T.I. - Big Things Poppin' (Do It)

Thursday, 19 April 2007 16:18

T.I. - Big Things Poppin' (Do It)
Produced by Mannie Fresh

Somewhere between 2004’s Urban Legend and last year’s monolithic King, T.I. made the transition from a good southern rapper to a great rapper period. The exact moment that this happened is hard to pinpoint, with ’05’s Soldier, with Destiny’s Child and Lil’ Wayne, being proof positive of his progression; Weezy’s as well. But what is certain is that the rise of Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. culminated with the release of last year’s single-of-the-year What You Know. It’s true that we became privy to what that was all about in part due to DJ Toomp’s monstronious production, which provided the amphitheater for T.I. to deliver the anthem each previous single in his career hinted he had in him, but T.I. took full advantage of his skill set with a performance that matched the song’s epic setting. What You Know is an impossible lead single to follow up, but T.I. delivers a valiant effort with Big Things Poppin’ (Do It), the first missile from the forthcoming psychiatric session T.I. vs T.I.P., which is scheduled to detonate on July 3rd.

T.I. navigates Mannie Fresh’s keys with the precision of a lithe panther; the warbly synths wisely stay out of T.I.’s way, the thought of challenging the Herculean lone guitar that emerges from the shadows of the track for each equally stadium-sized chorus never once daring to cross their thoughts. Fresh understands that a beat for an occasion of this magnitude needs to lend credence to the boasts of the Atlanta rapper, and support T.I.’s boasts. It does, but so do T.I.’s vocal ticks and ad-libs, not to mention his trademark, Hov-circa-Blueprint swagger, which is simultaneously intimidating and inviting. It’s almost too easy for T.I., but at no point does Big Things Poppin’ sound like a What You Know redux or an exploitation of a proven formula. And that’s why it works. T.I. might be pulling the wool over our eyes, but if the results of his artifice are this satisfying, then this sheep is a willing victim.