Album Review: "Paperwork"—T.I.

With so many new hip–hop artists coming out of Atlanta these days, you might question whether or not veteran T.I. is still king. With “Paperwork,” he makes clear he's not abdicating anytime soon. “King” kicks off the album in the right direction, followed by the hard–hitting “About the Money” and “New National Anthem,” which features a powerful hook from Skylar Grey (who is performing at SPEC Concerts’ World Café Live show this Saturday). “No Mediocre,” featuring starlet Iggy Azalea, lives up to its title, but some of the features (particularly Pharrell on title track “Paperwork”) drag the album down. While he isn’t quite in his prime anymore, T.I. still reminds us that he’s the man in the Atlanta rap scene.