‘Kill the King’ by T.I.: A Review

At first, it feels like Clifford Harris, the proclaimed King of the South has too many features on his latest and alleged last commercial effort. Killing the King feels, instead, like a going away party for Tip.

He’s assembled heavyweights and relative obscurities to end his rap career. If he’s anything like Shawn “JAŸ-Z” Carter, he’ll be back in a few years, ready to match intricate details over lush production. T.I. has always been one of the best “beat pickers.”

Here he walks around with his robe and crown and scepter as the regal power he is.

His words seem tighter and more nuanced. The supporting cast performs a fine role as they wave their handkerchiefs at the funeral for Tip’s career in rap. Of course, there will most likely be a resurrection in all this.

Singles like “LET EM KNOW” banged all the way from January. That’s the impact he has had in the current culture. After more than twenty five years in the game, he has been able to champion the highest heights of rap royalty.

The pronounced king shows off his skills for a final time (?) too much fanfare and recollection. He has moments for short skits and then goes into his bag and just rhymes like this is his first album.

Of all the misconceptions about whether Trap Muzik started with T.I., one thing is for certain: he took the mantle and ran with it. With features like Jeezy and 2 Chainz, this work seems dominated by that trap sound while still being palatable to pop audiences. In fact, most pop audiences love trap music. Tip cashes in on this notion. He knew he had to assemble a host of people including Usher to display the hood feel with a suburban touch.

As one of the greatest rappers period, for him to lay down the hip hop mic and possibly continue to be a comedian, that absolutely checks out on the main stage. His powers as king make up for his inability to dodge the law and tax burdens. But that’s personal. On a professional level, he’s shown himself to be a formidable artist who can still spit bars that not only linger but remain heavy.

There’s no moping or melancholy here. KTK demonstrates Tip’s loyalty to his family and all the nonsense he went through with 50 Cent these past few months. He saw a plan. He saw how he could make money from the comedy and the fact his sons also recorded tracks against Curtis Jackson. (They’ve since settled their feud.)

What lies at the core of this album is the fact there remains enough space for Tip to declare his greatness. He can beat his chest one last time from the overture to the closing credits.

He has placed himself ahead of his peers. His acumen for flipping vowels and consonants is a testament to his skills as an artist and his willingness to always be the best.

If this is to be his swan song, then this is an impressive way of going out on top. He’s got the money, family, and all the spoils that go with it. He didn’t have to drop this album, he wanted to do so. It’s like when the NASCAR racers drink ice cold milk after a win at the Indy 500. It’s the Gatorade bath for the winning Super Bowl team. It’s the champagne in the locker room after a championship. All of these things show up on this missive to Tip fanatics and haters alike.

T.I. held the crown and is now ready to relinquish to the next rapper on the come up in this season. The perpetual assurance of Tip’s leaving on a midnight train to Georgia. Except, he made it.