T-Pain

September 30, 2024

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

T-Pain, born on September 30, 1984, kickstarted his career in 2004 as part of a band. He slowly rose to become a successful rapper and musician in the industry. Defined by his style of music, “Hard & B,” the singer has released six albums with a seventh one on the way. He has won many awards for his work in the music industry. He has also done cameos in films and T.V. shows. Join us as we celebrate this multi-skilled rapper’s special day right here!

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Faheem Rasheed Najm

Nickname:

T-Pain,Teddy Pain,Nappy Boy

Birth date:

September 30, 1984

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Libra

Height:

5' 8"

Relationship Status:

Married

Net Worth:

$10 million

Background

T-Pain is an award-winning rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a celebrated name in the music industry. The artist was born Faheem Rasheed Najm on September 30, 1984, in Tallahassee, Florida. His interest in music rose when a family friend, Ben Tankard, allowed him to spend time at his recording studio.

In 2004, T-Pain joined a band, Nappy Headz, and later released a song that was a cover version of singer Akon’s ‘Locked Up.’ Akon offered T-Pain a record deal with his studio Konvict Muzik and personal mentorship. The rapper-singer released his first single, ‘I’m Sprung’ in 2005, which ranked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. His second album, “Epiphany” (2007), sold 171,000 records within one week and reached the top spot on the Billboard 200. The single, ‘Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’),’ had been released earlier that year and had topped the Billboard 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts. T-Pain also released another single, ‘Bartender’ in June 2007, where he featured Akon.

In promoting his second album, the rapper-singer appeared in songs by multiple artists, such as D.J. Khaled, Chris Brown, and Kanye West. His partnership with Kanye West, titled ‘Good Life,’ won the B.E.T. Award for Best Collaboration in 2007; in 2008, it won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song. By the end of 2006, T-Pain had founded his record company, Nappy Boy Entertainment; he recorded his third album, “Three Ringz,” at his studio in 2008. He released the first single from the album, ‘Can’t Believe It,’ featuring Lil Wayne, before the album and later released two more songs: ‘Chopped ‘N’ Skewered’ featuring Ludacris, and ‘Freeze’ with Chris Brown. T-Pain performed his songs at awards and talk shows. He released his fourth album, “Revolver,” in 2010; after several delays, his first feature film “Lottery Ticket” was released. He is working on his seventh album, “A Day Out with the Girls.”

T-Pain is also famous for popularizing auto-tune, a feature he has used since 2003. Many other artists have followed in his footsteps and used auto-tune in their songs. The singer married Amber Najm (nee Wyatt) in 2003. They have three children: a daughter and two sons.

Career timeline

2005

T-Pain’s First Album

Recorded in Akon’s studio Konvict Muzic, T-Pain releases his first album, “Rappa Ternt Sanga,” which ranks at number 33 on the Billboard 200 chart.

2006

His Recording Studio is Formed

The singer starts his own recording company, Nappy Boy Entertainment, where he later records his third studio album.

2008

He Gets a Grammy Award

T-Pain wins a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song for his collaboration with Kanye West on ‘Good Life.’

2009

A T-Pain Special Autotune App Emerges

The singer, with app creator Smule, makes an auto-tune app that allows people to sing with his auto-tune style in the karaoke versions of his songs.

2010

T-Pain Features in a Film

T-Pain’s first full-length feature film, “Lottery Ticket,” is released, in which he plays the role of Junior.

Why We Love T-Pain

He is a good sport
T-Pain is known for his extensive use of auto-tune. In 2009, singer Jay-Z released a song criticizing the general use of the musical feature. The rapper-singer, however, revealed that he loved ‘Death of Auto-Tune.’ Despite the backlash received, he continued using auto-tune in his songs.
He’s in tune with the times
T-Pain may be a millennial, but that hasn’t stopped him from adopting the ways of modern times. Many of the rapper’s tattoos are from popular internet memes.
He loves what he does
T-Pain enjoys making music. The awards he has won and his songs, which have topped musical charts multiple times throughout his long musical career, are evidence.

5 Surprising Facts

His stage name has a special meaning
The ‘T’ in the singer’s professional name stands for Tallahassee, where he was born; it highlights the difficulties he faced living there.
A music studio at a young age
When T-Pain’s interest in music grew, at the age of 10 years, he made himself a music studio in his room using a keyboard, a beat machine, and a four-track recorder.
He loves gaming
Aside from singing and writing songs, T-Pain is an avid gamer and often live-streams his gaming on Twitch.
His father’s favorite song
He learned to play his father’s favorite song, ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ within one week with his first keyboard, which his father brought after picking it up from the road!
He once hung up on Akon
T-Pain’s first song was a cover version of Akon’s single, which led to a record deal for the former; however, when Akon called the rapper-singer for the first time, T-Pain thought it was a prank and hung up!

T-Pain FAQs

Did T-Pain attend college?

T-Pain last attended Rickards High School. However, he hasn’t revealed if and where he went to college.

Are T-Pain and Usher still friends?

Yes. Although Usher’s comments on T-Pain’s use of auto-tune sent the latter into depression, Usher revealed that they are now on good terms with each other.