I had written off T-Pain as one of the primary perps in the tragic coup d’etat of hip-hop in our time, but I am reconsidering. Yes, the latest single, “I Can’t Believe It” features some funny-in-a-sad-way lyrics, [“I can put you in a mansion/ somewhere in Wisconsin”] But listen closely, and you’ll hear him drop this bomb of sincerity: “like I said, there ain’t nothing to the Pain/ we can change the last name if you want to.”
Offering to forsake his tough-guy persona to win over a fragile young maiden? That kind of vulnerability is scarce in hip-hop these days.
Despite the interest she’s showing on the dance floor (“she’s all on me”), T-Pain insists on leaving the club with her—not for illicit purposes, like you might have assumed, but because “I really think you need some ventilation.” That’s chivalry. The whole point of the song is to celebrate T-Pain overcoming the odds and getting the girl. The good guy wins, and he can’t believe it. Given what most rappers claim in the average song these days, neither can I.
I’m actually not being totally facetious. Obscured as it may be by Li’l Wayne’s verse (the voice modulation makes me feel dirty, can we ban this?) and some standard references to spending cash, this song has charm. A 2008 radio gem
