T.I. “No Mercy” (Grand Hustle/Atlantic)
For his nimble wordplay and loose bravado, T.I. was once nicknamed “Jay-Z of the South.” He’s made good on that comparison lately, in an odd way: Like Jay-Z, T.I.’s hit singles have been masking some otherwise mediocre albums.
The best of the gospel-like “No Mercy: offers hope, because it shows that T.I. might be learning from his mistakes, personal and otherwise. (The Atlanta rapper has been to jail twice since 2004, and was arrested in September on drug charges.) “Big Picture” and “Get Back Up” have a vulnerability we haven’t seen before, and “Castle Walls” might be the best song T.I. has ever written.
Mentor Scarface is featured on “How Life Changed”; maturity is in the air. So, too, is the old T.I., the one who visits strip clubs and reels off eye-rolling anatomical puns. These are minor derailments, but when finding redemption is this important, there’s no room for relapse. Michael Pollock, Philadelphia Inquirer
Jazmine Sullivan,”Love Me Back” (J) and Chrisette Michele, “Let Freedom Reign” (Def Jam)
The brightest young female stars of R&B-hop leap into their second (Sullivan) and third (Michele) CDs with equal shows of force, good taste — and Ne-Yo, who takes part in both projects.
For Sullivan, brash confidence rules. She’s got gall enough to rap in character as both a crack-addicted girl and a wife-beating man on the gospel-tinged “Redemption.” She rants manically about being the disposed-of love interest on “10 Seconds” yet can show delicately emotive and deeply nuanced tenderness on “Excuse Me,” accompanied by the delicious Manhattans sample (thanks to Missy Elliot’s production). Ne-Yo? Sullivan makes mincemeat of the lover man on “U Get On My Nerves.” Brava.
Michele, the jazzy Long Islander, relies on the power of her elegant voice (Billie Holiday meets Patti LaBelle) to steer her through everything from the Ne-Yo-penned, mid-tempo “I’m a Star” to the marching-band mini-epic title tune, featuring MCs Talib Kweli and Black Thought. Although “Let Freedom Reign” is not as focused as her previous albums, little in her catalog stands out as gorgeously as the ferocious ballad “Goodbye Game.” Dig that. A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer
Soulja Boy “The DeAndre Way”(Interscope)
Because Soulja Boy’s music is nearly artless, his eagerness to please drives rather than compromises it. He actually pulls off being everything to everyone: “Speakers Going Hammer” is squeaky-clean braggadocio about his boomin’ system before he makes the filthiest boast of the year just two tracks later. “Mean Mug,” featuring 50 Cent, is playful-menacing in a way 50 himself hasn’t managed in years, while “Blowing Me Kisses” is this year’s irresistible “Whatever You Like”-style sing-along.
“Kisses” sets off an unprecedentedly pretty third act, with the sweetly sticky “Fly” setting up the hilariously impassioned Kanye Jr. plaint of the closing tune, “Grammy.” This artist will never scale the heights of Kanye West or Big Boi. But he could be LL Cool J, who had plenty of haters at 20: “Kidnap the world/ ‘Til they pay my ransom.” Dan Weiss, Philadelphia Inquirer
