UB Anniversary ReVisit: The Debut of T-Pain | Rollout UB Interview

Today, we officially kick off our Anniversary Celebration.

Over the next few months, we’ll be spotlighting archived interviews from our e-zines from the last 25 years. T M H Entertainment, T M Hxone and Urban Bridgez.

As the longest running website for R&B online, since 1999 – We’ve been apart of some amazing rollouts, with artists who are now house-hold names!

We kick it off with T-Pain an R&B singer/songwriter, who was poised to be a threat to the status quo of R&B.

In 2005 as apart of his Jive rollout, UB interviewed the fresh-face, in one of his first press interviews.

Raised to be unapologetic and independent, T-Pain was poised to be a threat to status quo of R&B music.

Whoever coined the phrase “never judge a book by its cover” must have had a premonition about then 20-year old singer/songwriter/rapper/producer T-Pain, when they thought it up.

At a time when image is considered just as important as vocal capability, T-Pain introduced music fans to a new sound as well as a brand new look for R&B singers. T-Pain was unique.

Born Faheem Najm in Tallahassee, Florida to a pair of entrepreneur parents, T-Pain learned how to do things for himself as a youngster. At the tender age of ten he turned his bedroom into a mini sonic sanctuary with a keyboard, beat machine and four-track recorder. That same day he made a beat, rapped over it and he’s been doing it ever since.

His first foray into music industry was a productive one. He was one-fifth of the rambunctious rap outfit Nappy Headz who enjoyed moderate success in the early 2000’s with regional anthems “Robbery” and “F.L.A.” Being that he is the middle of five children, he had no problem sharing the spotlight. But after the group’s flame burned out he dreamed of pushing the envelope and earlier this year he delivered.

Disenchanted with the R&B; he was hearing on the radio T-Pain flipped the script and started recording his own brand, called Hard & B, for his exclusive listening pleasure. As with most secrets, the word got out when a friend heard what he was making he relayed the message to 100.7 The Beat personality Felisha Foxx who asked for a copy of the CD. Impressed, she played the unplanned single “Time To Make Love” three times that night. Soon after, the song was added to the station’s playlist.

T-Pain continued to fan his flames by recording as well as directing and editing the video for his street record “Fucked Up,” a timely reworked version of Akon‘s prison life ode “Locked Up.” The song grew so popular that some thought it was actually Akon who was borrowing from the dreadlocked songster. More than intrigued, the convict turned crooner reached out the young music maker and eventually singed him to his independently formed Konvict Music imprint.

The first single from T-Pain‘s aptly-titled debut “Rappa Ternt Sanga” was the Roger Troutman-esque “I’m Sprung,” a catchy, but far from cookie-cutter tune about the crazy that love, not lust, will make you do. T-Pain built the song from experience as he is now married to the woman that he wrote the song about.

His matchless songwriting skills shined through out the album, showing a rare range and compassion found in younger artists. Mid-tempo tracks like the cathartic “Going Through A Lot” leads listeners deeper into his musical psyche while the autobiographical “Fly Away” shared accounts of the relationship he has with his father. “You Not the Same” found T-Pain pleading for a love interest to revisit the personality that he grew to appreciate. He also revealed truthful, and almost embarrassing, feelings for exotic dancers on the bravely stated 3× platinum, “I’m In Love With A Stripper.”

While his moniker, short for “Tallahassee Pain,” was created to represent the struggle of growing up in the oft overlooked Florida state capitol, the self-admitted fast driver also has fun with his music.

In 2008, UB Spoke to Akon and asked him if he ever imagined T-Pain would have so much early success? “That was really the goal. To make hot music that would appeal to the masses. I always set out to have my artists be bigger than me. So I can just sit back in Miami and get fat as a reward (laughs). So with Pain it was evident that he was a big star. He has done so much already and had a lot of success outside of Konvict as well.”

The 2009 BMI Songwriter of the Year, T-Pain spoke to UB in 2005 for the preparation of his debut album “Rappa Ternt Sanga.” In the interview he speaks on the albums process, and working with artists like Charlie Wilson.

T-Pain also shares how he linked up with Akon and how he discovered his abilities to sing and rap.

Plus he gets candid on the state of R&B and tells us how “I’m Sprung” came about and more.

Josiah: Is it true that you recorded a song with Nivea called ‘Ask for it?’
T-Pain: Yeah. Basically it’s just a track talking about anything that you want or need, just ask for it. The song will appear on my album.

Josiah: What is your favorite memory of being an R&B; artist so far?
T-Pain: I did a show in South Carolina and I got chased by girls.

