2 PISTOLS - Ozone Magazine

It’s crazy how some artists like you and Akon
are such international superstars but you’re
still low-key enough that you kinda have
a personal life without the paparazzi and
people all up in your business. How have you
been able to maintain that distance
I ain’t that famous to have muthafuckas following
me around with a camera. Akon has white
[fans] too, and the pop crowd. For some reason
I can’t get out of the hood crowd. I guess it’s
‘cause of what I talk about and how I look.
When you started out, was music the only
career path you had in mind What do you
think you woulda ended up doing if this
didn’t pop off for you
I ain’t got nothing else. I still don’t got another
career path in mind. This is pretty much it for
me. When I started, it was just for the love of
doing music. I wasn’t watching the videos
thinking, “I’ma get this car,” or, “I’ma have this
many girls around me.” I wasn’t even into that.
Kinda like how I am now, I ain’t got as many
chains as everybody else. I ain’t ballin’ like
everybody else, or it doesn’t seem like I am. I
keep my [money]. That’s how the rich stay rich.
Be cheap! (laughs)
Buy the Mini Cooper instead of the Bentley
Exactly. I only got one expensive ass car, and
that’s the Lambo. That was a gift to myself.
When we did our first photo shoot, before
“Sprung” popped off, you had actually
produced and directed a music video for the
song as well. Are you planning on directing
any of your videos in the near future
Yeah, I’m still doing the same thing with my
videos. I just don’t want the stress ‘cause all
that shit comes with stress. I ain’t tryna have
all that responsibility. I’ma let other muthafuckas
do that. I’ve done enough on my own.
I’ve proved that to myself [that I can do it] so
I’ll let other people do it [now]. When I got
the Producer Of The Year [Award at the 2008
BMI Awards, along with J.R. Rotem and Kanye
West] I felt like I don’t really have to produce
that much anymore. Let other muthafuckers
have that stress. I’m real hands-on [with my
video concepts], but I don’t wanna be known
as the director. The last couple videos I filmed,
the [ideas] were really all me. They had all the
capabilities and control to really bring my shit
out. Once I got hands on it really brought it
to life.
theme for your stage show for the upcoming
tour with Lil Wayne
Right now, I’m going with the circus theme.
It’s just having fun. Fucking with people and
fucking with their minds. I want people to ask,
“Why the fuck is he doing that shit” A lot of
people don’t understand that’s really how you
[become successful as an artist]. Don’t give everybody
everythang, let ‘em have some kind of
mystery about you. That’s why a lot of people
haven’t seen me without my shades on. So
when I’m ready to take my shades away from
the image, they still got something to look
forward to, instead of already knowin’ what I
look like without shades on.
When you started, a lot of people doubted
that the auto-tune effect would work for you.
Obviously, they were wrong. Are there any “I
told you so” moments that stick out in your
mind Any critics that had to eat their words
later on
Pretty much everybody. Nobody thought I
would get past “I’m Sprung.” Then “I’m In Luv
(Wit A Stripper)” came out and they were like,
“Okay, this is the last one right here.” Then “Buy
You A Drank” came out and they were like,
“This gotta be the last one from this nigga with
the auto-tune.” And I just kept coming. Then I
started doing all the features with everybody
and shit got crazy. Everyone had to eat their
fuckin’ words. I had gone to everybody, and
every record label and every artist I tried to get
on with was like, “Nah, we good.” They didn’t
think [the auto-tune] shit was gonna work.
But you know, they couldn’t see the future. So
fuck it.
I heard some of the stuff Wayne is working
on for his rock album. Are you looking at going
in a different direction as well
Oh yeah, I’ma definitely switch it up. I’m not
gonna switch it up hard, I’ma keep it classic T-
Pain. If somebody didn’t know who Wayne...
The rest of this OZONE interview is on newsstands
now - look for T-Pain on the cover.
What about your stage show I read that
Kanye was really involved in the design and
format of his stage show, with the whole
spaceship concept. Are you developing a
OZONE MAG // 11