What is dope? The dictionary defines it as any thick liquid or pasty preparation, as a lubricant, used in preparing a surface, while Urban Dictionary labels it not weed but heroin. only dumbasses call weed dope. To me it’s an extremely overused modifier, something I fall back on when I’m too lazy to find another alternative for ‘cool.’ Seriously, every other post of mine is either about a dope rapper, dope beat, dope producer, or dope track. I didn’t barely pass high school English to be wasting my limited vocabulary skills like this.

T.I., working with the Aaliyah sourced description circa 2001, offers up a smooth, vibed-out jam with his latest. “Dope,” the Dr. Dre produced single off of T.I.’s upcoming The Dime Trap, boasts predictably chill verses over a bumpin’ sample, spliced with a strong vocal assist from Marsha Ambrosius, who reminds us just how special Aaliyah really was.

Fuck it…dope rapper, dope beat, dope producer, dope track! Stream below, grab a copy via iTunes, and check the visuals out as a Tidal exclusive