[VIDEO] T-Pain Sang Without Auto-Tune And You'd Be Stunned By How Incredible He Sounds
Having been out of the spotlight for a while, T-Pain's recent stripped down performance is a pleasant surprise that is sure to silence his harshest critics. Never use auto-tune ever again, T-Pain.
By Samantha Khor — 31 Oct 2014, 04:24 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
For those of you who are not familiar with the rap genre, R&B and hip hop singer T-Pain is somewhat of a pioneer for the use of auto-tune in changing the sound of pop music
T-Pain wasn't the first to use Auto-Tune, the pitch-modification effect, in his music. But he was the first to use it to twist and braid his voice into a brand new musical instrument for pop music. Soon enough, he was basically synonymous with the effect. He also has an iPhone app called "I Am T-Pain" let users simulate Auto-Tune effects on their own.
go.comSome of his hits - heavily-laden with his trademark auto-tune embellishments - include Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin'), Up Down (Do This All Day) and Take Your Shirt Off, as well as collaborations with big names such as Li'l Wayne, R. Kelly, and Lily Allen.
The hip hop star's excessive use of auto-tune has caused him to be blamed for everything that is wrong with pop music nowadays, with critics saying that he used it to make up for his vocal shortcomings
Sometime after Jay-Z’s 2009 hit “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” and T-Pain’s hilarious appearance on “I’m on a Boat” by comedian Andy Samberg and his band The Lonely Island, T-Pain started to become the joke. The number of musicians and critics who condemned Auto-Tune as a crutch was hitting a critical mass. And many of them were calling T-Pain a one-trick pony who hid behind Auto-Tune to make up for his own shortcomings as an artist.
go.comHowever, T-Pain is about to prove his critics wrong. He recently agreed to perform in one of NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts sans auto-tune, and the results are astounding.
The Tiny Desk Concerts are (very) intimate gigs filmed in the NPR offices, with just a couple of people watching.
hollywoodlife.com
Trading in his top hat and over-sized shades for clear glasses and a black baseball cap, the singer performed unplugged versions of his songs accompanied only by pianist Toro.
Pain then goes on to belt out three songs –“Buy U A Drank,” “Up Down,” and “Drankin’ Patna” — in his incredible singing voice! His voice is soulful and husky, and we have to wonder why he ever decided to make auto-tune his trademark!
hollywoodlife.com
