There are few surprises on T.I.’s new album. After nine mainstream releases, the Atlanta artist has determined exactly what it takes to please his fans, and he shows no intention of risking a change-up. Paperwork is a decent but forgettable album with a few strong singles and a lot of filler.
Supposedly, Paperwork is meant to simulate a motion picture. It is divided into three acts, each of which is its own “short story.” T.I. has talked about this structure quite a bit in interviews, but it is not obvious upon listening. The music is fairly consistent through the whole album and there is no story to speak of. Instead, the acts are arranged by how seriously T.I. seems to be taking them, in descending order.
The first act is quite serious, with some very heavy braggadocio, quasi-spoken word segments, and a single entitled “New National Anthem” featuring Skylar Grey, which addresses the shooting of Trayvon Martin.
Once T.I. has established himself as a really serious guy, he transitions into the second act, which is playful and full of singles. This includes “No Mediocre” featuring Iggy Azalea, in which T.I. announces that he will only sleep with women who he thinks are very attractive and offers to pay $20 to such women to have a “ménage à vingt” with him. There is also “Private Show" featuring Chris Brown in which T.I. talks dirty to a stripper.
Now that the singles are out of the way, T.I. stops even pretending to try in the third act. Low points include “Let Your Heart Go” and “On Doe, On Phil" featuring Trae Tha Truth. The former is a formulaic, corporate, overblown hip-hop power ballad and the latter is about as enjoyable as sitting in the waiting room to see the dentist. This act is entirely filler.
Paperwork is by no means unlistenable. Of course, it is a sexist, phoned-in glorification of a life of gluttony and debauchery and excess that at times reaches Roman Emperor heights, but that almost goes without saying. Those are the tropes of the genre. In Paperwork, T.I. accomplishes exactly what he sets out to do, which is to make a record that will sell and sound just like his old records.
Grade: B-
