T.I. "Paper Trail" Album Cover

MTV.com-


T.I. is going avant-garde on his new LP, Paper Trail — and that's not just in regard to the music we'll hear. Tip revealed the cover of the September 9 release to MTV News on Monday (July 14). It features a conceptual drawing of the potent MC made of scraps of paper.

"We didn't want to just do a typical cover, especially for my sixth album," T.I. told us via e-mail. "I wanted to try something a little more different. The illustration for Paper Trail pays an obvious homage to my rekindled affinity for writing my lyrics down as well as displays my commitment to keep my art slanted towards the abstract."

Several days ago, Tip's camp released a two-fisted dose of his music: the street record "What Up" and his next single, "Swing Your Rag." The latter was produced by Swizz Beatz, and Drumma Boy (Young Jeezy and Kanye West's "Put On," Rocko's "Umma Do Me") supplied the beat for "What Up."

"Tip is just spitting about what he stands for, how he feels," Drumma said about his collaboration. "He's saying, 'What up? Everybody is talking. What up to all my haters.' We're just giving the customer what they want. Accomplishing our mission."

Right after T.I. drops his LP in the fall, he'll start filming "Bone Deep" with Idris Elba and Chris Brown. The movie focuses on gentleman thugs with a flair for fashion and firearms who rob banks.


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