TI - Paper Trail CD

Paper Trail CD music Although his first studio album in three years has been long-awaited and repeatedly delayed, Lil Wayne has been anything but absent. Since THA CARTER II, Weezy has left an impressive mass of recordings--from mixtapes (authorized and otherwise) to guest appearances--in his wake as he blusters through the rap industry. In the third installment of the THA CARTER series, Wayne shows he's earned the right to ego-trip as he lets his off-kilter flow, freak-out lyrics, and vocal acrobatics run wild over 16 tracks. Scaling the heights of hubris on "Dr. Carter," he plays an MC/doctor treating a certain music genre diagnosed as lifeless and closes with a quintessential Weezy snarl: "Welcome back hip-hop/I saved your life." Wayne then shifts to alien-mode for the E.T.-inspired "Phone Home." Later on, he details his sexual conquest of a female cop on "Ms. Officer." As expected, THA CARTER III is rife with big name producers (The Alchemist, Kanye West, Wyclef Jean, David Banner, Swizz Beatz, will.i.am) and guest artists (Jay-Z, Babyface, Busta Rhymes, Juelz Santana, Fabolous, T-Pain) from all coasts. Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by rapper Lil Wayne and it is the final album in Tha Carter trilogy. Originally known as the youngest Hot Boy, Lil' Wayne has orchestrated a steady stream of hits. The New Orleans rapper began his long career with Cash Money as part of the Hot Boys, a popular late-'90s supergroup consisting of Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. Audio Mixers: Miguel Angel Mendoza Bermudez; Andrew Dawson; Edward Lido; Fabian Marasciullo. Recording information: Blue Jay Studios; CMR, Miami, FL; SouthBeat Studios, Miami, FL; The Record Room, N. Miami, FL; Tree Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA. Photographer: Jonathan Mannion. Personnel: Eddie Montilla (strings, keyboards); Ludas Charles (keyboards); Darius Harrison (drums). Additional personnel: Sha Ron Prescott (vocals, background vocals); Pro-Jay, Robin Thicke, Cool & Dre, Jim Jonsin.

Paper Trail buy CD music The R&B singer, songwriter, producer, and all-around hit-making machine known as Ne-Yo works his magic yet again on YEAR OF THE GENTLEMAN. Different from your average R&B crooner of the day, Ne-Yo backs away from overt sexuality, instead aiming for subtle romantic ballads that vary from playful innocence to brooding melancholy. Lead single "Closer" is unique as Ne-Yo works his silky smooth voice over a poppy house track. Overall, YEAR OF THE GENTLEMAN is consistent in this respectfully seductive approach to the fairer sex. In "Nobody," an awed Ne-Yo sings the praises of his love interest--"Can't nobody strut like her/Can't nobody touch her"--and the second single, "Miss Independent" is as close to a feminist anthem as the R&B genre has come in years. Production work comes from Polow da Don, Stargate, Chuck Harmony, Stereotypes, and Ne-Yo himself. Recording information: Circle House Studios, Miami, FL; Roc The Mic Studios, New York, NY; The Carrington House, Atlanta, GA; The Studio, Philadelphia, PA; WEstlake Studios, Los Angeles, CA; ZAC Recording Studio, Atlanta, GA. Photographer: Chris Stanford. Arrangers: Chuck Harmony; Larry Gold. Personnel: Ne-Yo (vocals); Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermanson, Shomari "Sho" Wilson, Syience (various instruments); Robert Taylor "R.T." (guitar, guitars); Bernt Rune Stray, Brandon Thomas , Jesse Bond (guitar); Charles Parker , Igor Szwec, Emma Kummrow, Rob Martin, Olga Konopelsky, Gregory Teperman (violin); Alexandra Leem, Davis A. Barnett (viola); Jennie Lorenzo (cello); Shea Taylor (strings, piano, synthesizer, bass instrument, drum programming); Micayle "the Mack" McKinney, Micayle McKinney (keyboards). Audio Mixers: Kevin "KD" Davis; Jaymz Hardy-Martin III; Phil Tan.

