The L.I.B.R.A.

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The L.I.B.R.A.
Studio album by
T.I.
ReleasedOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
Recorded2018–2020
Studio
  • Means Street Studios
  • MakaSound Studio
Genre
Length68:12
Label
Producer
T.I. chronology
Dime Trap
(2018) 		The L.I.B.R.A.
(2020) 		Kill the King
(TBA)
Singles from The L.I.B.R.A.
  1. "Ring"
    Released: September 11, 2020
  2. "Pardon"
    Released: October 14, 2020

The L.I.B.R.A. is the eleventh studio album by American rapper T.I. It was released on October 16, 2020, via Grand Hustle Records and Empire Distribution. The title, which references T.I.'s zodiac sign, libra, also doubles as an acronym for "Legend Is Back Running Atlanta".[2] The album, which was initially titled Love & Liability, serves as the final installment of a trilogy, that was preceded by Paperwork (2014) and Dime Trap (2018).

London Jae, Mozzy, Rapsody, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, Young Thug, and comedian Ms. Pat
, among others.

Preceded by two singles, "Ring" and "Pardon", the album peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 chart and number nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States.

Background

Upon signing a recording contract with

dope boy."[5]
When speaking on Love & Liability, which ultimately became The L.I.B.R.A., T.I. said “Love & Liability is the story of a young man, who is a solid cat, but his heart finds him in relationships with people who he probably shouldn’t be in relationships with, because of the people they’re in relationships with.[6]

Release and promotion

In October 2020, T.I. revealed that he teamed up with AllHipHop for a stimulus package giveaway: “Since [Donald Trump] said he ain’t giving them stimuluses out until after the election, alright...cool. I’m just gon’ pick up a little bit, man,” he said in the video clip. “We got y’all. Don’t even trip.” All interested fans had to do was vote on their favorite songs from each of T.I.'s previous studio albums in the leadup to the release of The L.I.B.R.A. In total, $12,000 was on the line as one lucky fan was randomly selected to win $1,200 each day.[7][8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Beats Per Minute76%[11]
HipHopDX4.1/5[12]
Pitchfork5.4/10[13]

The L.I.B.R.A. was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 70 based on four reviews.[9]

Riley Wallace of HipHopDX found the album "could have benefitted from a few snips here and there, but overall it's a reasonably satisfying listen and a tangible reminder that the self-proclaimed King Of The South hasn't lost his edge".[12] Chase McMullen of Beats Per Minute wrote that the project is "a generous, compulsively enjoyable statement, unburdened of commercial pressure in a way that's all too rare in this numbers game".[11] AllMusic's Fred Thomas wrote: "The entire record is a victorious display of self-celebration, but the impact of T.I.'s years in the rap game are felt most directly on tracks where he's matching wit and lyrical dexterity with rappers from the generation that directly followed him".[10] In a mixed review, Trey Alston of Pitchfork resumed: "these songs introduce nothing new to T.I.'s story or sound, but they're exactly what you'd expect to find 13 tracks deep into a curated rap playlist on a streaming service".[13]

Commercial performance

The L.I.B.R.A. debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 23,500 album units.[14]

Track listing

Credits are adapted from Tidal.[15]

The L.I.B.R.A.
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The L.I.B.R.A. Introduction" (featuring
Keyz
  • Hitmaka
    		• 4:38
    20."Deyjah's Conclusion"
    • Deyjah Harris
    • M. Harris
    • Elliott Stroud
    • Messiah
    • Stroud
    		1:40

    Personnel

    Credits for The L.I.B.R.A. adapted from AllMusic.[10]

    • 21 Savage – Featured Artist
    • 42 Dugg – Featured Artist
    • Eric Bellinger – Featured Artist
    • Benny the Butcher – Featured Artist
    • Alec Beretz – Featured Artist
    • Conway the Machine – Featured Artist
    • Domani – Featured Artist
    • Jadakiss – Featured Artist
    • London Jae – Featured Artist
    • Jeremih – Featured Artist
    • Killer Mike – Featured Artist
    • John Legend – Primary Artist
    • Lil Baby – Featured Artist
    • Ernestine Johnson Morrison – Featured Artist
    • Mozzy – Featured Artist
    • Ms. Pat – Featured Artist
    • Rahky – Featured Artist
    • Rapsody – Featured Artist
    • Rick Ross – Primary Artist
    • Snoop Dogg – Primary Artist
    • T.I. – Primary Artist
    • Tokyo Jetz – Featured Artist
    • Young Thug – Featured Artist

    Charts

    Chart performance for The L.I.B.R.A.
    Chart (2020) Peak
    position
    US Billboard 200[16] 18
    US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 9
    US Independent Albums (Billboard)[18] 3

    References

    1. ^ Ashie, Kotey (October 16, 2020). "T.I.'s kids, Deyjah and Domani Harris, are featured on his new album 'The L.I.B.R.A.'". BCK. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
    2. ^ Lavin, Will (September 27, 2020). "T.I. announces new album 'The Libra (The Legend Is Back Running Atlanta)'". NME. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
    3. ^ "T.I. Speaks On Next Two Albums, "The Return" & "Love & Liability"". Hotnewhiphop.com. October 24, 2014. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
    4. ^ "T.I. Reveals Plans To Release "Gangster Version" Of Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak"". Hiphopdx.com. October 24, 2014. Archived from the original on August 14, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
    5. ^ Jones, Biz (February 3, 2017). "T.I. Announces Final Album Title: "I'm Ready To Get The Hell Outta Here"". SOHH.com.
    6. ^ "T.I. Plans on Releasing A "Gangster Version" of Kanye West's '808's & Heartbreak' - XXL". October 24, 2014.
    7. ^ Jawnson, Kershaw St (October 6, 2020). "T.I. and AllHipHop.com Gives Away $12K in The L.I.B.R.A. Stimulus Package". AllHipHop. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
    8. ^ "T.I. Announces 'The L.I.B.R.A' Release Date and $12,000 'Stimulus Package' Giveaway". BET.
    9. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for The L.I.B.R.A. - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
    10. ^ a b c Thomas, Fred. "The L.I.B.R.A. – T.I. | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
    11. ^ a b McMullen, Chase (October 19, 2020). "Album Review: T.I. – The L.I.B.R.A. | Beats Per Minute". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
    12. ^ a b Wallace, Riley (December 5, 2020). "Review: T.I.'s 'The L.I.B.R.A.' Is Proof The Self-Proclaimed King Of The South Hasn't Lost His Edge". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
    13. ^ a b Alston, Trey (October 22, 2020). "T.I.: The L.I.B.R.A. (The Legend Is Back Running Atlanta)". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
    14. ^ https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/329550-tis-the-libra-sells-20k-in-the-first-week-news
    15. ^ "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
    16. ^ "T I Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
    17. ^ "T I Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
    18. ^ "T I Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
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