It’s time to put my money where my mouth is regarding T.I.’s new album Paper Trail and I should invoice Atlantic Records for that money because of the gospel I’ve been singing about this release.

We all know Tip’s story at this point. He was setup trying to purchase the sort of firearms needed for a small army and at one point in the not-so-distant past, it was questionable as to whether we’d see the rapper at all for 15-20 years and the thought of a new album seemed almost laughable.

While awaiting trial, Tip, confined to his home on house arrest, resisted the self-destructive urges many would find themselves in while riding out their (assumed) last days of freedom, rather T.I. seized this as an opportunity to make the album of his career.

That’s a big statement. We’re talking about an artist who has been almost flawless since he came on the scene less than 10 years ago.

What separates Paper Trail from the rest of his catalog is that T.I. has finally found the balance he was looking for, but couldn’t reach with his previous albums, especially T.I. vs. T.I.P., where the matured, former trapper turned businessman and the sharp-tongued MC who will verbally dismantle any artist coming for his throne must learn to co-exist with one another.

Instead of the schizophrenic concept he brought with the last offering, T.I. comes straight from the heart allowing him to shine on the epic-sounding lead singles like “No Matter What” and the hypnotizing “Live Your Life” with Rihanna, to the modern-day “Ether” directed at his (assumed) nemesis Shawty Lo “What up, What’s Haapnin” (where he never actually mentions the artist by name) or the surprise smash “Whatever You Like”, which many critics bemoaned as too soft for the street-bred rapper until it’s record breaking ascent to the top of Billboard’s singles chart.

I remember sitting on an Atlantic Records street team call after T.I. released King in 2006 and listening to teams from around the country attempt to explain why the R&B flavored, “Why You Wanna” record wasn’t having the same impact as the monster single “What You Know”. The consensus was that T.I.’s core fan base wanted street records, not something forced because the industry formula required an artist to follow up a club smash with “chick song”.

The already proven success of the lead singles from Paper Trail demonstrates that T.I.’s audience has matured with him and they are not afraid to support him as he transitions into a smarter, grown up hip-hop artist.

This album is going to stand up to any other hip-hop release that we’re going to see this year, although I still firmly believe many of these 4th Quarter mega-releases are all talk. But even if say, Jay and Kanye get their projects out, I still don’t think these albums can be better than Paper Trail.

T.I. may have inadvertently found something the game has been missing when making this album, by actually taking time off, albeit not by choice, to compose his thoughts, pick his beats carefully and focus strictly on making an album reflective of the emotion that went into making it. This isn’t an album that was recorded in the back of a tour bus, in between takes on a movie set or in between meetings with investors to discuss his next business venture.

This is a sharp contrast to today’s quantity over quality approach, where we find talented artists rushing to deliver albums too quickly or in some cases leaking their own unfinished tracks that have admittedly been crafted faster than it has taken me to write this review.

Yes, Kanye, I’m talking about you.