T-Pain 'Thr33 Ringz' album

Grammy winners T-Pain and Justin Timberlake have teamed for a sizzling remix of “Can’t Believe It,” the breakout lead single from T-Pain’s highly anticipated new release THR33 RINGZ. The album arrived in stores earlier this week.

About Timberlake, T-Pain says: “Justin and I met about six months ago. I was working on the album in a Miami studio and he was in the room next door. He came by, I played him a few tracks and afterward he said that, out of all my songs, ‘Can’t Believe It’ was his favorite. I was shocked. Fast-forward to this week and I got a call saying Justin had hopped on ‘Can’t Believe It.’” This is an artist who rarely does remixes, and out of every hot record out there, chose to hop on mine. That’s some real amazing sh*t. I immediately called and thanked him.”

The original version of “Can’t Believe It” (featuring Lil Wayne) hit No. 1 at Urban radio and No. 2 at Rhythm X-Over and sold more than a half-million digital copies in nine weeks.

Praised by Rolling Stone as the album that "sets T-Pain apart from the rest," the much-buzzed-about THR33 RINGZ also includes follow-up hit "Chopped & Skrewed" (featuring Ludacris), which is already rocketing up the charts at urban radio, along with guest appearances by Chris Brown, TI, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Ciara and Akon, among others. The album follows 2005's Rappa Ternt Sanga and 2007's Epiphany, both certified gold thanks to hit singles "I'm N Luv (Wit A Stripper)" and "Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin')." T-Pain's bright, polished arrangements have become the in-demand sound across genres, and his scene-stealing vocal performances are among the most coveted in music. As recently pointed out in Billboard, over the course of the past two years, T-Pain has enjoyed 27 top 10 songs collectively on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Charts. Few people can accurately say that they've changed the course of music; count T-Pain among that short list.

Tune in to watch T-Pain perform “Chopped & Skrewed” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” this Friday, November 14th and on “Saturday Night Live” November 22nd. Check local listings for times.

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After spending much of 2007 and 2008 on the top of the charts with hits such as "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" and "Bartender" and as a producer and featured artist on tracks such as Flo-Rida’s “Low” and Chris Brown’s “Kiss Kiss,” T-Pain announced today that Jive Records will release his third studio album Thr33 Ringz in Fall 2008. With Thr33 Ringz, he is set to show everyone that he is the ring leader and, in true T-Pain fashion, he is bringing a few of his friends along for the ride.

It’s evident T-Pain has another hit on his hands with the album’s first single, “Can’t Believe It,” featuring Lil Wayne which is currently the #1 most added song this week at both Urban and Rhythm X-Over radio. A Casanova song, the track is about “getting a girl to ride with you,” says T-Pain. “Basically I got a lot of stuff on my album that’s not that simple. It’s just basically a way to calm things down,” he says.

Other tracks to be included on the album include: an up-tempo jam that is destined to be the dance floor hit of the year, “Freeze” featuring Chris Brown; a lyrically clever urban anthem “Chopped & Screwed” featuring rapper Ludacris; a personal and controversial declaration to the industry “Karaoke” featuring DJ Khaled; and collaboration with Kanye West called “Therapy.”

Tallahassee, Florida native, T-Pain burst on the scene in 2005 with his debut Rappa Ternt Sanga and the unforgettable singles “I’m Sprung” and “I’m N Luv (Wit A Stripper),” a song that maintains the title of the highest selling ring tone. T-Pain continued his success with his sophomore effort Epiphany in 2007, which spawned the #1 airplay record of the year, “Buy U a Drank” (featuring Yung Joc) and the ubiquitous #1 hit “Bartender.” In 2008, T-Pain took home his first Grammy for Best Rap Song (for “Good Life”) with Kanye West, which also garnered a BET Award, where he was the most nominated artist of the night.T-Pain (age 23) currently resides in Atlanta with his wife and children.

T-Pain 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.

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