T-Pain is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer best known for his albums such as Epiphany and RevolveR. Born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida.
T-Pain showed interest in music as a child. He was first introduced to real music when one of his family friends started taking him to his studio. By the time he was 10, T-Pain had converted his bedroom into a studio.
Joining the rap group "Nappy Headz" proved to be a huge breakthrough for him, as he connected with Akon through the group. Akon then offered him a deal with his label Konvict Muzik. In December 2005, T-Pain recorded his first album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, which was a huge success.
The second album of the singer “Epiphany” was recorded in 2007 and became even more successful. He reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart. He also collaborated with major league artists such as Kanye West, Flo Rida, and Lil Wayne and became one of the most famous rappers in the industry, releasing many successful albums. In 2006, he founded his own label, Nappy Boy Entertainment.
Childhood and youth
T-Pain's real name was Fahim Rashid Najim, born September 30, 1985 in Tallahassee, Florida, to Alia Najm and Shashim Najm. Although he grew up in a real Muslim family, he was not interested in the concept of religion in his youth. He had two older brothers, Hakim and Zakia, and a younger sister, April.
Although T-Pain has been interested in music since childhood, he grew up in a family with a lower than average income. His parents could not afford a quality musical education for him. His father once found a keyboard on the side of the road and gave it to Payne. However, Payne had discovered a strong interest in making music long before this incident.
Part of the credit also goes to one of his family friends who owned a music studio in the area. By the time he was 3, Payne was a regular at the studio. This sparked his interest in rap music even more.
He began his experiments with music when he was 10 years old. By then, Payne had converted his bedroom into a small music studio complete with a keyboard, rhythm machine, and four-track tape recorder.
When he graduated from high school, he became seriously interested in the prospect of becoming a musician. His career began to progress in 2004 when he was 19 years old.
Career T-Pain
In 2004, T-Pain joined a rap group called "Nappy Headz" and achieved success by covering Akon's hit "Locked Up". Akon was impressed and offered Peng a deal with his label Konvict Muzik.
However, the song made Payne popular with other record labels. He was soon offered many lucrative deals. Akon promised Pain a bright future and became his mentor.
Under a new record label, T-Pain released the single "I Sprung" in August 2005. The single was an instant success and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 100 music chart. It also peaked at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
His first and immediately successful album "Rappa Ternt Sanga" was recorded in December 2005 and peaked at number 33 on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold 500 units and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In 2006, Payne joined another label, Zomba Label Group. In collaboration with "Konvict Muzik" and "Jive Records" he recorded his second album "Epiphany". The album, released in June 2007, has sold over 171 copies. in its first week and topped the Billboard 200 chart. Several singles from the album, such as "Buy a drink" and "Bartender", reached number one on many charts.
After his second album, the singer was featured in other artists' singles. He has collaborated with Kanye West, R Kelly, DJ Khaled and Chris Brown. Kanye West's single "Good Life" featuring T-Pain won a Grammy for Best Rap Song in 2008.
Founding of the Nappy Boy Entertainment label
In 2006, he founded his own label, Nappy Boy Entertainment. Under this label, he released his third album Thr33 Ringz. The album was created in collaboration with die-hard fans such as Rocco Valdez, Akon and Lil Wayne.
The album was recorded in November 2008 and was an instant success. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200. Several singles from the album, such as "I Can't Believe It" and "Freeze", went on to chart.
During this time, Payne played on singles from other rappers' albums such as "Cash Flow" by Ace Hood, "One More Drink" by Ludacris and "Go Hard" by DJ Khaled. He has also appeared on television shows such as Saturday Night Live and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing songs from his albums.
In 2008, T-Pain collaborated with Lil Wayne on a duo called "T-Wayne". The duo released an eponymous mixtape as their first joint venture.
In December 2011, Payne recorded his fourth studio album, RevolveR. Despite Payne's sincere efforts to promote the album, it failed to achieve significant success. It only managed to reach number 28 on the Billboard 200 chart.
T-Pain rapper on hiatus
He took a 6-year hiatus to write his next album. The album "Oblivion" was recorded in 2017. It received relative acclaim, peaking at number 155 on the Billboard 200.
His latest album to date, 1Up, was also rather mediocre in terms of success and managed to reach #115 on the Billboard 200 chart. This past November, he released the joyful hedonistic feature-length Oblivion on RCA with performances from Ty Dolla $ign, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo and Wale. The following year, he released mixtapes with two volumes of Everything Must Go.
The Maestro of Auto-Tune returned in 2019 with his sixth full-length 1Up, which featured the single "Getcha Roll On" with Tori Lanez. He has also appeared in films such as "Lottery ticket", "Good hair" and "Visual reality".
Family and personal life
In 2003, before he became a successful rapper, T-Pain married his longtime girlfriend Amber Najim. The couple has three children: daughter Lyric Najim (b. 2004) and sons Music Najim (b. 2007) and Cadenz Koda Najim (b. May 9, 2009).
In April 2013, T-Pain chopped off his iconic dreadlocks. He faced a lot of backlash from his fans over the decision. He replied that everyone should learn to adapt to their environment.
Like any artist, he is not an angel and has also encountered the police. In June 2007, he was arrested by Leon County, Tallahassee for driving with a suspended license. He was released after 3 hours.
