I heard a song, "I'm In Love With A Dancer." I guess it's the edited version of your song. How do you feel about your song being cleaned up like that?
T-Pain-Oh its cool. Alot of people don't like to say stripper. It aint no big deal to me. They don't want to hear stripper but they want to hear a good song with different words. It's the same message. Its cool.

Is that something you had to go in and record the vocals recently or was there always an alternate version available?
T-Pain-No I had to do that recently because I didn't know they weren't going to let me say stripper on a lot of radio stations.

I talked to you last fall and you told me why you recorded the song but when you recorded it did you know that it would become the new stripper anthem?
T-Pain-Nah, I was doing it as a joke. I wasn't planning on putting it on my album.

Listen to T-Pain

I just read the issue of King magazine, the issue with Kelis on the cover and you are talking about Shawna. Have you had a chance to check it out?
T-Pain- Yeah that's my baby right there.

It is what it is?
T-Pain-Just wishful thinking.

Do you have your own label?
T-Pain- Yeah its called Nappy Boy Entertainment.

What do you look for when you are looking for a new artist?
A different kind of talent, not another artist like another artist already out there; like I'm not looking for another Trillville or a another such and such. Not somebody who sounds like somebody else we have enough of those

Are you working with any new artists?
T-Pain-I have the group that I started with Nappy Heads and I have J Lyric he's an R&B artist I have Trey Bizzum he's hip-hop

I read you are going out on the road with Chris Brown when does that start?
T-Pain-The first or second.

Have you done a lot getting ready for the show?
T-Pain- Oh yeah.

Is it going to be a big production?
T-Pain-Its gonna be one of them everything shows..... screens in the back drop and light productions

It seems like you are just everywhere did you imagine that when you took off that you would just be so busy?
T-Pain- No. I didn't think people were going to accept me. I thought it would take a little longer for me to be everywhere.

I know your first two singles popped off in a major way.
T-Pain- That's crazy

Any ideas about the third single?
T-Pain- Right now I have this myspace account and I'm just getting on there asking the people what they think the next single should be so I'm letting the fans pick but right now its leaning toward "Dance Slow."

So your MYSPACE is MYSPACE.COM/Tpain?
T-Pain- Yeah. So many imposters on there but we are getting rid of those one by one


I like you style now but I read you are going back to rapping.
T-Pain- I mean I aint going totally back to rapping. I'm just doing more of it. I'm not going to stop singing. Just going to do a lot more rapping.

Related Links www.t-pain.net

T-Pain interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, and Thabiz.com 2006
Dorrie Williams-Wheeler is the author of Be My Sorority Sister Under Pressure and the Unplanned Pregnancy Book for Teens and College Students. She is the founder of Thabiz.com and Imissthe80s.com and writes for the Rap, Teen, and 1980s section at Bellaonline.com. She is an ASCAP member as a writer and a publisher. Please contact Dorrie for advertising inquiries, lyric writing inquiries, reprint rights, paying entertainment jobs, or general comments.
Visit Dorrie on the web at www.sparkledoll.com or add her as a friend at MYSPACE.
T-Pain interview may not be reprinted, copied or distribute without permission. You may link to this interview.Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com March 2006.