Review: T.I. - T.I. vr T.I.P.

I just can't think of what went wrong with this album. All the right moves were set: collabs with Eminem, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Akon, etc and production handled by Mannie Fresh, Just Blaze, The Runners, Danja, etc. Yet somehow this, along with the rather cool yet unoriginal personality battle concept, turned into a mediocre album with boring raps, tired flow, lame beats and dissapointing guest appearances.

So...what went wrong? Take 1st the much-talked collabs with Akon, Jeezy, Wayne, Justin Timberlake that got axed, instead leaving us with the rather dissapointing Jay and Wyclef verses (oh yea, same with that Alfamega guy). Busta and Nelly(!) both dropped a nice verse, but why do you care? you probably wanna hear the much-hyped collab with Eminem, Touchdown...which also sucks ass, thanks to a (yawn) em beat and uninspired lyrics (not to mention that Shady sounds like he recorded his verse like he had a hangover or something).

So how does T.I. fares solo? well, so-so. His intros - I mean, Acts - have T.I. rapping with a lighting-quick flow over the album's arguably best beat, only to inmediately fall asleep during Big Shit Poppin', Raw and You Know What It Is (probably T.I.'s weakest single ever). Da Dopeman and Watch What You Say To Me don't help matters, both plagued by annoying choruses and uninspired beats. He steps up in Hurt, but gets outdone by Busta...ok, so much for the T.I.P. part.

The following Acts (T.I. and the "battle") are slighty better. Help Is Coming is arguably the album's best track, and We Do This ain't as bad as the name implies, yet the rest of the Act is rather mundane (Show It To Me, featuring the aforementioned Nelly, is passable). The production catches up, but it still doesn't feel right.

The last Act (the "T.I. vr T.I.P." one, althought it sounds like another T.I. Act) has only 3 songs. Tell 'Em I Said That is kinda nice, but it sure is annoying to keep hearing about him being rich by now, Respect My Hustle is...meh, and My Type is a nice finisher. You can't help but think that the whole album feels rushed out: T.I. had the right ideas, but the execution falls flat on some tracks, on others is flawless, and the production shines on one track then fades on the next... all this creates an overall monotome feeling, which is a shame comparing it to Urban Legend or even King.

Rating : 3.5/10

Def look out for: Act I, Hurt, Help Is Coming, We Do This, Show It To Me, My Type.