T.I. — King

King

Grand Hustle/Atlantic

James Simons (CHARTattack)

04/25/2006 1:32pm

Despite T.I.'s claim to be "King Of The South," dude never seemed higher than a jack. But on his confident fourth album, the Rubberband Man's effortlessly infectious flow and subtly smart lyrics frequently rise above the region's Young's and Lil's. Young Jeezy spits a strong verse over a soulful flute loop on "I'm Straight," and UGK surface for an infectious remake of their 1994 track, "Front, Back And Side To Side." But T.I. coolly controls the scene, calling everyone short of Just Blaze's grandmother to craft appropriately triumphal horn-heavy backdrops. Swizz Beatz conducts his usual orchestra of referees and crossing guards for a cluttered whistle-happy banger ("Get It") and even Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker contributes drums and programming to the album's adrenaline-charged standout, "You Know Who."

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