Entertainment
T-Pain Talks Hot Sauce, Balenciaga, & A 'Bar Rescue' Spinoff
The Grammy-winning hitmaker is busy as ever with a new podcast and a fitting partnership with Moe’s Southwest Grill.
T-Pain is known for many accomplishments — starting with the Auto-Tune revolution in music, writing one of the best songs of the century, successfully wearing a top hat with sunglasses, and rhyming mansion with Wisconsin. His complex cultural legacy has been both derided and celebrated, but if one thing is for sure, it’s that T-Pain has unlimited talent and, above all, taste.
In addition to making music, the Tallahassee native is a big fan of the food and beverage world. His love of cuisine has led to appearances on industry shows like Bar Rescue, and most recently, a collaboration with Moe’s Southwest Grill and Frank’s RedHot to launch a new menu item: the Buffalo Queso Taco.
It’s the perfect partnership for Pain, who, though on a diet, is unable to resist the calling of a hard shell taco wrapped in a soft tortilla with buffalo queso in between.
“I think the thing that's made my diet food the most tolerable is Frank's Red Hot sauce,” T-Pain told NYLON. “So, once they said they was mixing that with queso and the soft taco with the hard taco, then yeah, I mean, that was a deal breaker for me.”
The special taco will be on offer from Friday, July 9 through September 5 this year — but the joys of T-Pain’s music (and his recently launched Nappy Boy Radio podcast) are available all year round. Read on for T-Pain’s NYLON-19 questionnaire and answers to burning questions, like whether he believes in ghosts (he’s seen two) and if he’d ever do Bar Rescue again.
What is your astrological sign? (And do you believe in it?)
I'm a Libra, and I used to be really heavy into signs and stuff like that, but then my wife kind of changed all that because she's an Aries and she is nothing like what Aries is supposed to be. I feel like people can choose their own fate, people can choose their own attitude. You can absolutely be a Leo without being a dick, you can be a Scorpio without being conceited, you can be a Gemini and also not be a dick. You can choose your own attitude and I feel like everybody can do their own thing. I don't think you get a pass on being an asshole because your parents f*cked on a certain night.
I know you've talked about this before, but what’s your opinion on ghosts?
I've seen two ghosts, so I definitely believe in that. Ghosts in a traditional sense, no, but spirits and entities, and stuff like that, yeah, for sure. Absolutely. We're definitely just on a different plane and we don't open up enough to see it all the time. Otherwise, we'd see it a lot, I feel like. So yeah, I definitely believe in that.
What is your go-to drink order at the moment?
A lot of people don't have the wine I like now, so... it's like a Target $8 wine, it's Chateau de Michelle. It's like a little cheap joint that'll get the job done. It's just easier. I get to remember more things. At this point, it's also just any reposado tequila they got. Anything except Casamigos. Anything that rappers aren't rapping about. I just don't want to be in that crowd. I'm like, "Yo, give me a tequila." They're like, “You want Casamigos, don't you?" No, no. Just because the Migos started drinking it doesn't mean that's what I want. So, right now it's just, anything. I go to a bar and just be like, "Dude, just pour something in a cup and just bring it to me man."
Who would be the three headliners of the music festival of your dreams?
Okay. Obviously, Michael Jackson. James Blake, and Anderson .Paak. Fire show.
What is the weirdest snack that you make at home?
I don't really make snacks like that. I'm not the snack maker, my wife kind of does it, but it's always normal shit, it's like sandwiches and shit, just real quick things. Plus, I'm doing meal prep right now, so I got a lot of fruit in the fridge.
What is the last internet rabbit hole that you went down?
I'm looking for more lo-fi channels, a lot of weird music content. I don't even know the name of a lot of it, but it's different. I'm still trying to digest some of it, but it's weird. That's all on YouTube. I was also subscribed to this site called StumbleUpon and it's just literally one button and it just takes you to random websites. I used to do that all the time until it started getting weird. I think people started paying to be on the list. I started seeing the same shit a lot and I got off of that.
If you could describe your worst date in three words.
Oh, I haven't had a lot of those. I've been married since I was 18, so I haven't had a lot of time to date. I mean, me and my wife go on dates, but the only thing bad about those is when people come interrupt us and ask for pictures and shit. That's always terrible. And that happens a lot, so I can't even say there was a worst one.
What is the last DM that you received?
The last one I received is from a jewelry company telling me that they got cheap watches, and they are not cheap.
What was your first concert and any memories you might have of it?
First concert was a Run-DMC concert, at the Civic Center in Tallahassee. I went with my parents and I fell asleep during the concert because I just wasn't used to being awake that late back then. And that was the exact moment they decided to let off their pyro. So, there's a kid in there sleeping and a f*cking explosion, that was not fun. I didn't know they were allowed to do that. Definitely wasn't expecting a goddamn real explosion and that's what happened.
What was your favorite movie as a kid?
Little Shop of Horrors. No question. It was more so the music than the movie. