King - T.I.
T.I.’s (Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.) fourth album is “King” (2006). Atlanta’s T.I. provides an eighteen track release which features appearances from U.G.K., Jamie Foxx, BG, Young Jeezy, Young Buck, Young Dro, Pharell, Common, Governor and P$C. T.I. gets the album started with “The King Back”, laying claim to the game. On the single “What You Know”, T.I. rhymes and does his own chorus backed by some impressive production. “I’m Talkin to You” is a diss track, T.I. rhymes over some on point Just Blaze production. The albums first real standout for me and my favorite track on this one is “Live in the Sky”, T.I. puts aside the braggy lyrics and delivers an excellent track collaborating with singer Jamie Foxx for the outstanding “Live In The Sky”, T.I. delivers heartfelt rhymes while remembering his cousin and friends who have died, and telling his own story. T.I. invites his audience to “Ride With Me”. Another standout for me is “Stand Up Guy”, backed by some crazy production T.I. delivers a party anthem for the ladies. T.I. delivers another smooth upbeat cut with “GoodLife”, talking about making it from the bottom up, backed by some smooth singing from Pharell. Common drops in on this cut and provides some substance. The albums closer has T.I. teaming up with his P$C family & Young Dro for “Bankhead”. People wondering about my rating should know I am not a big T.I. fan I have always found him to be far too braggy for my liking. He does have his moments though, which any listener can enjoy. Calling oneself the “King” and doing an album cover that’s similar to Jay-Z’s black album, reminds me that he has the same type of ego, which may make him your king but not mine. If he delivers classic albums like Outkast and Scarface have, he can then lay claim to that title. 3.5. – Constant
