A conversation with T-Pain
Rapper T-Pain talks his 'Drankin Patna' tour, Hall & Oates, and the state of mainstream R&B/hip-hop.
Earlier this year, T-Pain confessed of how he fell into a deep depression. Jay Z's “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” was partially to blame, sure: Not only does he bash how T-Pain had found his voice — that slightly robotic croon, the end result of tinkering with pitch correction — but he also calls him out by name. “Get back to rap, you T-Paining too much,” Jay Z spit.
For a stint in 2007, the self-proclaimed Rappa Ternt Sanga and patron saint of ringtone rap appeared in a third of the songs on radio rotation. Two years later, “D.O.A.” gave voice to even pop listeners sick of Auto-Tune's ubiquity. By the time T-Pain released his worst-selling album, 2011's REVOLVEЯ, West and Future would earn praise — as Auto-Tune innovators.
At his worst, when dear friend Lil Wayne had landed in jail for attempted gun possession, T-Pain was black-out drunk at strip clubs for a week. “Good thing I could get everything under control and come back as a half-sober man,” he said to VladTV in March, sighing as he sipped from a red Solo cup.
T-Pain has clearly regained confidence, though, since he announced his fifth album Stoicville: The Phoenix (out later this year). While on tour this spring, he performed at StreetzFest among rappers (Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, Migos) with a fraction of his chart success, thanks to his nonchalant comeback song “Up Down (Do This All Day)” (featuring B.o.B.) gaining traction since February. As he used to in interviews, he laughs at himself a lot.
Going into his second tour this year, the 20-city Drankin Patna trek, T-Pain talked to CL about the renewed demand for his music, the influence of Hall & Oates on his music and what he'd change about mainstream R&B/hip-hop.
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What's the biggest difference between Stoicville: The Phoenix and REVOLVEЯ?
With REVOLVEЯ I was just trying to get music out there. It was just like, “You need this many songs to make an album,” and I was like, “Here you go, some throwaways.” laughs I was in a bad spot, and I wasn't concentrating on my craft. So I think Stoicville is taking me so long because I care about it so much. I already got 120 tracks. I just don't want to turn it in yet.
Does Stoicville have a release date?
Not at all. I don't want to have a release date until I know that I have an album. If I don't, then I'll run into the same thing I did with REVOLVEЯ, where I don't have my shit together. There's no sense in doing it again if I'm not doing it right. You know how you can listen to an album all the way through? I just don't feel like I got enough of those un-skippable songs. I'm making sure that I can put out something that I'm comfortable with and that people like at the same time — that's what's difficult.
Of what you've recorded so far, what do you think will surprise fans the most?
Something called “Intentionally Yours.” It has a '50s swing to it. That's the best song overall. I've actually been singing it at a few weddings already, which was kinda weird because nobody else heard it yet. I went to one of my friend's weddings, and then I got invited to a bunch of them just to sing the song — “Hey, come do it at mine then!”
Your song “Drankin Patna” references “Maneater” by Hall & Oates. What's your favorite Hall & Oates record?
I think it is “Maneater.” I like the chord progression of it. It's a real smooth song. It was different for that time, too. I like the people that change the world and the face of music, and that was one of those songs that changed everything after that.
Hall & Oates was called blue-eyed soul, which, depending —
It's an acquired taste. laughs You gotta be ready for it, but you know, just be open-minded. They were crazy enough to think that they can change the world. It was hard to put out a song back then. Now you can just post it on the internet. Back then, to take a chance on a song and use the record label's money to put it on vinyl, because pressing vinyl is not a fast process — that was taking a big risk.
How are you feeling going into the Drankin Patna tour, compared to your I Am T-Pain tour from earlier this year?
I'm seeing a lot more responses. People are like, “I just got my tickets for this. I can't wait to come!” These are major cities. The acceptance wasn't as much right off the bat in the smaller cities, so it's a complete 180 laughs — “Oh, I guess he is doing stuff.”
Don't you mean “re-acceptance”?
You know how fickle people are these days. I put out a song on a Thursday, and the next Thursday everybody's like, “Yo, what else you got?” People forget so fast, and people kind of have been made to forget. Once people feel like they've been forced to like something, they're like “Where is the stuff that I actually like?” You never know for how long you'll be gone until people remember that that song was actually the best.
What's your relationship with current mainstream R&B and hip-hop?
They're playing the same seven songs on the radio over and over again, and I'm not trying to get caught up in that. I want to change the sound again. I want to go back with that classic T-Pain, with something different than from what was on the radio — that's how I made it in the first place. I still see people on Twitter like, “Where's T-Pain? I haven't seen T-Pain in years!” You're not looking for me! You just thought about me right then and thought it would be a good tweet. The people that keep their eyes on the mainstream know I'm in it and the game needs me.
If you had the power to change any aspect of that mainstream culture, what would that be?
Everything sounds like one long ass song right now, the same terrible ass song, and that's a problem. laughs What I would change is that everyone would just be their own person and artist. They wouldn't get signed just because the record label would be like, “Oh man, we can get on this bandwagon.” Ugh.
George Clinton once said to CL that he loved your first album 2005's Rappa Ternt Sanga, and in that context he said, “The funk will survive at all costs.” What do you make of that?
laughs Hey, that's what it is. It's the spirit of it. He's not necessarily talking about the sound, but the spirit and the fun that he brings.
The current sound's basically like: Drugs. Drugs. There's that ass. Drugs. Drugs. I do this to ya. I'm so gangsta. Drugs. Check that ass. Check that ass for drugs. I'm a gangsta. No one's really enjoying songs anymore, and if there's anybody dancing, it's usually to pop music. What a miracle that would be, if we can get black people to listen to pop music. That would be great.
It's like when I've been telling people that I've been doing country music — “Aw, I ain't heard nothing.” It's because you don't listen to country music, you idiot! laughs You refuse to broaden your mind, broaden your horizons and listen to different kinds of music. Get out of the goddamn club.
The fun and the spirit that it brings — that's what the funk is. It's gonna survive, but there will always be just a few artists that choose to get on the bandwagon or lower themselves for that sound.
T-Pain plays the Masquerade on Wed., Aug. 13, with Snootie Wild, Bando Jonez, Rich Kidz and Mykell Vaughn. $25-$30. Doors at 7 p.m. 695 North Ave. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com.