T-Pain’s debut to singing
By Josh Foreman
Photo of T-Pain from Creative Commons license
Debuting in 2005 with “Rappa Ternt Sanga,” T-Pain kicked off his music career not as the titular ‘sanga,’ but as the ‘rappa’. His first eight studio albums were the auto-tuned rap/hip-hop music he’s currently known for— the man he was expected to be by his colleagues. The early 2000s rap/hip-hop scene, especially in his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida, was difficult. Building egos and flaunting money was how musicians made names for themselves. It was a culture akin to the lifestyle of ‘70s rock musicians: no substance, all style. Trying to fit in, T-Pain would continue the style he had found success in. That is, until his live performance at the Sun Rose.
March 17-19, 2023, T-Pain had his first set of small-venue concerts. At the Sun Rose music venue in Hollywood, he performed exclusively with his natural voice, rather than the autotuned sound the world knew him for, improvising jokes and conversation with the crowd, telling stories of his time rapping and giving his outlook on the new future of his career. Nearly a year later, the full studio album was released, featuring most of the songs on his live set. Several weeks after came the release of the live performance: T-Pain - On Top Of The Covers (Live From The Sun Rose). The songs on this set are undeniable classics in their genres, but he takes them to another level that their original performers hadn’t anticipated. These songs aren’t just songs; they’re reimagined, soulful performances that show the man behind the autotune after all these years.
“Don’t Stop Believin’”
Originally sung by Journey, this classic song has been reimagined with a key change and cast of backup singers to complement. Keeping true to the lyrics and story the song depicts, T-Pain accentuates the “jam-along” nature by making the tone less somber, belting out his notes with impressive complexity and accuracy. Journey’s version is a timeless hit, but it might not be too far off to say that T-Pain’s version can compete.
“Tennessee Whiskey”
“Tennessee Whiskey” is the flagship track of country singer Chris Stapleton, written about his loving relationship and its parallel to how good a drink of whiskey makes him feel. Stapleton’s original seems to put more emphasis on the part of the story relating his love and affection, while T-Pain puts more detail into his old relationship with alcohol. Both are gorgeous ballads performed beautifully in their own right, but T-Pain seems to focus on the effects of his alcoholism rather than the love he was too drunk to feel, creating a dichotomy between the singers and their relationships with liquor.
“A Change is Gonna Come”
A modernized version of the Sam Cooke song, this one stays true to the original. Story, key and lyrics unchanged, T-Pain’s cadence fits very well with that of the original singer, placing him right into Cooke’s shoes as he sings. The speed, mood and tone are all nearly identical to the original, carrying the same passion that Cooke gave, once again, but with more complexity and intricacy than before.
“War Pigs”
Vastly different from the genres of other songs in this performance, “War Pigs” really lets T-Pain show off his diversified talents. Initially sung by Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath, this song features harsh, rough vocals that often compete with the lead guitar for attention and volume in this genre. The power T-Pain’s voice holds in this recording leaves no room for competition. He stylizes the vocals differently from Ozzy’s original in order to compliment his own voice and uses a vocal filter to imitate—and exaggerate—the older microphones of the time and really lets loose during this song. Compared to the ballads and love songs of this album, this is one of the few times he’s able to give it his all without straying too far from the original.
“Crazy/Black Ice”
Singing a mashup rather than a single song, T-Pain manages to combine Gnarls Barkley's “Crazy” with a lesser known song by Goodie Mob and Outkast by the name of “Black Ice.” Blending genres is Goodie Mob’s specialty, frequently combining soul and funk. Taking that style a step further, the jazzy, groovy, hi-tempo love song expertly matched with the late 90’s rap song about the highs and lows of the rap world was born. The story that T-Pain manages to tell with large tonal shifts of Barkley lyrics and somber rap lines from Goodie Mob is unbelievable, redirecting the song to his own struggles with love as a young rapper in Tallahassee.
Every song T-Pain performed at the Sun Rose that night gave homage to the originals but redirected them enough to stand out as his own. The hardships of his career have built him into who he is now: the confident, talented and multifaceted performer that fans never knew he could be. This show was more than entertainment—it was a peer through the dreary curtains of T-Pain’s past into the bright future his voice will lead him.