T.I. - "We Do This" (mp3)
The first time I popped T.I. Vs. T.I.P. in the CD player, the biggest surprise, more than any of the songs I hadn't heard yet, was that "Big Shit Poppin'" actually sounded good. Don't get me wrong, it's still a total non-starter as a single, but it's a pretty decent song, one that apparently only sounds good with CD-quality sound and a good stereo. On TV speakers, or on the FM dial, or a 128kbps mp3, all you hear is the pounding drum and the cheesy guitar line, and all of the other intricacies of Mannie's beat get swallowed up. So it was a minor revelation to finally hear all those things, as well as hear the explicit version again after months of being subjected to the awkward "Things" edit.
The other big surprise is that most of the ill-advised collabs with aging or washed up rappers turned out pretty well. Busta's verse kills, Wyclef has jams (who knew?), Jay is just aight (which for '07 Jay is a compliment), and the song with Nelly is even pretty tolerable after he and T.I. previously made the horrible "Get Loose," which Tip bizarrely regretted not releasing as a single. Of course, there was never any hope that the song with Eminem, "Touchdown," wouldn't be terrible, and yet it's inexplicably slated to be the next single.
I'm not gonna argue with anybody about the fact that the concept is silly as hell (especially the CD booklet photos that depict Tip wearing a hat looking at a hatless T.I. in the mirror), or that it's nowhere near as good as King, which was itself kind of ruled last year by default, good and all but definitely a beneficiary of not much else around to compete with. But I've barely copped any Southern rap albums this year anyway, and while I'm sure the UGK will kick the shit out of this in a few weeks, right now this is at least kicking the shit out of the Rich Boy. The 3 beats by Danja, especially "Hurt," confirm what I suspected after "We Takin' Over," that he's better without Timbo, and The Runners inch further away from one-trick-pony status with "We Do This." So I'll bump this for the time being and hope that the Tip/Toomp project comes along sooner than later.
The first time I popped T.I. Vs. T.I.P. in the CD player, the biggest surprise, more than any of the songs I hadn't heard yet, was that "Big Shit Poppin'" actually sounded good. Don't get me wrong, it's still a total non-starter as a single, but it's a pretty decent song, one that apparently only sounds good with CD-quality sound and a good stereo. On TV speakers, or on the FM dial, or a 128kbps mp3, all you hear is the pounding drum and the cheesy guitar line, and all of the other intricacies of Mannie's beat get swallowed up. So it was a minor revelation to finally hear all those things, as well as hear the explicit version again after months of being subjected to the awkward "Things" edit.
The other big surprise is that most of the ill-advised collabs with aging or washed up rappers turned out pretty well. Busta's verse kills, Wyclef has jams (who knew?), Jay is just aight (which for '07 Jay is a compliment), and the song with Nelly is even pretty tolerable after he and T.I. previously made the horrible "Get Loose," which Tip bizarrely regretted not releasing as a single. Of course, there was never any hope that the song with Eminem, "Touchdown," wouldn't be terrible, and yet it's inexplicably slated to be the next single.
I'm not gonna argue with anybody about the fact that the concept is silly as hell (especially the CD booklet photos that depict Tip wearing a hat looking at a hatless T.I. in the mirror), or that it's nowhere near as good as King, which was itself kind of ruled last year by default, good and all but definitely a beneficiary of not much else around to compete with. But I've barely copped any Southern rap albums this year anyway, and while I'm sure the UGK will kick the shit out of this in a few weeks, right now this is at least kicking the shit out of the Rich Boy. The 3 beats by Danja, especially "Hurt," confirm what I suspected after "We Takin' Over," that he's better without Timbo, and The Runners inch further away from one-trick-pony status with "We Do This." So I'll bump this for the time being and hope that the Tip/Toomp project comes along sooner than later.
Labels: hip hop
This entry was posted
on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 1:56 PM.
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Jxsh : 8:38 PM