“Home of the brave and free…free just to murder me,” pop singer Skylar Grey croons on the hook of rap star T.I.’s “New National Anthem.” “Land of the beautiful, cursed by the hate we throw.”
Even for a rapper who made a name for himself through music that chronicled his hustler days on the streets of Atlanta, the song is easily his most politically charged and controversial to date.
T.I. made a visit to St. Louis recently to speak with Hot 104.1 FM afternoon personality A-Plus about the release of his ninth studio album “Paperwork.”
But a major item on the agenda was the subject matter of the album’s third single – which rings loud and clear in the wake of the Michael Brown tragedy.
“Land of the handgun, home of the shotgun – you dead if you ain’t got one,” T.I. comes behind Grey’s vocals.
“Man, officer, what I do? Don’t shoot, I live over there,” T.I. says on the record in between his verses. “What the [expletive] y’all know about being a black man in America?”
One might assume it was written in response to Brown’s tragic death at the hands of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on August 9.
Through his chat with A-Plus, the select group invited to the Marquee to give “Paper Work” an advance listen learned otherwise.
“Although the inspiration to release it was because of the untimely tragedy of Michael Brown, the song was written back when Trayvon Martin’s situation was taking place,” T.I. told A-Plus. “And I don’t KNOW whether to call it fate or destiny or tragedy or what – but as time rolled around history has repeated itself, unfortunately, and now I’m the position where I was like ‘people need to hear this.’”
Collective head shakes and “mmm” rang through the crowd as he gave insight as to why the song – which is a stark contrast to the club bangers and trap music that come together in “Paperwork” – made its way onto the album.
“I was like ‘you need to put this out, people need to hear this,’” T.I. said.
The single was a free download before it was added to “Paperwork,” which hits the streets on October 21.
“It’s not about money. It’s not about selling records. This is just a message I feel that can’t nobody do but me and ain’t nobody doing but me and we needed to put it out,” T.I. said.
“I didn’t have no ulterior motive. It’s not for sale. I just really wanted to inspire people and give them something to think about. Sometimes if you don’t have another piece of insight or voice of reason – and nobody’s giving you nothing else positive or inspirational to think on – all you’ll do is act on your natural instincts.”
Making a new classic
T.I. also spent plenty of time speaking on “Paperwork” as a whole and how he flipped the script on his original concept to take his first album for Columbia Records.
“The music kinda switched a little bit,” T.I. said. “I switched labels and it just felt like I was heading in a different direction with a different tone and a different vibe – and I didn’t want to bring old [expletive] to a new situation.”
“Paperwork” showcases features with hip-hop’s newest It girl Iggy Azealia, Boosie and Chris Brown, to name a few. Based on the songs he played for the audience – which included “Jet Fuel,” “King” “G [expletive]” and “Private Show” – “Paperwork” still manages to echo classic T.I.
He confessed that “Paperwork” was his attempt to raise his own personal bar.
“I feel like ‘Paper Trail’ has been hailed as one of my most creative or most diverse albums, so if I’m stepping into a new situation, I’m gonna try and knock out the best [expletive] I‘ve ever done so far,” T.I. said. “That was my intention and creatively, just from the standpoint of satisfying the demographic of fans that started out buying albums even before ‘Paper Trail.’”
He also spoke on his continued creative partnership with Pharrell – which continued on “Paperwork” and began long before Pharrell became an international sensation with his feel-good hit “Happy” – back when T.I. was one of many rappers on the ATL leg of the Dirty South hip-hip scene trying to make a name for himself.
“The very first record I put out was with Pharrell. My very first trip to the studio, Pharrell was there,” T.I. said. “And I’ve always been taught that you’ve got to rock with who rocks with you. Whoever makes themselves available – whoever dedicated the time, effort and energy into my life passion – I have to give them the same opportunity.”
