Album information
The album was scheduled to be released on August 12, 2008, then September 2, successively on September 9 but it was finally pushed back to September 30, 2008. T.I. had been working on the new studio album while under house arrest on pending gun charges.[3][4] The album's title, Paper Trail, comes from T.I.'s decision to write down lyrics on paper for this album. According to the rapper's representative, it is the first time that T.I. wrote lyrics on paper since his debut album I'm Serious.[5]
On November 13, 2007, in an official statement T.I. talked about the charges against him and also that he had indeed been working on a new album and the title is Paper Trail.[6]
On August 5, 2008, T.I. confirmed that Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Usher and John Legend are set to appear on the album.[7] Other confirmed guests are B.o.B., Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, and Swizz Beatz.[8] Meanwhile, confirmed producers of Paper Trail include DJ Toomp, Drumma Boy, and Just Blaze,[1][2] as well as Danja, Jim Jonsin, Kanye West and Swizz Beatz.[8]
Songs
About 50 tracks have been confirmed to be recorded during the production for Paper Trail,[9] including a collaboration with Fall Out Boy on a track called "Out in the Cold".[10]
The first single of Paper Trail, "No Matter What", was posted on StreetCred's website on April 29, 2008, as a promotional recording, then released as a single on May 6 along a music video.[11] This music video then premiered on FNMTV on June 27.[12]
On August 19, 2008, the single "Whatever You Like" was made available for digital download.[11] The song reached the number one spot on the issue of September 6, 2008 on the Hot 100, as well as setting a new record for biggest jump to the top position in a week on the chart, going from number 71 to number 1.[13]
After "Whatever You Like", the iTunes Store published the release dates for the upcoming singles, including the song "Swing Ya Rag" on August 26, "What Up, What's Haapnin'" on September 2 and "Ready for Whatever" on September 23, 2008.[11]
On August 22, 2008, the songs "Like I Do" featuring The-Dream, "Let My Beat Pound", "My Life, Your Entertainment" featuring Usher, and "Swagga Like Us" were all leaked to the internet.[14] "Swagga Like Us", a song with T.I., Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West, was then released as a single for both Paper Trail and Jay-Z's future studio album The Blueprint 3.[14]
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