T.I. VS T.I.P.

*T.I. vs. T.I.P.* could only have come at this precise moment in its author’s career. 2006 saw T.I. breaking into the world of movies and Grammy awards; at the same time, a senseless gunfight after a show in Cincinnati left his best friend Philant Johnson dead. His life as a corner boy and his career as a pop star had never been in such volatile opposition, and T.I.’s identity crisis reaches a boiling point on *T.I. vs. T.I.P.*.. In attempt to appease both angles of his internal conflict, T.I. split the album between his two personalities. The first, and stronger, half belongs to the charismatic street hustler T.I.P., who brings fire and force to the album’s strongest tracks: “Big Shit Poppin’,” “Raw,” “Hurt,” and “Watch What You Say,” which finds T.I, trading lines with rap’s pre-eminent hustler-turned-CEO, Jay-Z. The second half of the album is credited to the level-headed businessman T.I. and is lined with lightweight club songs. T.I.’s warring personalities come together on the last three tracks of the album, but by that time, the verdict has been cast. His celebrity acumen may have gotten him to the top of the entertainment business, but when it comes to making rap records it’s still the wild-eyed street kid within that wins.