We all know by now that on January 24, the grounds of Hobart and William Smith will be graced with the presence of the one and only T-Pain. Now, when I placed my vote for the welcome-back concert I did not choose T-Pain, but clearly most of HWS students did. I thought I could take this opportunity to try to help everyone get to know the man behind the auto-tune.
Mr. Pain's birth given name is Faheem Rashad Najim, and he is from Tallahassee, Florida. He released his first album in 2005 called Rappa Ternt Sanga, which I'm sure was a lyrical masterpiece. One of T-Pain's more famous songs, "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)" was released as a single shortly after. With lyrics like "You know you thick as hell you know what I'm sayin" and "I need to get her over to my crib and do that night thang," it's not surprising how successful T-Pain has become. His second studio album, Epiphany, was released in 2007, and featured popular single "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')". While working on his second album, T-Pain did plenty of collaboration work with other prominent artists. His work with Kanye West on the song "Good Life" won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song in 2008. T-Pain's fourth album, RevolveR, was released in December 2011. The album featured the iconic hit single, "5 O'Clock" with Lily Allen and Wiz Khalifa.
T-Pain has also made himself available in other forms of entertainment. In 2009, he collaborated with The Lonely Island on "I'm on a Boat," which was a song that parodied the success of rap stars. He has also appeared in a few movies. In 2010, he appeared in Lottery Ticket as a liquor store clerk. He has also made an appearance on the Adult Swim TV show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. There is also a T-Pain app that can be purchased and allows the user to alter their voice to auto-tune in karaoke form.
Unlike many of T-Pain's musical colleagues, he has not faced much trouble with the law over the years. In 2007, at a concert in Miami, he was asked to shorten his show, but refused. During what I'm sure was a beautiful live performance of "Buy U a Drank," concert officials stopped the performance and chased T-Pain and his entourage from the venue. Also in 2007, there was a warrant for his arrest over a suspended driver's license, but he was a stand-up guy and turned himself in.
We know a little more about T-Pain as we welcome him to campus in a few short weeks. I thought it would be fitting to end with a quote from T-Pain himself when asked if he had cut off his dreadlocks in 2013: "We must all learn to adjust with our surroundings. Those who get stuck doing the same things for too long are bound to get left behind the strong who press on & reinvent themselves. Also good news hair grows back."
