In 2006, T.I. was in the midst of a full-blown royal coup d'etat, sauntering over the bloodied corpse-littered hip-hop wasteland and sitting cockily atop the vacant throne. From that ascent came King, Tip's fourth studio album and arguably the shining project of his artistic career, boasting eighteen tracks and production from Bankhead, Keith Mack, Toomp, The Neptunes, and Just Blaze. As fate would have it, the latter made sure to hold it down with some badass theme-music, the perfect backdrop for Tip to lay down his latest decree.
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"I'm Talkin' To You" feels like the relic of a simpler time, one in which fights were won through brute force and not dexterity. Fueled by militant brass and spooky strings, T.I. enters shit-talk mode and never once looks over his shoulder. "For n***s wit dirty mouths, I got a lotta clean pistols to wash 'em out," he warns. "I'm really finna give yo ass some hotter shit to talk about, the goons hit the room now you askin what's this all about, Fore you know it ya noggins split, ya bottom teeth is falling out."
For those who have grown accustomed to Tip in his latest iteration, the grand hustler and family-centric businessman, consider this a reminder of the man's impact as an emcee. With King set to turn fourteen in two days, it seems only fitting to shine a light on one of the hardest bangers of T.I's long and successful career. Is "I'm Talkin' To You" a classic track?
QUOTABLE LYRICS
Pop em drop em call the plan a wake he out forevermore
I give it to you straight n***a I don't need a metaphor
How many different ways is it to say I'm getting cheddar more
Than a n***a twice as old way mo popular and even selling more
Man I could send you to my pops, maybe he could tell ya better boy