Auto-tune. Konvict Music. Buying shawty a drank. Such is the life of the inimitable T-Pain. In case you’ve been living under a rock, he’s one of the hottest acts in today’s hip hop and R&B scene and it seems like every track these days has a “featuring T-Pain” next to it. Whether he’s helping Kanye West win a Grammy award for “Good Life” or enjoying a self-parody on a boat with Andy Samberg, T-Pain’s ubiquitous grill is one that always makes me smile. Welcome back, readers. I present… Under Cover – The T-Pain Experience.
.“Buy You A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” featuring Yung Joc (original 2007)
“Back to the crib, show you how I live, let’s get drunk and forget what we did!” If I had a nickel every time a guy came up to me and said that… When I look back and think of Summer of 2007, very little comes to mind… except for this song. Every top 40 radio station, every club, every lounge, every bar had this song streaming every night. It’s one of my favorite mainstream hip hop songs of the last 5 years and I’m proud to admit I know all the words. The message is simple- T-Pain simply wants to strike up conversation and buy you a drank at the club. And if he plays his cards right, he wants to take you back to his crib. Even if you’re not into clubbing , the song is still incredibly relatable. Your life doesn’t have to consist of big pimpin’, Patrón, having lots of “money in the bank” or gray Cadillacs in order to have a good time out with your friends. So snap yo’ fingers, do your step, ‘cuz according to T-Pain you can do it all by yo-self!
.Jesse McCartney cover
I love the unlikely cover by uber-white boy pop stars who are apparently totally into hip hop and R&B. My first instinct was to laugh when I read Jesse McCartney tried his hands at being a soul brother who would be singing about switching gears in Ferraris, Nappy Boy music, and the inevitable purchase of dranks. I don’t quite understand it at all, but I’m impressed with this cover and how it actually works for me. I kinda sorta love it. It’s jazzy, soft, relaxing, and may have just jumpstarted a new musical genre: urban easy listening. What!? The backup vocals are soulful and fun, but my favorite part would be Jesse’s snapping along with the beat. I also love how he started the song with “I ain’t T-Pain, but you know me” as a nod to T-Pain’s “I’m T-Pain, you know me.” I’m definitely feeling this cover and now I just feel bad for making fun of Jesse McCartney when he was talking about booty and “flyin’ on a G5″ in his own song “Leavin’.” Go on with your bad self, Jesse.
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.“Can’t Believe It” featuring Lil Wayne (original 2008)
“Man, you don’t understand / She make the people say yeah, yeah, yeah!” Who would’ve thought T-Pain had such a soft spot for his main shawty? “Can’t Believe It” brings all the necessary elements to a contemporary hip hop R&B-ish love song… fur coats, cash money, vacation properties, Lamborghini Murciélagos, and straight up booty. But leave it to T-Pain to take formulaic music to the next level with smooth vocals, unique production, and enlisting Lil Wayne for his signature scrambled vocals I can’t get enough of. It’s always nice hearing him sing about topics other than licking things as lollypops. And Pain, I’d like to make the people say “yeah!” too. And that “mansion in Wiss-can-sin” sounsd great, too, if you’re giving them out.
.Jojo cover
“This track makes me feel so… good? Better than I would be by myself, boy.” 18-year old Pop star and sometimes actress Jojo took a crack at her own version of “Can’t Believe It” and it’s actually a decent, unlikely cover in the same vein as Jesse McCartney’s. I have no idea what inspired this track. Did she write this during recess? Was she paying homage to her favorite song at the time? Or maybe she wants to showcase an ability to sing less poptastic songs and is attempting to crossover to a more R&B-friendly realm? Either way, she took a T-Pain song and made it to reflect a female’s point of view. For starters, she changed the lyrics to make them more Jojo-appropriate: wanting palaces in Dallas (unlike T-Pain’s log cabins in Aspen), being iced out with diamonds, and wanting to be her dude’s one and only. Her vocals are deep and resonant and mesh in well with the silky, chill beat of the song. Even though Lil Wayne is absent from her version, her polished version still has merit and she’s earned at least a ride to school in T-Pain’s Murciélago.
