The Interview: T-Pain

15 Minutes with T-Pain

I see you have a busy schedule now, huh?
Yeahhhhh

That’s always a good thing for an artist.
No doubt (laughs)

You’re from Tallahassee Florida, was your area affected by Hurricane Wilma?
Nah. Nah. I’m straight.

Are you down there now?
I’m in Atlanta.

This song “Sprung” has really got you buzzing right now, but I hear that you weren’t always a singer. How did you get started singing?
When I first started doing music I was singing, then I started rapping, then I came back to the singing. It was a big transition. Big time.

Did you release any records as a rapper?
Yeah. I was with a group called the Nappy Headz.

We had a song called “Robbery.” It was like a redo of Khia’s “My Neck, My Back.” We got pretty famous for it. It was in the Billboard, overseas, shit was getting played in London and shit. It was crazy.

What made you want to switch to singing?
It just felt better, you know. It’s not so much as easier, but it comes more from the heart. You ain’t gotta think of no super metaphors and you don’t gotta do shit a certain way. You just do it how you feel.

So you thought of it as something you could do on your own, as opposed to the group stuff?
I mean, not even that. As far as the rapping. The rapping was just something that I started doing cause I thought it was cool. I just went ahead and did that cause everybody was doing it. But it was cool though. It’s just the R&B shit was easier. Way easier.

Who are some of the singers that inspired you?
Cee-Lo, Andre 3000, and Devin the Dude. They shit was just feeling good. I just wanted to do something like them. It just made me want to do the switch, man.

What’s the story behind you getting signed?
Basically I was doing the local celebrity thing already, so a couple of words got out about the song I did of Akon’s. It got all the way to Atlanta. It just got crazy. They started calling..

What was the version of the song you did?
He had “Locked Up.” I had “I’m Fucked Up.” When he heard the title, he was like, ‘Hey, there is this nigga in Atlanta got a song called “Fucked Up.” He thought it was gonna be something about smoking or drinking and what not, but it was basically about a hard time type of thing. You know what I’m saying. So he liked that. He liked that versatility. It wasn’t just somebody doing the same shit. So he got in contact with me; after that it was over with.

Your current single “Sprung” did you write that about someone in particular?
Yeah, she’s my wife now.

She’s your wife?
Yeah.. that went kinda crazy.

(Laughs) I guess everything you say in the song is real then. That’s what your saying.
Yeah. Everything on my album is real.

When you first recorded the song did it have that vocoder effect on it?
Yeah.

The majority of people are gonna be used to your voice the way it is on “Sprung” - with that effect on it. How do you think they are gonna react to your natural voice when they hear the album. Or does the whole album have that kinda vibe to it?
Nah it definitely has more plain voice than anything. I mean they gonna have to accept that. Good music is good music. If a muthafucka don’t like it cause it don’t have that effect on your voice, well.. that’s just fucking weird. (laughs)

What kind of things are on the album, as far as content. You say you’re coming from the heart. Like who are they getting to know as T-Pain?
It’s more of a life related album. Not so much as love songs and club songs, you know what I’m saying. It’s more of a life related album.

I think that comes through in the single. What makes “Sprung” good is that you’re showing what your name is, Tallahasse Pain. It kinda shows a more vulnerable side that you don’t normally see in singers these days. You know what I mean?
Yeahhh.

It’s not in a weak kinda way. It’s a man speaking the truth about a woman. But I see you also have a song on the album called “I’m in Love With a Stripper.” What’s up with that?
That’s pretty self-explanatory (laughs). It’s basically about when I took my homeboy to his first strip club.

So that’s about your boy?
Yeah. (laughs)

What.. he tricked out all his money or something?
Ahh, man. I can’t even say. Had to drop a stack on the strippers. You know what I’m saying?

Is it some spot in Atlanta?
Nah, it was in Jacksonville.

You wanna shout them out?
Nah.

You don’t wanna shout out the club?
I can’t remember what it was.

Oh, it was one those nights?
(laughs) Yeah, basically.

I hear part of your stage show includes another one your passions, which is dancing. Do you get on stage dancing and everything else?
Yeah.

What kinda dancing?
I mean.. it ain’t no Ciara (laughs). It’s some having fun with my niggas dancing. You know what I’m saying. If you saw me and my niggas in the club, you gonna be like them niggas there is trippin.

(Laugh) Alright, I don’t want you to go out like Hammer or nothing like that.
Oh nah, I have fun on stage. When the crowd see me and my niggas having fun, most likely they gonna have fun too.

Rappa Ternt Sanga. It’s the name of the album. I think it’s self-explanatory now. I wish you the best of luck.
Fo sho, man.

Peace.

Whudat.com @ November 2005