May

5

Why It’s OK to Like T-Pain

Filed Under Updates 

Shaw-tay-ee!

Someone recently asked me if “that’s what T-Pain’s voice really sounds like”. I laughed and asked if that’s what Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and the few hundred other stars using auto-tune really sound like. T-Pain is a ubiquitous pop symbol right now and his influence is far-reaching, even if just for the moment. I doubt anyone under 25, and especially 21, can’t recognize him or his songs. His album Epiphany sold more than 1,000,000 units. His song “Can’t Believe It” has nearly 53 million hits on his MySpace page. 53 million. You know what that means these days. He’s a bona-fide, numbers-backed pop star, and those are rare. People actually buy his albums. The numbers game is easy if you’re on a major label, like T-Pain is, but to see what’s most likable about him, it’s best to look at him in light of male R&B stars.

In the line-up of past and present R&B superstars, he doesn’t fit the bill of sauve and classy, like Al Green, the introspective genius, like Marvin Gaye, or the smooth and sexually-gifted, like BoyzIIMen. Now, compare him to the R&B singers of today. Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Usher, R-Kelly. These are guys who spend more time in the gym and on their dance moves than on their singing. There’s no room for fun with these guys. It’s all candlelight dinners, love-making, and chiseled bodies. Yawn. But T-Pain is accessible, attainable. He’s the Seth Rogen of R&B and pop. If he hits the gym, it’s not showing, because he has the decency to keep his shirt on.

One of Justin Timberlake’s most endearing qualities is that he’s OK with laughing at himself. He’s smooth, good-looking, restored “sexy” to its proper place, etc., but he’s also the guy who not only appears on SNL, he knocks it out of the park when he does. The same goes for T-Pain, except he’s not anywhere near as pretty as Timberlake. T-Pain seems to have a good grip on his persona and doesn’t pretend to be anything but. He sounds like a robot, keeps his clothes on, and writes songs that are more catchy than they are seductive. He’s the fun guy. Look at his lyrics: his hopeless romance involves an exotic dancer, to woo women he uses financial stability (”I got money in the bank” he says on “Shawty Buy U a Drank”), and humorously offers to take them on a trip to “Wiscansin”. The materialistic bent of most urban music is downright off-putting, but T-Pain walks the line of out-right parody and silliness, telling us it’s OK to listen and laugh.

And did I mention that he’s 23? Yes, T-Pain has attained national stardom and has written a consecutive string of pop hits before the age Orson Welles was when he shot Citizen Kane. He’s also the same age Bob Dylan was when he recorded his first few albums for Capitol. T-Pain has fashioned himself as a likable clown and toned down the aspects of his persona that make his peers nearly intolerable. He took Li’l Jon’s bombast, ditched his misogyny and donned a ringmaster’s hat. T-Pain won’t skeet from the windows to the walls. He’ll probably fall asleep with you afterward and you’ll wake up to find him watching cartoons and eating Cap’n Crunch in his boxers the next morning.

“Chopped ‘n’ Skrewed” by T-Pain feat. Ludacris from the album Thr33 Ringz (mp3)

Will Thompson enjoys putting somewhat carefully chosen words in relatively meaningful order.

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