Bu Thiam Believes JAY-Z Owes T-Pain An Apology For “Death Of Auto-Tune”
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Bu Thiam and 4Batz recently sat with Gillie and Wallo for an episode of “Million Dollaz Worth of Game Podcast.” The long-time music executive and brother of multi-platinum recording artist Akon explained his thoughts on JAY-Z’s 2009 track, “Death of Auto-Tune.”
During the song’s release, T-Pain led the charge in music, and his use of auto-tune influenced the whole music industry. Major artists like Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Future and countless others used the setting to alter their voice and make some of their biggest hits. Regarding the song, in a clip, Thiam exclaimed, “At the time, one of the biggest had a song called ‘Death of Auto-Tune,’ and it really hurt him. It hurt his career in a sense. When you think 10 years later, you see what he’s been able to do, and what he created, and he changed music, T-Pain doesn’t get, to this day, enough respect.”
He continued, “We have to stop trying to dictate what this thing is. We have to give it time to grow and blossom.” Later in the interview, he alluded to JAY-Z seemingly owing T-Pain an apology for putting a negative light on his style, even though the “Empire State of Mind” rapper showed the Florida singer-songwriter love in the past; he just did not enjoy other people using his style.
One user responded, “JAY-Z was talking about rappers it ain’t have s**t to do with T-Pain he the singer if he couldn’t read between the lines that’s on him.” Someone else expressed, “The way ppl calling this man’s name knowing he will [be] ignoring everyone is disturbing! When will ppl accept he DOES NOT CARE? The man barely has social media!”
To date, T-Pain is still one of the most popular and recognizable names in pop culture. Whether it be his live-stream that garners thousands of viewers per day or his noteworthy features on radio-friendly tracks with stars like GloRilla and EARTHGANG, T-Pain’s signature sound is still in effect over 15 years after The Blueprint 3 single was released.
Thiam, who now works with popular artists like Ian and 4Batz, gained his chops early as an A&R representative, or music talent scout, with T-Pain, Lady Gaga, Jeremih and more. He has held major executive positions at various labels, including Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. Coming up under L.A. Reid, he most notably was linked to work on West’s career-defining album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Watch the full “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” interview below!
