T.I. released his fifth studio album, T.I. vs. T.I.P. on July 3, 2007 and it was certified by the RIAA as having over 1 million copies sold less than two months later. Despite the commercial success of the album, most critics and fans had mixed reviews, saying that T.I. had ventured away from his signature sound. It appears that during the months since his October 2007 arrest on gun possession charges, the "King of the South" is making a concerted effort to regain that sound by reconnecting with some of his former producers.

"It's coming along really well," says longtime collaborator DJ Toomp. Toomp, who was behind hits such as "24's," "U Don't Know Me" and "What You Know," will serve as the executive producer of the upcoming album, entitled Paper Trail. "People who've heard some of it are comparing it to [Tupac Shakur's] Me Against the World," Toomp tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Kawan "K.P." Prather, who was a member of the Dungeon Family group Parental Advisory, signed T.I. to his first deal during his tenure as president of the Arista subsidiary Ghet-O-Vision. Prather says that he and his production partner Malay will also contribute tracks to Paper Trail. "He's been focused on doing something great," Prather said.

For now, most expect T.I. will have approximately one year to finish, promote and release Paper Trail. As reported earlier [read here] the rapper will be sentenced to 366 days in a federal penitentiary on March 27, 2009.