T Pain (October 2005)
T-Pain: Hello?
MiddleChild: Hey what's up?
T-Pain: What's going on?
MiddleChild: Chillin man chillin. Busy day?
T-Pain: Yea. Busy life.
MiddleChild: I hear that. But you getting ready to release this album right?
T-Pain: Yea.
MiddleCHild: So when does that drop?
T-Pain: November 15th.
MiddleChild: Ok. U got it done for the most part or are you still working on it?
T-Pain: It's really completed but you know I'm not satisfied with it, so I might open it back up and do some more things with it.
MiddleChild: Ok. Tell me some of the people you worked with for the album.
T-Pain: Akon, Bonecrusher, Styles P...working on some other people, but I don't let it out of the bag just yet.
MiddleChild: Ok. So how were you discovered?
T-Pain: Akon. By Akon. He called me.
MiddleChild: He just called you out of the blue?
T-Pain: Yea. He just called me from out of nowhere and wanted to sign me.
MiddleChild: That's cool. So I mean how did he come across you? Were you underground or someone checked you out and told him?
T-Pain: Yea, he heard it. It was leaked in Atlanta and thats where he lives. So he heard it and somehow he got my cell phone number.
Middlechild: That's cool. So what can we expect from this album?
T-Pain: Just something different man. Something real different. Some versatile stuff. Some real true stories. Something you aint used to.
MiddleChild: Ok. Well we'll look out for that. Now, your song "I'm Sprung" is being received real well down here in the south. I now my station plays it like crazy and it's just doing its thing period down here. I hear that the song is based on a relationship you're currently in....that you're married.
T-Pain: Yea. It's one of them thing s that just happened.. like one day years ago you realized you did something. I was just sitting in the house one day and was like "Man, I'm married". It just happened so fast. It's weird...it was just one of those things that happened.
MiddleChild: Snuck up on ya, huh? (laughs) So how long have you been doing your music thing?
T-Pain: Uh. Since I was eight. So that's about 12 years.
MiddleChild: Ok. Who do you look up to and admire in the game?
T-Pain: Definitely Cee-Lo.. Definitely Andre.. and Devin the Dude.
MiddleChild: Now as far as your writing style. Do you pull from personal experiences or is it more so you observing the world and writing about it?
T-Pain: For me, it's my personal experiences. When I write for other artists I analyze the world.
MiddleChild: Ok. So tell me about three of your favorite tracks from the album.
T-Pain: "I'm Sprung" is one of course. Another one is called "Blow Your Mind".
MiddleChild: And what is that one about?
T-Pain: It's about eating pussy. (both laugh)
MiddleChild: Just be blunt about it.(laughs) You skilled in that area I assume.
T-Pain: Believe it. But you know. And another one is "Super Duper".
MiddleChild: What is that one about?
T-Pain: It's about how great a relationship is.. besides a fuck thing. You know what I mean?
MiddleChild: Yea, I got ya. Now where are you actually from?
T-Pain: Tallahassee.
MiddleChild: Ok. Doing it for the south as well. You know Florida is doing their thing. Trina and Pretty Ricky are some of the ones reppin at the moment.
T-Pain: Yea. Shout outs to Pretty Ricky..and Pitbull.
MiddleChild: So now we gotta add you to that list. Now have there been any misconceptions about you? You know many of us thought you were tall and bright skinned with that Al B. Sure hair. The kind that just curled at the tips. (laughs)
T-Pain: Yea. Definitely. Alot of people don't know what the hell to expect. They see me and be like "That's not you". (laughs) It's weird. It's funny though because people put a look to R&B singers and that's not what they get.
MiddleChild: Right. Because if I were to see you I would think you were a rapper.
T-Pain: Yea. That's what everybody say. When girls see me and tell they friends about me and they ask what I look like, they say "He look like a rapper".
MiddleChild: Yea. You're not the average. Now since you been singing..starting at the age of eight....who sort of discovered your talent to sing?
T-Pain: I kind of discovered it on my own, but I didn't want to do it because I was a rapper.
MiddleChild: Oh, so you do rap? Are you rapping on the album?
T-Pain: Yea. Yea. Just a little bit tho.
MiddleChild: Anybody you trying to work with yet, that you haven't worked with yet?
