T.I. T.I. vs. T.I.P : A

Ever-modest, Atlanta coke-pusher turned rhyme-slinger T.I. titled his most recent album "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," pitting himself against, well, himself. \n"There's not nobody out there doing what I do as well as I do it, so I see myself as worthy competition for myself," T.I. said last year. And though he might not win points for sportsmanship, the self-proclaimed King of the South delivers a T.K.O. with his fourth release and makes a strong case for extending his kingship to the whole rap game.\nTo be sure, there is nothing innovative about "T.I. vs. T.I.P." (except maybe that T.I. is the first rapper in a while not to feature Akon on his album). Instead, the Rubber Band Man cashes in on the same recipe he's used in past albums: mixing heavy doses of Southern drawl with infectious hooks that probably use the words "what," "know" and "you." This formula gives us "You Know What It Is," T.I.'s worthy follow-up to the anthemic "What You Know," and slight variations -- take out "know" and add "watch," for example -- yield the rest.\nThroughout the disc -- and on standout tracks like first single "Big Shit Poppin'" and Busta Rhymes collabo "Hurt" -- T.I. is cool as a cucumber, rarely losing control of his tone as he swaggers over tracks with menacing nonchalance. Via his two personas -- T.I. the poised businessman and T.I.P. the bombastic hood rat -- he raps about his transition from street corners to corporate offices with the sincerity of someone who actually knows what he's talking about. \nWith his crack-to-rap backstory and enough hits to fill a dance party playlist, T.I. makes a strong case for replacing the rapidly fading Jay-Z as the king of rap. And he seems to know it, too: T.I. sounds a hell of a lot like Hova on "T.I. vs. T.I.P." Along with a plethora of proclamations about his right to the rap throne, T.I. raps about his own legacy. Piano ballad "My Type" sounds a lot like "The Black Album's" farewell track "December 4th." T.I. matches Jay-Z's resigned "If you can't respect that your whole perspective is whack / Maybe you'll love me when I fade to black" with the rhythmically identical "You ain't appreciatin' me being my type / But once I die ain't no niggas gonna be my type."\nJay-Z himself appears on the album in "Watch What You Say To Me," as if to pass the torch. A few years ago -- or at least before Jay dropped Kingdom Come -- this album might have been titled T.I.P. vs. H.O.V. Today, for the title of best mainstream rapper around, T.I. might actually be the only contender.