Whatever promise T.I. showed on his flawed debut is almost fully realized throughout his excellent 2003 follow-up, Trap Muzik. On the surface, Trap Muzik can be viewed as another record built on glorious superficialities, concerned with little more than material wealth, drug dealing, and champion stature. Dig beneath that surface, and you'll come to appreciate an MC who uses the art of the metaphor like few others; "The Trap," for instance, comes to mean a number of things. David Banner, Kanye West, and DJ Toomp all chip in with key production work, but the MC is the real draw from beginning to end, from the supremely infectious chorus of "24's" to the complex self-analysis of "T.I. vs. T.I.P." By the time 2003 drew to a close, this album had spawned three chart hits -- "24's" had a particularly long-running presence on the video shows -- and the album itself scraped the Top Five of the Billboard album chart. With another record as good as this, T.I. just might become the King of the South that he continually claims to be. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
Charles Pettaway (Bass), Manny Marraquin (Mixing), Jason Geter (Executive Producer), Vance Hornbuckle (Assistant Engineer), Guion Thomas (Assistant Engineer), Charles Pettaway (Guitar), Carlos Thornton (Producer), Kevin Knight (Photography), Crystal Williams (Mixing Assistant), Steve Fisher (Mixing Assistant), Mike Caren (Editing), Craig Love (Guitar), Kanye West (Producer), Benny Tillman (Producer), Daniel Romero (Mixing), Dale "Rambro" Ramsey (Mixing), Mac Boney (Performer), Brian Gardner (Mastering), Leslie Brathwaite (Mixing), Benjamin Niles (Art Direction), Mark "Exit" Goodchild (Engineer), Jason Geter (Management), Steve Fisher (Engineer), Bosko (Talk Box), Dale Ramsey (Mixing), Cory Williams (Engineer), Jazze Pha (Producer), Lavell Crump (Producer), Benjamin Niles (Design), T.I. (Executive Producer), Mike Davis (Assistant Engineer), DJ Toomp (Executive Producer), Jazze Pha (Vocals), James Lopez (Marketing), Steve Fisher (Engineer), Howard White (Assistant Engineer), Cory Williams (Mixing Assistant), Mike "Hitman" Wilson (Engineer), Chris Morris (Artist Coordination), Steve Fisher (Mixing Assistant), Fury (Producer), T.I.P. (Producer), Michael Witwer (Guitar), Christina Dittmar (Art Direction), DJ Toomp (Producer), Mike Caren (A&R)
After being dropped from Arista Records due to poor album sales from I'm Serious,[1] T.I. formed Grand Hustle Records with his longtime business partner Jason Geter and released Trap Muzik on the label. T.I. gained album buzz after appearing on BoneCrusher's single "Never Scared."
"Trap Muzik" features fewer guest appearances than any other T.I. studio album, with a mere four guest artists: 8Ball & MJG, Bun B & Mac Boney.
The album features production by many southern hip-hop producers, including Jazze Pha, Kanye West, David Banner, Sanchez Holmes & DJ Toomp.
Commercial success
Trap Muzik achieved commercial success due to its singles' major hit around the United States. For instance, 24's was featured on the video game Need for Speed: Underground.[2]
The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 selling 103,000 copies on its first week, and was certified gold.[3]Trap Muzik has sold well over 1 million copies since its 2003 release in the United States and was certified as Platinum by RIAA.[4]
Critical response
Trap Muzik received generally favorable reviews from critics. Most critics saw it as a major improvement over his first album, I'm Serious. According to About.com, Trap Muzik is the best T.I. album to date.[5] It reputates Trap Muzik as "his most impressive album so far".[6] Andy Kellman of Allmusic.com said that "Whatever promise T.I. showed on his flawed debut is almost fully realized throughout his excellent 2003 follow-up, Trap Muzik." Kellman also mentioned "Dig beneath that surface, and you'll come to appreciate an MC who uses the art of the metaphor like few others" and "the MC is the real draw from beginning to end", Kellman last adds that "With another record as good as this, T.I. just might become the King of the South that he continually claims to be".[7]
Track listing
#
Title
Producer(s)
Featured guest(s)
Time
1
"Trap Muzik"
T.I., co-produced by San "Chez" Holmes and DJ Toomp