Audio By Carbonatix
T-Pain is opening up about his four-year battle with depression.
In a clip from Netflix's series, This Is Pop, the rapper reveals the dark side of his musical success that included the infamous introduction of auto-tune to mainstream music.
Although the pitch correction technique has been around for ages and using it helped propel T-Pain to superstardom, the rapper claims it led to a confrontation with Usher, who allegedly told him that he "f**ked up music."
"Usher was my friend. I really respect Usher. And he said, 'I'm gonna tell you something, man. You kinda f**ked up music,'" T-Pain claims in the clip released by Entertainment Weekly on Monday.
The rapper -- who also explains that the alleged conversation occurred during a plane ride -- says he thought Usher was joking at first, so he laughed. But, according to T-Pain, Usher allegedly doubled down on his comment and said that the rapper "really f**ked up music for real singers."
"That is the very moment, and I don't even think I realized this for a long time, but that's the very moment that started a four-year depression for me," T-Pain shares.
The rapper's use of auto-tune, which sparked a plethora of artists following his example, was quickly met with a wave of backlash. In 2009, JAY-Z even recorded an entire diss track attacking the pitch correction titled "DOA (Death of Auto-Tune)."
The backlash was so fierce that people seemed to forget that T-Pain was a genuinely talented musician and producer, a fact the rapper has spoken about many times before. During his Tiny Desk Concert for NPR, during which he sang entirely without the processor, the rapper joked that the auto-tune was "surgically inserted."
Since then, the rapper has gone on to win the first season of The Masked Singer, release a new album and co-write a cocktail book.
This Is Pop is an eight-part series exploring untold stories from some of the biggest moments in pop music history. In addition to T-Pain, it features interviews with ABBA's Benny Andersson, Shania Twain, Brandi Carlile, Chuck D, Babyface, Orville Peck, Hozier, members of Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys, Blur, and many more.
Latest Stories
-
Togo introduces fixed penalties for traffic offences
19 minutes -
Amusan, Samukonga confirmed for Accra 2026
20 minutes -
NADMO supports tidal waves victims in Anlo District
22 minutes -
Vice President joins Effutu people to celebrate Aboakyer 2026
44 minutes -
Tera Carissa Hodges joins global creatives to discuss cultural sovereignty at AfroCannes 2026
1 hour -
TCDA CEO leads charge to scale up cashew apple value addition opportunities
1 hour -
MGL’s May Day Egg market ends in resounding success as crowds turn out for affordable eggs
2 hours -
Energy expert advocates increased private-sector role in power distribution to tackle dumsor
2 hours -
Tony Asare Writes: A clotted artery, by-passes and detours
2 hours -
No road project cancelled under Mahama’s reset agenda — Roads Minister
2 hours -
Mahama praises IGP Yohunu, hails intelligence-led policing at Krobo-Odumase commissioning
2 hours -
“Energy situation is stable” – John Jinapor assures Ghanaians
2 hours -
Ghana Tuna Association reaffirms sustainability commitment on World Tuna Day
2 hours -
Mahama commissions Odumase Krobo Divisional Police HQ, boosts operations with vehicles
3 hours -
Roads Minister urges contractors to stay on site, assures prioritised payments
3 hours