Royce Da 5'9" Was Hurt When T-Pain Rejected Feature Request

Royce Da 5'9' & T-Pain would later work together on the rapper's "Book of Ryan," but prior to that, T-Pain rejected a request from the Detroit artist.

BYErika Marie
Link Copied to Clipboard!
11.8K Views
Jamie McCarthy / Staff / Getty Images, Carmen Mandato / Stringer / Getty Images

A collaboration between Royce Da 5'9" and T-Pain almost materialized prior to their "First of the Month" link, but the "Buy U a Drank" crooner wasn't having it. We hear about artists sending each other ideas and music all of the time, but not everyone is comfortable with sharing stories of being rejected. Royce Da 5'9" told HipHopDX that back in the day he got curved by T-Pain after asking for the singer to hop on a song with him.

"I can't remember exactly when it was, pinpoint it, I mean, exactly which album it was, but it was a song that I had that Kay Gee from Naughty By Nature produced. I can't remember if it was a hook there or if it was... but we reached out and we sent it to him and I just remember getting the word back that he declined."

"Looking at that in retrospect, I think I respect that more than getting spun," Royce added. "You know what I mean? On that level as an artist, you take everything personal. That's one of the things I learned; don't take everything so personal. It's not that f*ckin' serious. So, really, you just kinda hurt in a way 'cause when you're a fan of somebody the way I'm a fan of T-Pain, you want him to wanna work with you. So when they don't want to, or when they don't have time or something like that, you take it like, 'You on his album. You made time for his album.'"

The two did eventually link on "First of the Month" with Chavis Chandler from Royce Da 5'9"'s Book of Ryan. "He made sure he knocked it out in a timely fashion and let me know don't take things so personal." Royce added that T-Pain is "a hard dude to not like. If you don't like T-Pain, there's something seriously f*cking wrong with you. I love that guy."

Watch the clip in full below and see what Royce had to say about T-Pain buying the "F*ck T-Pain" website.


  • Link Copied to Clipboard!
About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.