The one Pharrell idea that was ‘too strange’ for T.I.: “I don’t think I could do that”
T.I. has collaborated with Pharrell many times throughout his career. Their work together began on his debut album in 2001, with the duo making music for well over a decade. While their appearance on Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ is by far their biggest moment together, they’ve created some magic on the Atlanta rapper’s projects.
After years of putting together songs, T.I. decided to recruit Pharrell to executive-produce his Paperwork album in 2014. The follow-up to Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head opened at number two on the Billboard 200 with 80,000 units in its first week. As well as being the vision behind the album, P also produced and featured on a number of songs, including ‘G Shit’, ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘Paperwork’, and ‘Light ‘Em Up (RIP Doe B)’.
Tip is eternally grateful for having the legendary producer on board for the whole project, allowing him to expand his catalogue in ways he’s never done before. “Pharrell pushed me past my present limitations,” he told Acclaim Magazine. “The things that are his normal approach to artistry are anything but normal. [His approach] gave me an ability to take what I already had and enhance it.”
Despite the respect he has for Pharrell, there was one thing he couldn’t sacrifice. Across his career, T.I. has become accustomed to a certain number of songs appearing on each of his albums. When asked if any of his ideas were “too strange” to implement on Paperwork, it was the suggestion that the tracklist could be shorter.
“I think the main thing between Pharrell and myself is probably singles and sequencing, or the amount of songs to put on an album,” he admitted. “For me, I have never done an album that was less than 15 songs. I know that it became conventional to have eight to 10 to 12 songs.”
For T.I., he doesn’t feel like he can put all of his ideas across in that short amount of time, which prompted a serious studio debate between him and Pharrell. “I just don’t feel like I can completely tell a overall story,” he said. “I feel like an album is a story. It contains an opinion, or I guess an angle on life, I don’t think I could do that in 8 or 10 or 12 songs. So we go back and forth about that.”
Paperwork is considered a concept album, with T.I. describing it as “unadulterated gangster shit with musical soul attached to it.” The full title of the album, Paperwork: The Motion Picture, was also an idea that came to Pharrell’s mind, meaning the music would serve as a motion picture, rather than being attached to a specific movie.
As half of The Neptunes, Pharrell produced ‘I’m Serious’ and ‘What’s Yo Name’ for T.I.’s first album, I’m Serious, in 2001. He also produced and featured on ‘Freak Though’ from 2004’s Urban Legend, as well as ‘Good Life’ from his 2006 album, King. He then worked on ‘Amazing’ and ‘Get Back Up’ on his 2010 album, No Mercy.