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profiles of hip hop and r&b artists, writers, designers and entertaiment players
t.i.
T.I. - Urban Legend
 (Atlantic Records)

- reviewed by Se7en @ 7soul.com

In the music industry, rappers make all sorts of outlandish claims. Some claim to be the best, others claim to be the hardest, and who could forget the late O.D.B.'s claim that "Puffy is great but Wu-Tang are for the children!" On the surface, Atlanta based rapper T.I. appears to be just another MC ranting and raving about his talent. However, with T.I., it's more than that. The self-proclaimed "King Of The South" paints a picture of southern inner city living that many of his contemporaries fail to do. With his third release, Urban Legend T.I. attempts to set himself apart from other rappers from the south by offering a solid LP that displays a level of diversity not seen very often in Southern Hip-Hop.

T.I. begins the album by paying homage to hip-hop's east coast roots more..

- reviewed by Se7en @ 7soul.com

In the music industry, rappers make all sorts of outlandish claims. Some claim to be the best, others claim to be the hardest, and who could forget the late O.D.B.'s claim that "Puffy is great but Wu-Tang are for the children!" On the surface, Atlanta based rapper T.I. appears to be just another MC ranting and raving about his talent. However, with T.I., it's more than that. The self-proclaimed "King Of The South" paints a picture of southern inner city living that many of his contemporaries fail to do. With his third release, Urban Legend T.I. attempts to set himself apart from other rappers from the south by offering a solid LP that displays a level of diversity not seen very often in Southern Hip-Hop.

T.I. begins the album by paying homage to hip-hop's east coast roots by rapping over a sample of Run DMC's classic "King Of Rock." T.I. gives us a glimpse into his mind by explaining one of the reasons he's so cocky by passionately spitting "I came/I saw/ I conquered/With no big name/No fame/No celebrity sponsors."

T.I.'s southern drawl accentuates the bass heavy beats throughout the album as he does lyrical acrobatics through beats provided by the likes of The Neptunes, Jazze Pha, and Scott Storch. While many other southern rappers are often accused of valuing style over substance, T.I. steers clear of this by offering us a series of stories and lyrical jewels sprinkled throughout the album. He displays the uncanny ability to adapt to an entirely different style of hip-hop on the albums final track, "My Life" which features West Coast Rapper Daz Dillinger.

With this album though, fans must also take the good…with the average. Some of the songs on the album lack the fire of T.I.'s first album I'm Serious and the maturity of his sophomore effort Trap Muzik.

T.I.'s PSC Clique appear on the albums song "Limelight" over a smooth beat reminiscent of a 70's era pimp movie. While clique member Big Kuntry's vocals complement the song nicely and the chorus is acceptable, the song in its entirety is quite lackluster.
T.I. also falls short on the range of subject matter displayed on this album. T.I. constantly refers to people hating on him throughout the album. After a while it becomes redundant, and his fans yearn for more.

Despite the flaws, and trust me there are very few, T.I.'s third solo album is definitely a solid buy. For T.I. fans it will be more of the A-town sound and arrogance that we have come to know and love. For those that are new to the signature T.I. sound, it is definitely a nice appetizer. Recently receiving props from the likes of Jay-Z and LL Cool J, T.I. is set to become the "next big thing" from the South. Keep watching this young man, the best is yet to come.

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Track By Track
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1.  Tha King
2.  Motivation
3.  You Don't Know Me
4.  ASAP
5.  Prayin For Help
6.  Why You Mad At Me?
7.  Get Loose
8.  What It Do?
9.  The Greatest
10. Get Ya Shit Together
11. Freak Though
12. Countdown
13. Bring Em' Out
14. Limelight
15. Chillin With My Bitch
16. Stand Up
17. My Life
The Industry Says
allhiphop.com - 4 stars "If it weren’t for his PSC team failing to liven up the amnesia-friendly "Limelight," T.I.’s Urban Legend would be an end-to-end success.. Eclipsing Lil Flip’s lyrical deficiencies and surpassing Ludacris in street-corner authenticity, T.I.’s recent enemies should temporarily fall back, as he has earned the right to be crowned. Whether he maintains this level of quality in the future is to be determined, but, until proven otherwise, T.I. is official Southern royalty on the microphone.

Entertainment Weekly - B+ "T.I. recorded Urban Legend while in a work-release program for probation violation. But judging by his grudge-laden approach, he's addressing other violations as well — namely, claims by fellow Southern rappers that they're superior. Backed by synths for a sound he regards as counter-crunk, he lays out his defense in lyrical volleys aimed at rivals like Ludacris, and when he declares ''I'm the King,'' you just about believe him."


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