“I did not do good that day”: How T-Pain annoyed Beyoncé
T-Pain has been involved in hip-hop and R&B since the mid-2000s, and his influence hasn’t been small. That said, he has been around some of the biggest names in music for over two decades. From singers to rappers, the Atlanta native has collaborated with various artists. However, there have been some awkward encounters.
In 2005, T-Pain released his groundbreaking debut, Rappa Ternt Sanga. With hits such as ‘I’m Sprung’, T-Pain was renowned for using autotune, which he took advantage of but in an extreme way that hadn’t been heard before.
Although the tool previously used to subtly correct off-pitch singers was not necessarily new, it had never been used to the degree that listeners could hear the software tuning the vocalist’s voice. T-Pain introduced autotune in this way, and the robotic perfectly pitched verses were surprisingly satisfying to the ears.
Following this, it became prevalent in hip-hop. Still, many people opposed the loss of the more traditional way of delivering lyrics. One such person was Jay-Z, who, in 2009, recorded ‘The Death Of Autotune’ an indirect shot at T-Pain. However, the two developed a mutual respect.
T-Pain has rubbed shoulders with Jay-Z several times since 2009 and has even met Jay’s wife, Beyoncé — but the experience didn’t go exactly how he imagined it. In fact, many would call it catastrophic. During an interview with Revolt, T-Pain spoke about his experience meeting with Beyoncé. He explained that he had run into Jay-Z several times since the release of ‘The Death Of Autotune’, but at a Grammy afterparty, he met Hov and his wife.
T-Pain disclosed that when he spotted the husband and wife, he approached them while carrying two cups of Hennessy, but when he was at their side, something hit his elbow, causing the cognac to spill out of his cup onto the vocalist’s white gown.
Recalling the event, T-Pain told Revolt, “She hit my elbow, and it [spilled] on her long a** white dress! I did not do good that day.” Although it sounds like an awful embarrassing experience for the Epiphany creator, he actually had a decent business relationship with Beyoncé.
In 2018, when a leaked Beyoncé track called ‘Wake Up’ circulated online, fans realised it sounded exactly the same as an already released Ariana Grade single ‘R.E.M.’ the instrumental of the song had been produced by T-Pain and Pharrell Williams.
T-Pain and Beyoncé haven’t worked since the leak of ‘Wake Up’ in 2018, but the event that saw him spill Hennessy on one of the most renowned and celebrated entertainers of the 21st Century was undoubtedly embarrassing for the Atlanta vocalist.