For the first time since T.I’s debut LP I’m Serious, the Atlanta rapper experienced backlash when he released the half-arsed No Mercy back in 2010. While the album was not all bad, the quality fans have come to expect from the man behind classics like Trap Muzik and King was sorely missed.
After T.I was released from yet another prison stint late last year, a hunger that we haven’t seen for years returned with the excellent ‘I’m Flexin’ and the left-field ballad ‘Love This Life,’ as well successful features on tracks by Future and 2 Chainz. Skip ahead a couple of months and tip has now released his 8th studio album Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head with the aim of re-establishing his reign as the king of southern hip hop.
T.I has always started off his albums well and ‘The Introduction’ here is as hard-hitting as past album-openers, the Marvin Gaye-sampling track has T.I altering the hook from his 2003 breakout hit ‘Rubberband Man’ and brushing off his troubling past with his trademark bravado and a perfect delivery to live up to his “Jay-Z of the south” reputation.
Known for his “street anthems” tip brings along former labelmate Meek Mill for the fiery ‘G Season’ and follows it up with ‘Trap Back Jumpin,’ a jam which will more than satisfy long-term T.I fans and recall his days as hip-hop’s most prominent “trap rapper.”
A$AP Rocky rides with tip on the smooth ‘Wildside,’ which includes a cinematic skit of a drug-bust that T.I went through in his youth. The inclusion of short skits alongside songs worked well for Kendrick Lamar and while the execution on Trouble Man works well, it only occurs on two tracks (the other being ‘Can You Learn’) which makes the technique rather pointless.
Lead single ‘Ball’ is an average club-banger, and even though the attempt at bringing back the New Orleans ‘bounce’ sound is commendable, the simple hook and profoundly annoying appearance from Lil’ Wayne sink tip’s attempt at recalling club hits like ‘Bring ‘Em Out’ and ‘Why You Wanna.’
Luckily, the long overdue collaboration between T.I and Andre 3000 picks things back up with the complex ‘Sorry,’ in which both emcees lament past decisions but remain unapologetic. Andre steals the entire show here with a head-spinning verse, addressing everything from OutKast to his upbringing.
‘Go Get It’ aims to motivate; ‘Guns and Roses’ promises glory on the charts with a well-told story about a troubled relationship; ‘Who Want Some’ and ‘Addresses’ have tip at his most vicious; and ‘Wonderful Life’ shows flashes of brilliance as T.I creatively nods to fallen friends in between Akon’s terrible attempt at covering Elton John’s‘Your Song.’
T.I has made this album for the fans and finally listened to those begging for his return to Trap Muzik (although DJ Toomp only provides 3 beats here), but at the same time, some of the more mature content towards the album’s end shows the rapper’s growth as a man and an artist. Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head stands as T.I's best album since 2006 and we welcome the king back with open arms.
Review Score: 8.5 out of 10
