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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 3 OcTOber 2019
T-Pain relishes in new success

following ‘Masked Singer’ win

NEW YORK (AP) — T-Pain is relatable when it comes to Is Love.”
not a fan of early mornings, learning about these things “I felt great. ... It’s hers. I
but it’s the price you pay because I'm learning with don’t think (Jay-Z) can tell
when traveling the country my audience, and if I'm her what to do anyway,”
to highlight entrepreneurs good enough to help peo- he said with a hefty belly
and startup companies. ple learn and help people laugh.
“It’s a lot of non-rapper start their own business, I'll T-Pain’s latest album boasts
hours,” the two-time Gram- take it.” appearances from O.T. Ge-
my winner said with a But while he may not call it nasis, Russ, Tory Lanez and
This June 5, 2019 photo shows rapper T-Pain, host of “T-Pain’s laugh. a revival, he’s much more frequent collaborator, Lil
School of Business," posing for a portrait at Gotham Greens in
the Brooklyn borough of New York. The singer-rapper, born visible in pop culture than Wayne. He noted that he’s
Associated Press Faheem Rasheed Najm, is he has been in years. De- been varied when it comes
the host of “T-Pain’s School spite touring and guest to his collaborations.
of Business,” a FUSE show appearances, including a “I've dabbled in country,
that explores niche, inno- high-profile feature on “Fin- I've written songs with Luke
vative businesses founded ish Line” from Chance The Bryan. I've done that with
by millennials. Many are Rapper’s 2016 Grammy- Taylor Swift. I've come back
centered on new technol- winning “Coloring Book” to do Pitbull, DJ Khaled and
ogy and forward-thinking album, Pain hadn’t had the most gangsta rappers,
concepts. a solo song that charted all the way to Christian
“It’s great to back these Billboard since 2013. But pop.” He added: “I don't
business and get out here that changed this year: He want there to be a specific
and meet the actual entre- dropped a new project in sound or anything like that.
preneurs,” he said. “A lot of March, “1UP,” and his track You’ll know my voice when
people that we interview “Girlfriend” featuring G- you hear it.”
on the show are basically Easy peaked at #37. T-Pain recently wrapped
trying to save the environ- His music still serves as the up the first half of his “1UP”
ment, coming up with dif- sun in which all of his oth- tour and he’s preparing for
ferent ways that they can er interests orbit around. the second leg that kicks
keep the Earth itself sustain- But to some hip-hop fans, off in November in Detroit.
able.” it’s a wonder his music still But these days, his priori-
The “rappa-ternt-sanga” resonates: A decade ago, ties are different than years
(rapper-turned-singer), as many predicted his career ago during the height of his
he’s labeled himself, said all but dead after Jay-Z re- musical success. His family,
jumping into the business leased “D.O.A. (Death of which includes his wife Am-
world was a natural fit; his Auto-Tune)” in 2009, a track ber of 16 years and their
mornings _ or afternoons, urging the hip-hop world to three children, Lyriq, Muziq
depending on when he stop using the effect after and Kaydnz, is his main fo-
wakes up _ consist of believing it had become cus. “There was a big time
browsing crowdsourcing oversaturated in pop cul- in my career when I was
apps and helping fund ture. chasing fame and chasing
businesses and ideas that But not only has his career being No. 1 and having the
catch his eye. thrived, his influence can best ‘this’ and doing the
Pain’s career is one that be heard in the music of best ‘that.’ And in the end,
can be envied for its lon- many of today’s popular none of that’s important if
gevity, as many of the art- artists, such as Migos, Fu- your family is not behind
ists that he sparred with ture, Travis Scott and Juice you,” he said. “Just put your
atop the music charts in the Wrld. family first. It makes a world
2000s have faded into ob- “It's definitely come full of difference. Trust me. Big
scurity. He has consistently circle. I'm glad I can have difference.”q
put out music, and he has such an influence now,”
kept his star bright by keep- said the “Buy U A Drank”
ing his face on television. singer. “I see it in TV, I see
He won the inaugural “The it all over the place. I think
Masked Singer” competi- what I do is infectious
tion in February, followed enough to go over indus-
by hosting the iHeart Music tries: music industry, the TV
Awards in March. Howev- industry and everything.
er, he doesn't label it as a So if I can spread T-Pain as
comeback. much as possible, then ab-
“I wouldn’t call it resur- solutely _ I'm here for it.”
gence. It’s something I was But the biggest irony might
already doing. I always be that Beyonce, arguably
meet TV producers and the world’s biggest mu-
I always have meetings sic superstar _ and wife to
at networks and stuff like Jay-Z _ used auto-tune on
that and they're like, ‘Man, “Ape....,” a track from the
you got a personality on couple’s 2018 Grammy-
you,’” he said. “I'm pretty winning album, “Everything