“e·piph·a·ny
/əˈpifənē/
Definition 1: the manifestation of a supernatural being
Definition 2: a sudden moment of insight or revelation
Marinate on that” ―
T-Pain,
My introduction to transformative evolution was first presented by a Nintendo Gameboy game titled Pokémon Red. Red, like Pokémon Blue, were both released in America on September 18th, 1998. I don’t know how Gamefreak was able to sell the same game twice, in different packaging, but they did.
The cover art for Pokémon Red featured the fire-breathing dragon Charizard. When you start the game, Charizard isn’t one of the three Pokémon you can choose to begin your journey with. You must start with and evolve Charmander first. Essentially raising an infant into adulthood.
Pokémon taught a generation how evolution comes from growth experienced through travel and challenges. Battles and comrades. Simple concepts that felt profound as a child, at the age of nine or ten.
One particular Pokémon that’s an oddity of the series is named Eevee. Eevee has irregular genetic makeup that triggers evolution when exposed to evolution stones. A firestone will make Eevee into a Flareon. Water creates Vaperon. And from Thunder comes Jolteon. Change the element, change the form.
Eevee represents for me how influence works in rap. Where a particular style becomes popular due to other artists applying their touch and transforming the original form. From that perspective, T-Pain is the Eevee of R&B. His approach to songwriting through the usage of AutoTune became an omnipresent influence. It was everywhere. Creating evolved versions of the rappa ternt sanga.
R&B hasn’t been the same since his 2005 single, “I’m Sprung.” It’s a love song that sounds like it was written by a robot. The genius is how human the music feels. He sells lovesick with bounce, charisma, and candidness. A trifecta present across Jeremih’s 2009 debut single, “Birthday Sex.”
“Birthday Sex” musically feels more like The Dream than T-Pain, but all three share commonalites as melodic stylists. Using their voices as thread weavers creating R&B quilts trademarked with personality. That’s a testament to how different music sounded before T-Pain. Kanye West, a constant evolver, having to adapt under Teddy’s dominating reign verified his power.
Even Usher couldn’t help but acknowledge the genius. He was ruling R&B before T-Pain came in as a one-man-Motown. Okay, I may have gotten ahead of myself. But it must be respected how the Tallahassee mastermind gave the game hit, after hit, after hit. All different, all effective.
T-Pain inspired rappers to sing with AutoTune as singers started to rap, and then came Drake, an anomaly. So Far Gone, his career-launching mixtape, was directly influenced by Kanye’s 808s and Heartbreak, an album inspired by Pain’s debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga.
Regardless if they know it or not, countless artists have some T-Pain in their artistic DNA. They are the element that changed the form. But he is the source. Where the change began.
by Yoh