Listen: T.I. Tries to Make "Lollipop 2"

T.I.
"Whatever You Like"

Between losing a child and a friend, and getting sentenced to a jail, T.I. has had a rough time since the release of his last album. These tribulations are detailed in stirring fashion on recent single "No Matter What," but new single "Whatever You Like" is  decidedly more lighthearted. The rapper uses a weightless sing-song flow here while offering a lucky woman the world: "I gas up the jet for you tonight and you can go wherever you like." Considering today's gas prices, that's saying something. This is his "Lollipop" move, a shameless try at another huge smash. Pure brainless pop. He even taps "Lollipop" producer Jim Jonsin to provide some synth plinks filtered directly from Depeche Mode's fizz-popping early days and steals some Wayne cadences here and there. And, as one big hook, the song works. Effective trend-hopping at its most obvious.