Happy Birthday, T-Pain: 10 Luscious Semi-Deep Cuts From Teddy Penderazdoun

It is remarkable that today is T-Pain's 32nd birthday, for his career has already been an epic tale of superstardom, exile, and redemption.

Every young hero needs a mentor. For Pain, that mentor was Akon, who fucked with the vision and signed him to Konvict Muzik in 2004. His melodies were the opposite of angular: smooth and sweet as caramel and occasionally polished with a sleek Auto-Tune veneer that only enhanced his emotive powers.

By 2007, T-Pain had evolved into a one-man industry tour de force. He had become Auto-Tune Jesus. In that calendar year, he scored three personal top 10 records, including a #1 with "Buy U A Drank." In addition, he scored ten top 25 records as a guest artist, including five in the top 10 and 2 #1s. 

Then, T-Pain's glossy vocals fell out of style, and for years he was an industry outcast, a cancer, a man to whom Future's brother once said, “My brother would never fucking work with you. Fuck you and everything you stand for.”

Fortunately, views  like the one held by Future's dumbshit brother have mostly subsided, and T-Pain has more or less returned as a respected public figure, if not international superstar. Today, we celebrate his birthday by diving deep into the annals of his solo releases to source 10 lesser-known gems. Scroll on to witness the true genius of the legend they call Teddy Penderazdoun.

Rappa Ternt Sanga was the Brown Sugar of the '00s. 18 bedroom productions made for bedroom... productions. "Im Hi" was one of three songs on the album not produced by Pain.

"Studio Luv" is the sound of silk panties dropping to the floor. That Spanish guitar: cold as fuck. Govi would be proud.

"My Place" showed early on that Teddy P was capable of brandishing an unbearably gentle touch; he bares his soul to a woman who betrayed his trust, whom he loves, and whom he is trying to re-seduce.

Much had changed for our intrepid hero by the time he released Epiphany, an album comprised wall-to-wall of jams. "Yo Stomach," for instance, is a touching homage to an oft-overlooked section of the female form.

During his Reddit "Ask Me Anythang," T-Pain clarified whether or not he actually 69ed "in the back of my 'Lac and with the suicide doors," as he alleged on "69."

"I have actually," he wrote, "Although it wasn't a lincoln it was an 84 ford taurus. so. you know. kinda the same?"

On "Backseat Action," a marching band lay down a slick, martial groove that serves as a secondary anthem to Pain's "back of the 'Lac" activities.

Pain's 2011 album Thr33 Ringz contained one absolute show-stopper in "Chopped N Skrewed" Pro Bowl roster of late '00s stars that included Kanye West, Akon, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, and Ciara. But none of these features compared to the triumvirate of R&B princes—Musiq Soulchild, Raheem DeVaughn, & Jay Lyriq—that lent its powers to "Reality Show."

In addition to being the greatest piece of animated cinema of all time, "Freaknik: The Musical" produced a 5-track soundtrack anchored by Pain's unhinged party smash "Freaknik is Back."

Ironically, "Rock Bottom" is one of the best songs off rEVOLVer, an album that resulted in T-Pain actually hitting rock bottom. And it's not even about hitting rock bottom.

One of the most exquisite songs from his last mixtape, The Iron Way, "Booty Butt Ass" is a humble offering to be left at the altar of the Almighty Badonkadonk.