Rating: 5 stars
Faheem Rasheed Najm, more commonly known as T-Pain, is an American songwriter, producer, performer and rapper. Debuting his first album in 2005, T-Pain was a popular artist for millennials growing up. T-Pain’s hit song, “Buy U A Drank” is one that many fans attribute to making him famous. Headlining at this year’s Maine Day Concert on April 27, T-Pain will be playing hit songs from his previous albums as well as from his newest 2019 album, “1Up.”
Released on February 27, 2019, “1Up” is T-Pain’s sixth album. This album has a unique and different sound, and really captures the essence of T-Pain’s talent as a rapper and songwriter. T-Pain’s voice is what makes this album stand out from the rest of his previous work, as the Auto-Tune causes his voice to be hard to identify and stand out from how it usually sounds. The album is a combination of rap and hip-hop and T-Pain’s voice, lyrics and beats come together to create a very distinct style.
The first song on the album, titled “1Up,” features Profit Dinero. It is an upbeat and bass-heavy hip-hop song with a catchy chorus which makes it easy to sing along with. As the album’s namesake, this song gives us the best of T-Pain. “Goat Talk” features another well-known rapper, Lil Wayne.
My favorite song on the album, “A Million Times,” is the kind of rap song that would appeal to even those who have adverse feelings towards this genre of music. The unique usage of Auto-Tune and obvious talent that is shown through T-Pain’s intricate rhyming and wordplay makes his songs easy and entertaining to listen to.
Although we live in an age where rap music has taken over American culture, and many up-and-coming artists release music every day, T-Pain is an artist unlike any other of his kind. He takes risks and isn’t afraid of what people will think of his new music. He doesn’t stick with his usual style and sound just because he knows that he will get a positive reaction from his fans.
The cover of the album, which is what originally drew my attention, depicts an eye-catching purple sky with lightning streaks. A giant, red-eyed, metal monster takes up most of the album cover, and T-Pain and a friend are staring up at the monster surrounded by fire and destruction.
All of these elements come together to create a new and exciting image for T-Pain and his music. An album cover can only go so far to help the artist if the music and talent don’t match, but in T-Pain’s case, both work together in his favor.
“1Up” is available on Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube and most other music streaming services. To purchase tickets for the Maine Day concert or see the line-up of artists, please visit the University of Maine Student Government Instagram page or website.
