T-Pain has been given a street and a key to the city of Tallahassee
Many associate T-Pain with Atlanta due to the number of artists from the city in the state of Georgia with whom he has worked. However, he was not born and raised there or even in the state. T-Pain is a proud native of Tallahassee, the most populated city in the Florida panhandle.
On November 10th, hundreds of natives gathered in the Florida capital to celebrate the musician, who had a street named after him and was given the key to the city by mayor John Dailey.
The road formerly known as Pasco Street was renamed ‘T-Pain Lane’ as the musician walked down it every day as a child to get from Nims Middle School to the Walker Ford Community Centre, where he first cultivated his love for music.
Few know that T-Pain actually stands for “Tallahassee Pain.” The vocalist adopted a stage name to emphasise his struggles in the city growing up. Following a ceremony honing him with a key to the city, thousands gathered in the 24-acre Cascades Park to watch T-Pain as he delivered a free performance and a medley of his greatest hits.
During the set, he screamed, “Tallahassee love,” one of his signature phrases to show love to the city’s residents, everyone from the city who helped him achieve the level of fame he eventually did, and to thank everyone involved in the day’s celebrations.
After being given the key during the ceremony, T-Pain told the crowd, “It just goes to show that you can be a regular person. You can be a normal guy. This is solidified, man, that the city is behind me. You know, there’s the proof. This is very special to me, and I appreciate y’all.”
John Dailey then gave a speech about the musician, one of the city’s most prominent artists, declaring, “He has had a tremendous impact on Tallahassee!”
The city official continued, “He’s had a tremendous impact on the kids in Tallahassee, and he’s a great role model and a great example. I’m just proud to celebrate with him today. Nobody really expects this, you know. The people that usually are real forward about it (saying), ‘I’m gonna be successful. I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna do that.’ Usually, it’s them forcing their way in, and it’s short-lived.”
T-Pain’s mother proudly spoke about her son at the ceremony, revealing, “I’m extremely proud of my son at this moment.” The vocalist has contributed an unfathomable amount to hip-hop culture and, as a producer and songwriter, has helped new R&B acts such as K Michelle and Cupid.