Here is your weekly reminder of time's unending march: 2016 marks 15 years of music from Clifford "T.I." Harris. Since 2001, the Atlanta rap icon has been churning out hits—be they of the "mixtape street classic" or "mainstream feat. Rihanna" variety—and thanks to those hits, he has resisted a slow fade into obscurity. In fact, he has packed his dance card to the gills, what with his recent appearance in Marvel's Ant-Man and the usual busywork that a globe-trotting, "Blurred Lines" appearing, Iggy Azalea co-signing (and then disowning) Grand Hustle label head has to slog through. While his hardcore fans remain supportive (did you know that T.I. has never had an album that didn't sell at least 250,000 copies?) it wouldn't really shock anyone if he decided to phone it in as an artist by now.
In recent interviews though, Harris is adamant on returning to his old ways and Da' Nic, the new five-song EP meant as a warm-up for the forthcoming Dime Trap, showcases this shift effortlessly. Trap will be the first album Harris will record under his original TIP nickname, which he eschewed for T.I. way back when in order to avoid confusion with Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest. As a release, Da' Nic isn't going to pacify any longing you might have for Trap-A-Holics voice REAL TRAP SHIT, but it's a strong record from one of the better rappers we have these days and a breath of fresh air from a guy who was treading the path of "reality show dad" just a few years back. If the last few T.I. releases have sounded complicated and unnecessarily heavy, Da' Nic sounds like the guy most of us met on 2003's Trap Muzik finally heading back to his old neighborhood to sit on the porch and talk some shit.
Like many others, T.I. has occasionally fallen beneath the weight of the Major Label Rolodex. (Just because you can put Usher or Chris Brown on a song doesn't mean you should, dig?) On Da' Nic there's only one feature: The London on Da Track-produced toe-tapper "Peanut Butter and Jelly", which features guest verses from "Young" rappers both new (Thug) and old (Dro).
More than anything, this record sounds like the work of a seasoned veteran who's annoyed that everyone isn't giving him his dues as a good rapper. Even on his most bloated releases—2007's T.I. vs. T.I.P being the best example—count on T.I. for at least one moment where he showcases his ability to ramp up his verses when he even senses that people are sleeping on him. On Da' Nic, that moment is "Ain't Gonna See It Coming" ("No, I'm not that old nigga think that he run it/ And talkin' bout what he did back in the day/ I'm just as vicious as ever, I'm brilliant and clever and still 'bout that action today"). It's refreshing to hear him serve notice.
Let's be honest: While the EP is a welcome return to form, it's still five songs. You aren't going to find hidden treasure here. However, for those who have said they want the old T.I. back—the Lil' Flip- and Shawty Lo-obliterating King of the South who spit acid when he wasn't making the girls dance, all while wearing a Braves fitted cocked on his head at an angle that doesn't make any logical sense—Da' Nic promises some hope for his upcoming The Dime Trap.
