows. This
is definately another favorite of mine.
Overall, this album is all I expected plus more. I don't seen how
anyone couldn't like it because it's comprised of so much diversity.
So when you see this album on store shelves, be sure to grab it, you
won't be dissappointed.
Sound Sample: none
