In 2010, Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. aka T.I. was slammed with a drug charge before being sent to serve an 11-month prison sentence. That’s one of two stints in county jail, twice for probation violations and a federal prison bid for a US federal weapons charge. However, it didn’t make him less talented or successful than he already is. You see, T.I. is not only a rapper/singer-songwriter; he has also had a successful acting career and an author. And while he was serving his 11 months in prison, he released “No Mercy”. Imagine that!
So we waited with bated breaths when we heard that he’s finally out and ready to impress with “Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head”. Much more so when we had a sneak peek at the album cover, which features a bit of that Southern vibe.
The first track off “Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head” to prick our ears is “Sorry”. If you love equally talented rapper André 3000 (best known for being part of hip-hop duo “OutKast”) then here’s your jam:
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“Sorry” is slow-ish, dotted with the sounds of a piano in the background. As with most of André 3000’s (coupled with T.I.’s) work, it’s usually the words that you want to catch and not so much the melody. A catchy melody is a plus. So they kept it simple but spruced it up with somewhat strong lyrics that go:
I grew up in the gutter, life a motherfucker,
I get that why I don’t trust a motherfucker.
Seen a nigga snitch on they mom, shoot at they brother,
Go to prison in love with a bitch and a nigga fuck her.
I seen real G’s destroyed by real suckers,
Innocent ladies raped and defenseless babies abducted.
Such a horrible truth, but you see it over and over,
It’s nothing, you numb to it and your heart grow colder.
Then, we take it up a notch (read: more sing-a-long friendly) with the A$AP Rocky-featured “Wildside“. Be prepared to spend the 40 seconds listening to some dialogue between the two before “Wildside” breaks into a melody. We can’t deny that “Wildside” has got “sad” written all over it, from tempo to melody and right down to every word.
It’s almost as if T.I. is narrating his childhood and upbringing. Albeit in a more dignified manner, of course:
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Last but not least (and we’re calling this a genius move), we absolutely loved “Guns and Roses”. We love T.I. for making it sounds the way it does and we love how he injected P!nk‘s powerful vocals in this one. In fact, we can’t say enough how good of a collaboration this is.
Fresh!:
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One can only dream of someday hearing this live. T.I.’s “Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head” is now available at a music store near you. Alternatively, you could also purchase the album off iTunes here.
For more information, visit his official website.
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