T.I. – Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head

T.I. is indeed a Trouble Man. He goes in and out of jail for all sort of misdemeanors including drugs and weapons. The good thing is that he always bounces back as he reminds us on “Who Want Some,” in which he boasts, “We’ve been through this how many time? Have you nigger forgot? I got locked up get out on top whether you like it or not.”

Yes, like it or not, T.I. remains one of the top emcees in the game. Straight hard tracks like “Trap Back Jumpin’,” “Go Get It” and “Addresses” are the proof that he’s still a dope lyricist underneath all that swaggers. He could kill it without the help of r & b hooks. Unfortunately, Trouble Man is filled with r & b crossovers from the guest appearances including R. Kelly, Pink, Cee-Lo Green and Akon, which turns the album into a big, soft, commercialized product.

“Ball,” a club joint with Lil’ Wayne, comes across like two misogynistic assholes bashing women. T.I. raps, “The club full of bad bitches and they came to play / OK it must be your hair cause it ain’t your face.” Then Lil’ Wayne adds, “Bitch shake it like a dog, hop like a frog, ride it like a horse / I throw that dick like darts.” Yet worse is when T.I. sings on “Cruisin’.” Auto-Tune makes him sound terrifying. Stick with rapping, hommie.