T-Pain’s Vocoder Fights Back

T-Pain is back with his 2nd single off of his highly anticipated 3rd studio album “Thr33 Ringz” out on November 11, 2008!!

Check out T-Pain’s hot, new track “Chopped N Skrewed” featuring Ludacris

THR33 RINGZ

Biography

Few people can accurately say they’ve changed the course of music; count T-Pain among that short list. His bright, polished arrangements have become the in-demand sound across genres, and his scene-stealing vocal performances are among the most coveted in music. Since bursting on the scene in 2005, T-Pain has been awarded a Grammy, produced and written a plethora of chart-topping and platinum-selling singles, garnered “Songwriter of the Year” and “Producer of the Year” honors at the BMI Urban Awards and earned a BET Award. So it should come as little surprise that the musical maestro’s tremendous, self-produced third album, THR33 RINGZ, stands as a sonic odyssey brimming with innovation.

The distinctive spelling used for the album title may not hold any significance, but the meaning behind the name carries weight. “It came from people telling me that I’m running the game, that I’m the ringleader of the game,” T-Pain says humbly. “That’s where the whole circus imagery came from. I started putting it together with the idea that the circus is just like the music industry. You’ve got your different acts, all of the different animals, etc.”

THR33 RINGZ is quite the musical journey, complete with highs and lows, smash singles and unexpected twists. Lead single “Can’t Believe It” is already enjoying heavy radio and video exposure. Aided by sprinkly keys and T-Pain’s trademark vocoder, he and guest Lil Wayne talk about spoiling their respective ladies in the song. There’s good reason T-Pain’s music often connects with and speaks to women. He had plenty of training dealing with the fairer sex.

“When I was in school, I would sit and talk to a lot of girls,” T-Pain recalls. “I would listen to what they would talk about, what they want. I would try to understand the passions of a woman. That’s where my concepts come from. That’s how you know if people can relate to your songs. If you’ve heard the same elements of a story over and over again, you know there are millions of people going through this.”

Since his schoolroom listening sessions, T-Pain has kept his ears open. In fact, listening to several sob stories inspired “Therapy,” a tune where T-Pain and Kanye West talk about women who need to get themselves together. T-Pain then details relationships with negative energy on “Chopped & Screwed” a track that features Ludacris. But T-Pain’s music isn’t all about drama. He also listens to his friends when they gush about a special someone. The party track “Freeze,” for instance, grew out of conversation T-Pain had with Chris Brown. Brown, who also appears on the high-energy song, was telling T-Pain how he finds women that can dance particularly attractive.

Of course T-Pain’s long-time fans know that he especially appreciates women who dance in strip clubs. But he knows from first-hand experience how men often fall victim to DJs who switch songs up too quickly when they’ve just paid for a lap dance. Hence, the five-minute plus “Long Lap Dance.” “In Florida, strippers charge for lap dances by the song,” T-Pain explains. “If you just so happen to ask a girl for a lap dance in the middle of a song and the DJ cuts it off, you still have to pay the full price. So I just made a long song, so whenever you ask for it, you should be good. And the DJs know that they can’t cut it off, ‘cause then it wouldn’t be the ‘Long Lap Dance’ song.”

With his music being largely based on real-world encounters, it makes sense that T-Pain recorded “Reality Show,” a tune that details some of his wild experiences. “At certain times, everybody’s like, ‘I need my own reality show because the stuff I’m going through is crazy,’” T-Pain says with a laugh. “I don’t know why you’d want the world to see everything you’re going through, but nobody’s done a reality show song yet.”

Reality shows are filled with drama, and T-Pain’s existence is no different. When he gets angry, T-Pain is likely to end up rapping, as is the case on “Ring Leader Man,” “Karaoke” with DJ Khaled, and the title track. “If I’m upset, then it’s going to be a rap day,” T-Pain says with a chuckle. “I make music depending on what mood I’m in. If I’m pissed off, I can’t get on there and talk about love.”

Even though T-Pain sometimes finds himself in an angry mood, he remains grounded because of his wife and children. His family is also the inspiration for THR33 RINGZ song “Keep Going.” This acoustic tune stands as a testament to T-Pain’s dedication to his family. “I want to make sure that my kids live a good life,” he says. “I don’t want them to have to figure out the hard way what a food stamp is. I’ve slept in cars. I went through a lot in my life and I’m going to make sure that if somebody’s life is in my hands that they’re not going to have to go through that.”

