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Trap Muzik
08/15/2003 8:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Dan Leroy
"What's so special 'bout him?" T.I. sneers about a rival while staking one of his frequent claims as "Kingofdasouth." Yet you could fairly ask the same about T.I. himself. After all, the 22-year-old Georgian's whining drawl and primary concerns, epitomized on the chorus of the singsong single "24's," ("money, hoes, cars and clothes/that's all all my niggas know"), do sound plenty familiar these days, even if those topics do set him apart from his fellow Atlanta rappers. What eventually helps justify this sophomore album's persistent hype are lyrics incisive enough to puncture thug poses nearly as often as celebrate them; "T.I. Vs. T.I.P." is a revealing conversation with himself, while "Better Than Me" manages to advise against the hustler's life without sounding completely hypocritical. Set to a soundtrack of crunk that oozes rather than bounces, thick with guitar licks and familiar soul samples, T.I.'s Trap Muzik, like quicksand, eventually sucks you in.
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