"You-You Know You Love This Life, Don’t Nobody Do You Like Me"

"I got a strong mind and kind heart

With a soft kiss but I love hard"

Another day, another extremely dope lead single. Today @tip came through with Love This Life, which is the first tome come off his upcoming album Trouble Man. On the track, T.I. exhibits a combination of versatility and maturity as he confidently brags about his ability to do his woman better than any other man over a storytelling beat by @1500ornothin. The lyrical depth, repeatability of the hook and general sentimentality really set the track apart and give it more than enough potential to grow into one of my favorite T.I. tracks. I know that's a tall order and I'm probably over-hyping it based on the first few listens, but simply put, it's a really well done track.

No word yet on when the new album will drop, but just like everyone else who is releasing lead singles right now, it's slated for a late summer release. Is it me or are rappers less likely to open up now that Drake has made it "cool" again to write song about how they feel? I know @tip has done it before with Whatever You Like, but that was a 100% bubbalicious bubble gum pop. Love This Life seems more unique and heartfelt in comparison, which is partly why it's resonating with me so much. I'm not sure I thought I'd ever see the day where T.I. mentions his heart three times in one track, but that's not a bad thing. Substance and vulnerability in Hip Hop is so few and far between that when it comes along, shout out to T.I. for keepin' it 100...

T.I. - Love This Life (prod by 1500 or Nothin)
|iTunes