Indeed, T-Pain can speak from that perspective because he knows what it is like to struggle. His Tallahassee, Florida hometown was lacking music industry opportunities and connections, so the man born Faheem Najm chose the T-Pain moniker to signify his plight. He taught himself how to make music, write songs and record music.

In 2003, T-Pain’s sly remake of Akon’s “Locked Up” caught the attention of music industry insiders, and the independent release of his “I’m Sprung” single led to a contract with Jive/Zomba.

T-Pain’s use of the vocoder made his music stand out, and his prolific, high-quality output turned him into one of music’s most oft-imitated and in-demand producers, singers and collaborators. His first two albums, 2006’s Rappa Ternt Sanga and 2007’s Epiphany, have been certified gold, thanks to hit singles such as “I’m N Luv (Wit A Stripper)” and “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’).” He has also collaborated with Kanye West (“Good Life”), Chris Brown (“Kiss, Kiss”), Flo Rida (“Low”), Plies (“Shawty”), and Bow Wow (“Outta My System”) for platinum singles.

Now, as T-Pain gains more control over his artistry, expect him to continue expanding his sonic and creative reach as a singer-songwriter-rapper-producer. After all, he knows the key to long-term success in the music industry is evolution. “You’ve got to be different and keep it consistent at the same time, which is super-hard to do,” T-Pain says. “I come different every time and that’s what people look for, what they expect.”

And with THR33 RINGZ, the world expects nothing less than another magical musical adventure from T-Pain. Expectation achieved

Ciara – Go Girl audio featuring T-Pain from her new album

Go Girl featuring T-Pain

T-Pain- Can’t Believe It video featuring Lil Wayne from his new album Thr33 Ringz

Tay Dizm – Beam Me Up video featuring T-Pain and Rick Ross. Dizm’s First Single On T-Pain’s new digital only label Nappy Boy Digital

Lil mama featuring T-Pain – What it is (strike a pose) video

World renowned producer and No. 1 hit selling artist T-Pain steps into the forefront of the digital music world with the launch of his full service, independent record label, Nappy Boy Digital.

Nappy Boy Digital provides a direct artist to consumer connection as well as an immediate outlet for T-Pain to release his latest and greatest tracks. Without the constraints of the traditional major label machine, Nappy Boy Digital will deliver new music directly into the hands of millions of online music lovers via all the major digital download sites.

“Nappy Boy Digital is a dream come true for me. I’m excited about bringing music by new artists to people fresh out of the studio,” said T-Pain commenting on the venture. “My life and career so far has been about breaking barriers and this label allows me to continue that by delivering hit songs in real time, no red tape, just good music. You’ll hear us in the clubs and on radio too, but you can discover our tracks where people spend most of their time, on-line. I’m very proud to be out front on an idea like this.”

Since debuting in December 2005 with his monster hit, “I’m Sprung,” Tallahassee, FL native T-Pain has amassed an impressive number of awards and recognition. In 2007, his number one single “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin)” was one of the largest Billboard Hot 100 radio audience records of the year, was downloaded by more than 1.5 million people, and the ringtone was purchased by over 3 million. This brings the cumulative total of ringtones sold by him to over 15 million (excluding collaborations) and makes him the largest seller of ringtones to date.

The multi-talented rappa-ternt-sanga received the 2008 Grammy for Best Rap Song for his appearance on Kanye West’s “Good Life,” and was also nominated four other times including for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Kiss Kiss” with Chris Brown. T-Pain most recently touched the top of the charts with Flo-Rida on the ubiquitous number one single, “Low” and currently has collaborations on the airwaves with Mariah Carey and Lil Wayne on singles from both their respective albums. Billboard magazine snagged T-Pain for their cover in October of 2007, and other top-selling publications such as GQ, Vibe, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today have all written in-depth feature stories about his overwhelming popularity.