T-Pain: Those three guys that I look up to. Any member of Goodie Mob, any member of Outkast and Devin the Dude.
MiddleChild: Can't be mad at that. Now hip hop is dominating the music world, how do you feel it has changed from back iin the day until now..well say late 90's until now?
T-Pain: Its gotten worse.(laughs)
MiddleChild: So you agree with many of us on the messageboards then.
T-Pain: First they was having problems with the gangsta rapping and then it kind of slowed down, but now it's just outta damn hand. It's crazy, man.
MiddleChild: So it's just watered down? Not so edgy anymore?
T-Pain: No. It's just crazy. Everybody wanna be a snowman. Everybody want the rims..everybody want the yellow diamonds. Any kind of new diamonds they want it. It could be an invisible diamond and they want it. I mean you can't see my diamonds. You know what I'm saying. That shit is crazy man. It's just getting way worse. (laughs)
MiddleChild: Ok. So what do you think can be done to get it back to where it needs to be.
T-Pain: You know it's so far along now, you can't do nothing. There's nothing you can do for real. It's over with. Everybody is a snowman...everybody got the ice.
MiddleChild: Who do yoo think has really been doing it up music wise this year. Like who do you admire in the game?
T-Pain: 112
MiddleChild: So you think their album was slept on this year?
T-Pain: Yes. Super slept on.
MiddleChild: What's your joint off that, cuz mine was "What If".
T-Pain: That's it. Everytime I go into the studio I play that and sing it to warm up.
MiddleCHild: Oh, so you got it like that. You can blow like 112?
T-Pain: I mean I can't blow like it, but I will sing it.
MiddleChild: (laughs) I can't sing either, but I got one hell of a falsetto. (laughs) Now who produced "I'm Sprung"?
T-Pain: That was me.
MiddleChild: Ok. What vibe were you going for, cuz it's not like anything out right now and it's real heavy on that synthesizer sound.
T-Pain: Yea. That's just something I was feeling that day.
MiddleChild: Ok. I mean it does stand out on radio. Was that intentional or did it just happen that way?
T-Pain: That's just how it always happens with me. That's just what I was feeling at the time.
MiddleChild: Oh ok. Well you know, it's working. We gon play a little game of word association before I let you go. Just tell me what you think of when I mention the following artists.
T-Pain: Fo'sho
MiddleChild: Since you mentioned 112. Let's start with them. 112
T-Pain: Great
MiddleChild: Lil Mo
T-Pain: She's getting fat.(laughs)
MiddleChild: Wow. Ok. Young Jeezy
T-Pain: I don't...he sucks. Well he don't suck. He just...he got one of my friends shot.
MiddleChild: Oh that's deep.
T-Pain: Well he didn't do it, but he influenced it.
MiddleChild: Oh he influenced it? Can you clarify it for my readers so that there is no confusion?
T-Pain: That snowman shit and that trap shit. Somebody walking down the road and somebody coming out the house talking bout "My trap". We aint got no traps in Tallahasse, we just have crack houses..(laughs)But you know "what you doing in my trap" and blah blah blah...arguement...bang. shot. dead. You know. Like all of a sudden everybody is drug dealers and that's just crazy.
MiddleChild: Ok. I got ya. Let's go with EnVogue.
T-Pain: wow. Great Harmony
MiddleChild: Destiny's Child
T-Pain: Sex. Lots of Sex. (laughs) Oh boy.
MiddleChild: Mannie Fresh
T-Pain: Super. Super. The greatest.
MiddleChild: Lil Wayne
T-Pain: Nice. But uhm, real cocky.
MiddleChild: Ok. Well we definitely gotta end on this one. 50 Cent
T-Pain: Wow. Uhm..Gay or something.
MiddleChild: OKK.Once again album out on November 15th. Next single will be what?
T-Pain: "I'm in love with a stripper".
MiddleChild: Oh I heard about that. Haven't listened yet, but I heard about it.
T-Pain: Yea. I think it's on the internet already.
MiddleChild: Yea, I seen it on my messageboard. Just haven't got it yet. You know people be on it and will let you know what's out.
T-Pain: Yea.
MiddleChild: Alright. You have a good one and we'll definitely get at you T-Pain.
T-Pain: Fo'sho
MiddleChild: Aight playa.
