He may have left a Paper Trail with the last album, but he also left a hard act to
follow sounding confident as ever and bringing in a multilayered production
with diverse sounds and emotions. He knows he needs some big guns, and who
better to “Welcome To The World” of “Fast money, fast cars, big diamond
rings/Chief chains and the girls of/Fake smiles, broken hearts…” but Kanye and
Cudi; backed by garage band drums and staccato keys, soaring synths with a hook
that won’t be easy to forget. For a harmless look into the past life of T.I.P.
and to see "How Life Changed" for him and T.I. I suggest you spare a few
minutes. We all make mistakes and that is what he’s saying. Who better to
accompany on backing vocals than Chris Brown himself, because he was able to “Get
Back Up.” However, some may have forgiven him, but practically no one forgot.
It sounds like there is a production style that plays hide and seek. As for
verses, there is a lot to take in here regarding ridiculous haters,
bandwagoners, cons of high profile publicity, and perseverance, but “The bible
say ‘let he without sin cast the stone first’ (stone first)/The sinner or the
one who judged him, who was wrong first?” These planking piano keys sound like a hero is
struggling with an addiction to the excess that comes with fame. I had to make
that skillet reference “I Can’t Help It,” and neither can Rocko; with something else enirely. One of the
best “duets” off the last record was the insanely catchy anthem regarding rebirth, Dead and Gone, but this album has more
than one of those shining moments. The first entry debates whether TIP’s verses
serve as a strong enough antidote for the animosity fueled venom that Em spews
around an addictive riff. This hook will replay over in your head with “No
Mercy,” and that said hook reminds me
of..awww don’t leave me now!
Sometimes people focus on the tiniest of details (they say someone often lives
there) so much that they are blind to the “Big Picture” until they have an
epiphany; which created one of the bounciest, hookiest optimistic tracks off of
the record. There is one of these songs on almost every record; one that ladies
can “Strip” to. These songs aren’t my favorite, but you can respect the
production values, as well as Trey Songz’ vocal work, and the verses dropped by
T.I. and Young Dro. If there is one thing you can’t deny, it is that he is pretty
consistent; enough to “Salute” this G when you see him in person. The beat is
one of the best parts of the song, but his verses regarding his resilience and the return to jail “Hot stain from the
nonsense/Remain conscious/The idiots make idiotic comments/A convict wit a
conscious.” I would be lying if I said the verses were “Amazing,” but I did
like the xylophone and triangle in the background very much, even if the chorus
was kind of ridiculous (it stuck in your head). Back to the verses, they were
absolutely interesting at times, and unsettling at others (I know “PU**Y!!”),
but you be the judge. That saxy intro sets the tone for the hook and the beat,
but again the verses hold your attention because sex sells, right? I think
to myself if only I can hang out with “Every
Girl in the World.” I said hang out because I’m not interested in that
ish, or
even "Poppin Bottles." Judge me, you will only be one in an incalculable
number
of people who have already done so, currently do so, and will continue
to do so
in the future. From the sound of this carny synth, you know that it’s
about to
get freaky. Rico Love also joins in this song , which is called “Lay Me
Down"
for crying out loud, so what did you
expect? This has to be another one of the
best “duets” on the record, but the only one where it does not sound odd
because Christina Aguilera is his partner. The verses are some of the
strongest
because they are not about sex, but about some real and personal: the
dual
reality regarding fame and the other
point of view behind the “Castle Walls.” It may not be the only verse, but it
seems to be one of the most personal: “Honestly
to me, I think I'd lose every benefit of all that I've accomplished
If my kids never win at s***
Me knowing this, why should the
verses I have laid
Be
more important to me than the persons I have raised.” So,
did he succeed at making an album greater than his last, or just as great? You
decide.
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