Hootie and the Blowfish. Hawthorne Heights. Gwar. Murder Your Face.
These are just a few of the illustrious bands that have played Toledo’s Headliners club within the past two years. But this list of high-profile musician-extraordinaires is about to expand as of this Saturday, when everyone’s favorite stripper enthusiast, T-Pain, comes to town.
The 20-year-old Floridian might be best known for his Top 20 single “I’m Sprung.” Or maybe it’s his unabashed love of exotic dancers.
“I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper),” with guest vocals courtesy of long-time Tussin collaborator Mike Jones, breached Billboard’s Top 10 this year as hundreds of radio stations transmitted T-Pain’s heartfelt longing for an exotic dancer with “them big ass hips, (god damn!)” to a nation weaned on “Striptease” and “Pretty Woman.”
Needless to say, the song’s resounding success has as much to do with its laughable yet appealing topic as it does with the tune itself.
But while “I’m N Luv” may ultimately be nothing more than a novelty party anthem, T-Pain’s unique, soulful R’B voice blends well with his self-written hip-hop beats and production style on his debut album, “Rappa Ternt Singa.”
And even his flagrant use of embarrassing metaphors (“You remind me of a brand new saxophone”) can be overlooked under the shadow of the rapper-turned-singer’s heavyweight pop hooks.
T-Pain (born Faheem Najim) has been refining his art since he was a 10-year-old, writing and recording songs in his room, songs presumably not about strippers.
After his Florida-based rap outfit Nappy Headz disbanded early in the new millennium, T-Pain carried his dreams and a wallet full of singles on by himself.
It was only after he spoofed Akon’s “Locked Up” that he received attention on a national scale, prompting the very rapper he ripped off to sign him to his Jive Records sub-label, Konvict. Toledo’s Top 40 stalwart KISS-fm 92.5 is presenting the performance. KISS has booked concerts here in the past, including a performance by Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block Fame.
Fans may also be excited to learn that T-Pain describes himself as “a fast driver.” Let’s just hope he doesn’t get stripped of his license and makes it to Toledo.
