T-Pain dares to break the dress code and image of an R&B singer. His hit "I'm Sprung," in heavy rotation on all the major hip-hop/R&B radio stations, brings a different sound to R&B. The artist, whose name is short for Tallahassee Pain, brings the thuggish baggy pants, gold-grilled, dread-locked look and mixes it with the sweet, soothing melodies of R&B. The talented singer/songwriter, who's also a producer, proves that the book is not raggedy just because the cover looks rough.

      T-Pain, born in Tallahassee, FL, had his bedroom turned into a mini sound studio at age 10. Around that same time he made his first beat and then rapped over it. From then on T-Pain knew that music was what he wanted to do with his life.

       He debuted on the music scene with a local rap group called Nappy Headz, who enjoyed moderate success with the two hit songs "Robbery" and "F.L.A." After the Nappy Headz buzz fizzled out, T-Pain wanted to push his career to the next level, so he began to sing because he said it felt better. "The content of my music is more real," T-Pain explained. "It deals with life terms from my point of view. It's not just about love and love making, there's more to life than that."

      On his upcoming album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, T-Pain succeeds at mixing R&B melodies with the rough beats of gangsta rap. His hit "I'm Sprung," for example starts off with smooth harmonizing acapella vocals and then eases into a hip-hop beat as the song progresses. "Fly Away" features T-Pain rap-singing about his father, while "Going Thru A Lot" explores the hard times in his life, featuring dirty south rapper Bone Crusher.

      His album just hit the shelves of the music stores on December 6th. You can also hear him on most of the major hip-hop/ R&B stations. Check him out at www.jiverecords.com or www.t-pain.net for more information.