T.I.

“Paper Trail” is a mash-up of paradoxes. Swagger and humility; sugary hip-pop (“Whatever You Like”) and bluesy, organ-infused slow raps (“No Matter What”); inspirational messages and misogynistic quips; they all coexist on the same record. But despite the motley and sometimes jostling composition of the album, it all comes together. Its multiple facets seem to reflect various aspects of the Atlanta rapper’s own personality. He sounds oppressed and worn down at times, but at others he comes off as resolute and even celebratory. Whether he’s crowing about his vast wealth and domination of the hip-hop game or decrying the price of fame and explicating the reasons for his most recent arrest, T.I. seems comfortable with every role he assumes in “Paper Trail.”

So titled because T.I. actually wrote down his verses for the first time since his debut LP, “Paper Trail” is unsurprisingly the most lucid and lyrically punchy album that he has yet put out. While his metaphors and rhyme schemes are rarely exceptional, Tip’s delivery is on point, and he cultivates a variety of catchy hooks and different flows. Take his verse on the superstar-studded “Swagga Like Us,” where T.I. outshines the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye, and Lil Wayne. “All my verses picture perfect / Only spit to serve a purpose / You ain’t living what you kicking then you worthless / Lookin’ from the surface / It may seem like I got reason to be nervous / Then observe my work and see that my adversity was worth it.” Gone is the prattling that cluttered previous albums like the junky concept album “T.I. vs T.I.P.” or many of the tracks on “King.” There’s more direction on “Paper Trail,” which turns away from glorifications of the drug game and highlights T.I.’s more profound moments.

That isn’t to say that the gloating is gone, too. “56 Bars (Intro),” “Every Chance I Get,” and “I’m Illy” are typical of the College Park swaggerer and self-styled king of the south. And what would a T.I. album be without some club burners like “Swing Ya Rag” or the synth-heavy “On Top of the World”? But it is with his more contemplative tracks that T.I. surpasses anything in his previous catalog.

Take third track “Ready For Whatever,” in which T.I. plumbs his own motivation and rationale in light of his gun-related arrest last year. “Either die or go to jail / That’s a hell of a decision / But I’m wrong and I know it / My excuse is unimportant / I’m just tryna let you know that I ain’t think I had a choice,” he raps, taking responsibility for his actions. He goes on to justify his illegal activities as a means of protecting himself and his family, but he ultimately returns to his culpability: “True enough, I was dead wrong, I broke the law, I deserve to be punished… I understand that.”

“You Ain’t Missin’ Nothin’,” a track exhorting current prisoners to turn over a new leaf, is in a similar (and long overdue) vein of maturity. So is “Dead and Gone,” where T.I. makes his first real social commentary that falls outside the realm of his own personal experience: “Niggas die everyday / All over bullshit / Dope money, dice games, ordinary hood shit/ Could this be cuz of hip-hop music / Or did the ones with the good sense not use it?”

While “Paper Trail” is far from perfect—if you don’t believe me, just listen to “Porn Star”—it thrives on its own diversity. From the hodgepodge album cover to the varied track list, T.I. shows himself to be a much more capable crossover artist than he previously demonstrated. He works well with Rihanna and Justin Timberlake on poppy tracks like “Live Your Life” and “Dead and Gone.” He flaunts his successes and riches with the best of them, and gives us some mindless beats for those club nights. But he also manages to infuse some newfound morality into the whole mix. And, on the whole, it comes off both thoughtful and sincere.

—Reviewer Joshua J. Kearney can be reached at kearney@fas.harvard.edu.