T-Pain’s longtime rap collaborator, Tay Dizm serves as the first artist on his newly formed label, Nappy Boy Digital. The Miami-born MC has appeared on both of T-Pain’s full length releases, Rappa Ternt Sanga (2005) and Epiphany (2007) and toured the globe extensively alongside T-Pain. Dizm’s debut single, “Beam Me Up,” was produced by Atlanta hitmaker Bangladesh and features T-Pain and heavyweight Florida rapper, Rick Ross. “Beam Me Up” was made available by Nappy Boy Digital as an itunes exclusive on May 20, 2008 and will receive a web-wide release in the first week of June. “Beam Me Up” will also impact mainstream urban radio on June 16, 2008.

As the brainchild of one of the most prolific artists of the 21st Century, T-Pain’s Nappy Boy Digital is blazing a fresh trail in online music distribution. Leading the pack with five BET Award nominations (more than any other act), T-Pain will continue to be an innovative force in popular music thanks to the introduction of Nappy Boy Digital and it’s first artist, Tay Dizm.

Rick Ross featuring T-Pain – Boss video

FLO RIDA MAKES HISTORY AS “LOW (FEAT. T-PAIN)” HITS #1

Single is first-ever rap debut to top the CHR/TOP 40 Chart; Blockbuster track continues to dominate radio as well as digital sales & ringtone

“STEP UP 2 THE STREETS” SOUNDTRACK IN STORES NOW; DEBUT ALBUM, “MAIL ON SUNDAY,” DROPS MARCH 18TH

“Low (Feat. T-Pain),” the blockbuster hit single from Poe Boy/Atlantic recording artist Flo Rida, has hit #1 on this week’s CHR/Top 40 national airplay chart. The track’s massive mainstream success is indeed momentous – “Low” is officially the first-ever debut single by a rap artist to reach the top spot in chart history, as well as only the fourth rap title to ascend to #1 since 2005.

Flo Rida – whose hugely anticipated debut album, “MAIL ON SUNDAY,” is set to street on March 18th – has instantly catapulted the upper ranks of hip-hop superstardom. Along with its CHR/Top 40 triumph, “Low” continues to light it up at Rhythmic outlets nationwide, maintaining the #1 airplay ranking for 8 uninterrupted weeks and counting. The track’s success marks the longest-reigning debut track from a male artist since Nelly’s classic “(Hot S**t) Country Grammar” held the top spot for 10 weeks in 2000.

The Carol City, FL native will celebrate the amazing accomplishment of “Low” with an eagerly awaited live performance on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, scheduled for tonight, February 6th (check local listings). In addition, Flo Rida will appear on MTV’s TRL on Wednesday, February 13th. Both appearances come in tandem with the single’s inclusion on this week’s Atlantic Records release, “STEP UP 2 THE STREETS – ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK,” the musical companion to the upcoming Touchstone Pictures dance film which debuts in theaters nationwide on February 14th.

The “Low” companion video is proving equally unstoppable, coming in this week as the #1 most-played clip on both BET and MTV. “Low” – which also topped the countdowns on BET’s 106 & Park and MTV’s TRL– is now in “Heavy” rotation at BET, “Big 10” rotation at MTV, “Elite 8” rotation at MTV2 (where it is the network’s #2 most-played video), “Summa Cum Laude” at mtvU, “Blazin’” at MTV Jams, a top 5 “Power” rotation smash at MTV Hits, and the #1 ranked clip on MTV.com. As if all that weren’t enough, “Low” is also a top 10 success on Fuse.

Flo Rida is also breaking big online, where he is currently MySpace’s #2-ranked Top Indie Artist, logging a remarkable 8.5 million total streams thus far at his www.myspace.com/officialflo page. At YouTube, the video for “Low” has received more than 6 million views via Flo’s official channel, www.youtube.com/user/officialflo.

Without question one of 2008’s most anticipated albums, “MAIL ON SUNDAY” sees Flo Rida teaming with some of today’s biggest hit makers, including Timbaland, The Runners, J.R. Rotem, and Atlanta’s DJ Montay, who produced “Low.” He’s also recruited a who’s who of A-list collaborators like Atlantic Records labelmate Trey Songz, Lil’ Wayne (who appears on the street savvy “Guns And Roses”), Yung Joc (featured on the raucous party anthem “Furniture”), and Timbaland, who shows up on the album’s second single, “Elevator.”

Lil Mama featuring T-Pain and Chris Brown – Shawty Get Loose video