Paper Trail songs On album number three, ATL icon Young Jeezy spreads his wings-- flirting with radio-friendly R&B-influenced tracks and soul-tinged nostalgia-- while maintaining the same intense feel with his trademark slow-rap delivery and crack-peddling subject matter. THE RECESSION largely relies on the same stable of producers who've been with Jeezy since LET'S GET IT-- Don Cannon, Midnight Black, Shawty Redd, Drumma Boy, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Thus the overall production sound is consistent with his first two solo albums--cinematic and brooding, built on seething synthesizers and frantic drum kits--while a handful of R&B hooks push THE RECESSION closer to commercial appeal. For the most part though, Jeezy keeps it gangsta as he reworks 2Pac's "Ambitions as a Ridah" on "Hustlaz Ambition," sneers at his enemies on "By the Way," and revisits his crackspot origins on "Crazy World." The biggest departure is undoubtedly the album's closer, "My President"--that sees Jeezy, alongside Nas, pondering the possibilities of a black president. Recording information: Dirty South Studios, Atlanta, GA; SoundTrap Studios, Atlanta, GA; Tape Op, Sacramento, CA. Creator: Ken Lewis . Photographer: Jonathan Mannion. Personnel: Laura Edwards, Kanye West, Trina Broussard (vocals); Peter Drew, Lora Cain, Frank Charlton, Chris Davies (spoken vocals); Miykal Snoody (keyboards); Larry McRary (drums). Audio Mixer: Leslie Brathwaite.

Paper Trail album for sale Following a 2008 of misfortune (the death of his mother, the dissolution of his engagement), hip-hop's enigmatic impresario Kanye West returns, a bit more somber, slightly more urgent, but still pushing boundaries, on his fourth record, 808S & HEARTBREAK. From the first track, the sprawling, drum-n-bass-propelled "Say You Will," and from the ubiquitous lead single, the propulsive "Love's Lockdown," it is clear that West is venturing further into the electronic sound he explored on GRADUATION. West has decreed that all beats on 808S be derived from the Roland TR-808 for a more "tribal feel," and he distorts his voice at will, producing a surreal sound, one bordering on a robot having a mental breakdown. On this adventurous album, West is King Lear's Edgar, a sharp-minded philosopher lost in the forest of despair, unsure how to react, how to perceive reality. That's not to say that he's simply wallowing, even on the most despondent "Welcome to Heartbreak," a tribute to his mother. While 808S is an album that may be challenging at times, it's also often hypnotic and unquestionably catchy--basically, everything one might want from a Kanye West album.

Paper Trail CD music The Senegal-born vocalist (and reigning king of cameo appearances) takes a sensitive turn on his third LP, FREEDOM. From the outset, Akon seems to have spurned his earlier hip-hop tendencies in favor of an electric Euro-pop production. The bouncy, synth-driven opening cut, "Right Now (Na Na Na)," produced by Giorgio Tuinfort, seems aimed at European dance floors while the soft techno beat of "Beautiful" sounds like an interpolation of Alice Deejay's hit "Better Off Alone." Similarly, the oversexed subject matter of past hits like "Smack That" and "I Wanna Love You" takes a back seat to apologetic lost-love yearning and reverent pleas for reconciliation on tracks like "Keep You Much Longer," in which Akon declares "Wish I could stop by and maybe say hi/Wish I could stop by and lay by your side." Still, there's room for pseudo-gangster posturing and good-life boasting as Akon croons "Gorillas want war but they ain't got money" beside Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne on "I'm so Paid." Amp - Amended Produc

Paper Trail buy CD music Two years after his acclaimed fifth LP, Ludacris gets cinematic on the highly-anticipated followup, THEATER OF THE MIND. Employing the Hollywood concept on each track, the ATL king of punch-lines shows his versatility, working with the most eclectic stable of producers seen on a Luda project to date, and passing the mic to a wide range of big-name guest MCs and film personalities (billed "co-stars"). Whether he's asserting his dominance alongside boxer Floyd "Money" Maymeather ("Undisputed"), doing the token drunk-in-the-club routine ("One More Drink"), showboating for his haters while Chris Rock clowns him ("Everybody Hates Chris"), or sermonizing in favor of more positive hip-hop alongside Common and Spike Lee ("Do the Right Thing"), Ludacris is as lyrically fit as ever; his one-liners never fail to outshine those of his many costars. The production itself moves from conventional Dirty South to West Coast gangsta to radio-friendly slow jams and even East Coast boom bap. Jay-Z, Nas, Lil Wayne, Jamie Foxx, Rick Ross, the Game, T.I., Chris Brown, T-Pain, and Plies round out the formidable supporting cast. Audio Remasterer: Glenn Schick.