Josiah: That’s always a good thing.
T-Pain: Very good!

Josiah: What can we expect from your upcoming debut album?
T-Pain: A lot of versatility, true stories and something to relate to. Not just a universal relation, not a ghetto relation either but something everyone can relate to.

Josiah: Who are some of the producers that worked on the album?
T-Pain: Me.

Josiah: Wow, so you produced the entire album.
T-Pain: Yeah. (Laughing)

Josiah: It’s interesting because after checking the credits on Charlie Wilson’s album, I saw that you produced a track on there. That was shocking because who would have known that you were also a producer.
T-Pain: Yeah, no one really knows that yet (Laughing). Well, I guess they know now.

Josiah: How was it working with Charlie?
T-Pain: That was crazy. I never thought I was going to meet him. That was just a really good experience. He’s a very talented guy.

Josiah: I know Nivea makes a guest appearance on the album. Any other artist making appearances?
T-Pain: Right now I got Bone Crusher, Styles P., and Akon.

Josiah: How do you feel about R&B; tracks today needing the assistance of 16 bars from a rap artist?
T-Pain: I mean, it’s like a Remix. If you would have done it right the first time you wouldn’t need a remix. Sometimes you need help and sometimes you don’t need it. It depends on the vibe of the song. I think it’s just interesting when R&B; and Hip-Hop come together, but not all the time.

Josiah: So would you say that your album is a straight up R&B; record?
T-Pain: Yeah basically, but it’s going to have some Hip-Hop on it.

Josiah: What made you decide to go by the nickname “T-Pain” rather than by your birth name?
T-Pain: Basically, it’s just two different people. T-Pain is the music lover. T-pain, he’s the person that went through all of this to get to where he is.

Josiah: How did you get signed to Akon’s label?
T-Pain: He called me. He found my cell phone number somewhere. I don’t know how he did that. But he called me on my cell phone. I thought somebody was playing. He called me and was like “I wanna sign you.” So we went through all the paper work and now I’m signed with Konvict.

Josiah: I heard you took the beat from “Locked Up” and sung over the track?
T-Pain: Yeah, at the time I was doing a “Jacking for beats” CD. Just something to put underground on the streets. The song got out and I guess it got all the way up to Atlanta and he (Akon) called me and it was a wrap.

Josiah: How did you make the transition from rapping to singing?
T-Pain: I think it was when I stopped caring about what people was thinking about me. It was a slight transition because I was already singing hooks for my rap group. So it wasn’t like a major change, I was already singing. But I started to seriously sing after the group. It would be like sometimes while performing with my group, I wouldn’t wanna sing after everybody’s already heard me rap. I didn’t wanna have to hear what people would have to say but I stopped caring about that.

Josiah: I heard you came up with the term “Hard & B.”
T-Pain: That just explains me. It’s just a more truthful, soulful R&B.; Not the “take your body and all that crap” (Laughing).

Josiah: Will you ever work with your old group Nappy Headz again?
T-Pain: Yeah, I’m still with them and I’m signing them to my new label Nappy Boy Entertainment. They’re going to be on that label. They also make an appearance on the album.

Josiah: Will the song “Time to Make Love” appear on your debut album?
T-Pain: It could. We’re actually working on that now. We just did a new version with Field Mob on it.

Josiah: Tell the fans about the irony of the song “I’m Sprung” and how you are married to the woman you were talking about in the song.
T-Pain: Yeah that was crazy! I don’t know how that happened. I can’t even really explain it. It just happened.

Josiah: Were ya’ll high school sweet-hearts or something?
T-Pain: Naw, we got married like 8 months after we met each other.

Josiah: How excited are you about the success of your single, “I’m Sprung?” It’s a hit down South and will hopefully gain rotation over here on the East Coast.
T-Pain: Right. I’m not really excited, excited. You know how when it’s your Birthday is just feels like another day. That’s how I feel right now.

Josiah: Which female artist would you love to work with?
T-Pain: Wow, that’s a hard question. Umm, I don’t know. That’s kind of hard to say. I would like to work with Ciara because she can dance and I like dancing now.

Josiah: If you had to choose three music artists to tour with, whom would you pick and why?
T-Pain: Cee-Lo, Andre 3000 and Devin the Dude.

Josiah: Does T-pain have any hidden talents that no one knows about?
T-Pain: I write and produce all of my stuff.

Josiah: Have you produced or written anything for anyone lately?
T-Pain: Yeah, I just did a track for 3LW. I did a hook for Juvenile, Young Bloodz, Akon and Trillville.

Josiah: Any last words for your fans?
T-Pain: Yep, watch out for the Nappy Headz.

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