DUB Daily

T-Pain is unconventional, with a sound that can’t be classified and a list of collaborators, including Cee-Lo, R. Kelly, Usher, Charlie Wilson, Britney Spears and, of course, Yung Joc, who add some grit to T-Pain’s polished production. This rapper-turned-singer has an equally eclectic collection of luxury cruisers–equipped with train horns (except his new Mini).

The most striking ride is the 1972 Chevrolet Impala ragtop, sparkling right down to the fender skirts with layers of orange candy flake. Chrome accents extend to the 24-inch rims and brake calipers, in addition to an entirely chromed-out 400-c.i.d. engine. Extras inside include a billet steering wheel and bowtie floor mats, all entirely overshadowed by actual alligator tails stitched into the smooth leather upholstery.

The 1994 Cadillac Escalade ESV is a better choice for his listening pleasure, outfitted with a sound system installed by the award-winning gurus at Stereo Sales (Tallahassee, Florida). The sleek, all-custom system includes six monitors and 12 Rockford Fosgate speakers stashed throughout the gray-and-maroon suede interior.

Interestingly, the Tallahassee, Florida, native, born Theodore William Pain, prefers the Cooper above all. “I’ve always wanted one; it’s fun to drive,” he says. “I put some 20s on it, and that’s my dream car right there.” The 2007 limited edition Mercedes-Benz S-class came complete with a beige leather interior, stainless-steel pedals and lots of chrome, from the headlamp bezels and hexagon-look grille to the dual exhaust.

And stashed in the garage are two very special rides: the boxy black Scion xB that T-Pain bought when he signed his first deal and his very first car, a beat-up, pewter-gray 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass. “I went back and bought it,” says the 21-year-old smiling. “It’s still got the same hubcaps.”

T-Pain was producing long before he could drive. At 10, he recorded his first song on a four-track recorder from his musician father, a remix of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” the official African American anthem written by fellow Floridian James Weldon Johnson and set to the music by John Rosamond Johnson in 1900.

“I was a little rich kid,” the talented tenor admits. “My family had restaurants.” But when the chain closed down in the early 1990s, “Everything got kind of cut off.” Hoping to distract her young son from the family’s hard times, T-Pain’s mother picked up his first keyboard at a yard sale. “That’s when my dad found out I liked music, and started to buy me equipment.”

T-Pain’s first brush with fame came as part of the locally popular rap group Nappy Headz, whose hits “Robbery” and “FLA” rocked the Florida club scene. But it just didn’t satisfy him. “I just got tired of turning on the radio and everything just sounding the same,” he relates on his website (www.t-pain.net). “I wanted to try and make something different.” So different that he coined a new name: Hard&B, embracing R&B’s sweet flow, but not the sappy sentiments. In 2002, that became the name of his label.

The music was groundbreaking, but marketing was low-key with T-Pain himself selling CDs on the streets of Tallahassee. Then, he hit gold with a remix of Akon’s breakout hit “Locked Up,” complete with a parody video. His version, “F****d Up,” blew up and it wasn’t long before Akon got curious.

Although he didn’t return Akon’s calls right away (he thought the star might be mad), he would eventually sign to Akon’s Konvict Musik imprint and score one of the surprise hits of 2005, Rappa Ternt Sanga (Konvict Muzik/Jive/Zomba, 2005).

The first single, “I’m Sprung,” was a whipped-up romantic ballad about his girlfriend Amber (now wife and mother of his two daughters, Lyriq and Musyq). The second song, “I’m in Luv (Wit a Stripper),” chronicled the commentary of a young man on his very first visit to a strip club. Combined, the two Top 10 tunes sold more than five million ringtones.

Both songs featured T-Pain’s signature sound, created by feeding pitch-perfect vocals through Auto-Tune software for an electronic edge, earning comparisons to the late Roger Troutman, last heard on Tupac’s “California Love.”

“I try to use that to make my voice an instrument,” T-Pain told the San Francisco Chronicle. “You know how in the old days they wouldn’t even make a song–they’d just make long instrumentals? That’s basically what I want to do.”

As part of his Hard&B quest for the next big sound, T-Pain wrote and produced every note on the newly released Epiphany (Konvict Muzik/Jive/Zomba ,2007), including T-Pain’s biggest hit to date, “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’),” with Yung Joc. “He’s been on every stinking snap song ever invented,” sighs T-Pain. “But I was like, ‘Just this last one. It’s going to be a great song, just do this last one.’” The single went straight to No. 1 on the charts and the album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.

Other solid tracks include “Bartender,” an ode to lovely mixologists and guaranteed club favorite; and the more serious “Church,” featuring Teddy Verseti. You can listen to the entire album on T-Pain’s MySpace page (myspace.com/tpain).

So what’s next for this unorthodox artist, other than getting a train horn for the Cooper? “I try not to plan anything. I don’t really run on schedules or anything like that,” says T-Pain contentedly. “God already granted all my wishes, so now it’s his turn make happen what he wants to make happen.”