T.I., ‘F— da City Up’ – Mixtape Review

T.I. is officially back! The Atlanta rapper dropped his new mixtape 'F--- da City Up at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day. The collection is an appetizer for his main course -- his upcoming full-length studio effort 'Trouble Man,' due out in the spring.

The mixtape is chockfull of guest features including his Grand Hustle artist B.o.B, 2Chainz, Young Jeezy, Pusha T, Meek Mill, Nelly, Trey Songz and Dr. Dre.

Among his standout tracks on the mixtape are 'On Purpose,' 'In a Nutshell,' 'I'll Show You,' 'Oh Yeah' and the Dr. Dre-produced banger 'Popped Off.' Some of the songs on here are so good they could easily be played on urban radio.

But Tip insists that his mixtape is for his fans and he's not looking to promote any songs from it. "Just listen to the music and enjoy it, okay? That’s all I ask," he told MTV News. "Don’t try and lock me down and force me to commit to one song or another -- because I’ve got a lot of songs. Just listen to the music and enjoy it. There should be no commitment when it comes to music, we should be free to listen to as much music as much as we like."

T.I. is kicking off 2012 on the right musical note. Sit back and enjoy!

1. 'F--- da City Up' (Intro)
Behind charging trumpets and gunshots, T.I. introduces himself and the mixtape. "Ride with me," he tells his listeners. Buckle up!

2. 'F--- da City Up' Feat. Young Jeezy
Right out the gate, T.I.'s bravado is at 100 as he vows to put his city Atlanta back on the rap map. Fellow A-towner Young Jeezy co-signs Tip's promise to f--- the city up. Clearly, this is T.I.'s street anthem.

3. 'Hot Wheels' Feat. Travis Porter & Young Dro
The perfect song to play while cruising in your car. Produced by hit maker T-Minus, this trunk rattler features T.I. and Young Dro ballin' out of control.

4. 'Loud Mouth' Feat. 2 Chainz
You know the old saying, "Money talks and bulls--- walks." On this track, Tip let his money do the talking while he taunt his haters. "N---a got a problem, we can air it out / They say bulls--- walk, and cash talk / So I'm ridin' out, pockets on loud mouth," he raps.

5. 'On Purpose' Feat. Trouble & Rich Kidd Shad
A standout track that boasts the infectious chorus: "Say I'm ridin', I'm swervin' / Barely missing the curve / I got this bad b---h and she twerkin' / Hit the parking lot and we murk this s--- / On purpose, on purpose." T.I. needs to remix it and get Bun B. and Rick Ross to spit some verses on it. Now that would be crazy!

6. 'Stunt'n Like a Fool'
T.I. is ballin' out of control and taunting the haters who are jealous of his kingly status.

7. 'Pimp' Feat. Pimp C & Too Short
T.I. is waving his freak flag as he brags about his sexual prowess in the bedroom. Two of the biggest pimps in the rap game Too Short and the late Pimp C spit freaky sex rhymes that will make you blush. This X-rated song is not for those who are easily offended.

8. 'This Time Of Night' Feat. Nelly
Warning ladies, if you step to T.I. and Nelly after 3AM, it's a booty call and they are open for business. "Ain't nothing open but legs, shorty, this time of night," raps Nelly.

9. 'In a Nutshell' Feat. Lady G & Spodee
On this infectious club banger, T.I. boasts about why he's the top rapper in Atlanta. "In a nutshell / I'm flyer than a rocket / Lift off," goes the chorus.

10. 'Jeezy Speaks' (Interlude)
Young Jeezy salutes T.I. and then babbles about something. Skip.

11. 'Who What When' Feat. Meek Mill
Rumor has it, Meek Mill was supposed to sign with Grand Hustle Entertainment, but opted to sign with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group. Tip reunites with the Philly spitfire on this dramatic song as they dare any hater to come at them wrong. "You f---in' with the wrong one / Yeah, I got a short temper / But I got a long gun," warns Mills. Whoa!

12. 'The One'
"I'm the s--- / The one / Competition is none / You n---as are done," T.I. boasts on this banging track by veteran producer Mannie Fresh. Again, Tip raps about his kingly status on the streets.

13. 'Piss'n On Your Ego' Feat. B.o.B
T.I. continues to taught the haters on the bass-heavy song. This time he brings his Grand Hustle artist B.o.B to defecate on all the naysayers.

14. 'Harry Potter' Feat. D.O.P.E.
No, T.I. is not rapping about the popular bespectacled wizard. This is a drug rap song about a brand of narcotic that is so good that it disappears on the streets. We wish this track would disappear. Skip.

15. 'I See Ghost's' Feat. Future & Rocko
A beat-heavy song that caters to the streets and features two up-and-coming rappers Future and Rocko. There's plenty of braggadocios rhymes on here if you like that sort of thing.

16. 'I'll Show You' Feat. Pusha T
This is an exciting track with some rah-rah lyrics from Tip and Pusha T. A big thumbs up!

17. 'Oh Yeah' Feat. Trey Songz
Produced by the almighty Just Blaze, T.I. states his case on why he will never falter despite his troubled past and run-ins with the law. "I'm paid even when I'm locked up / Heard nigga went broke / Well, shorty, not us / Caught a case, did a bid / They said [I] was wash up / Bulls---," he defiantly raps. This song is perfect for urban radio airplay.

18. 'Popped Off' Feat. Dr. Dre
T.I. saved the best for last. Not only did Dr. Dre produced this trumpet-driven, celebratory track, he also spit a couple of bars on it, too. "It's been awhile since you heard these beats / You're malnourished / But he's back now to flood these streets / And he shall flourish," he rhymes. Meanwhile, Tip raises his glass to his success in 2012. "Pockets on swole / Both wrists so froze / King of the South / Balls out on the west coast / Let's toast," he raps.

19. 'F--- da City Up' (Outro)
T.I. gives thanks to everyone who has supported his movement and made contributions to his mixtape. "I would like to thank everybody … because you know it wasn't about the check, it was about the respect [and] I dig that," he says.

Listen and download 'F--- da City Up' at livemixtapes.com