I completely disagree. This is his best lyrical performance since, of course, Trap Muzik. I listened to this album thoroughly and gave it an honest chance cuz I'm a T.I. fan.... Going through all the shit he's gone through in his personal life lately comes across crystal clear on this album. He describes it in many songs on the album, definitely spittin some real shit that a lot of us can relate to.
Now, I wouldn't say he has been getting better or worse because he's sorta putting the fans through a rollercoaster ride with his efforts. Trap Muzik was, according to most T.I. fans, his best album. He followed that up with, in my opinion, his worst album to date Urban Legend. Then he came back with King which was a much better effort in pretty much every aspect. T.I. vs T.I.P. was weak as hell. After King, I was anticipating him to come with some serious heat and run the rap game, but he wasn't fuckin wit Toomp on that one. Very average album. Now along comes Paper Trail, all around his 2nd best album and one of the highlights this year. I haven't checked the soundscans, but this will probably be his most successful album. People are always tryna compare his albums to Trap Muzik, but that doesn't make any sense. Just accept that album as a classic, and keep it movin. He probably will never drop another Trap Muzik cuz that was several years ago. Music changes with the times, just accept Paper Trail for what it is...