T-Pain Reveals Country Music Concerns, ‘Whirlpool’ of New Projects

T-Pain has been largely absent from the public eye since the release of his long-delayed fourth album, Revolver, so it was a welcome surprise to see the longtime Auto-Tune advocate work the red carpet at the recent BMI Urban Awards.

Though the former "Big Ass Chain"-wearing, sparkly top-hatted entertainer has been uncharacteristically silent, he caused quite a stir on the red carpet, appearing jocular and relaxed, and spending far more time with each outlet than any two of his fellow artists.

The rapper-singer explained that he's been hard at work, preparing to release his new multi-genre mixtape, Stoic, on Sept. 30. The effort is a nod to his unconcerned demeanor, regardless of the backlash his vocal effect-heavy style has received.

"It's going to be awesome, man. It's just a new kind of T-Pain," he tells The BoomBox. "It's gonna be good for me. It's basically just new genres, new exploration of music, new whole everything. My look is gonna change, everything's changing about me. It's weird, right? Like if I was dressed like you [in a suit], I wouldn't tuck my shirt in. Just a relaxed formal [look]. You see the chains are getting smaller. It's gonna be different."

While he has vowed to quit his beloved Auto-Tune, the chorus on his first single from Stoic, "Don't You Quit," is not a huge departure from his previous work. The song does boast a new punchline-heavy rap style, featuring some 2 Chainz-inspired wordplay.

"I'm just doing more me," Pain explains of his new music. "More what I'm thinking and not so much what I think is industry. Everybody can say that they do what they want to do, but until you actally start changing things and start making your own music -- I don't think anybody has made free music, just doing themselves in the studio. You hear a country song, you shouldn't think, 'Oh, that's not cool, 'cause I'm a hip-hop artist, I shouldn't do a country song.' Just do the goddamn country song."

The Tallahassee, Fla., native went on to say that he's "pretty much just open to working with anybody right now," and that a torrent of Pain will be hitting us before the year's end.

"Things are gonna come around December," he says of his future projects. "I'm just gonna drop everything all at one time. It's gonna be a whirlpool of T-Pain that you can't get away from!"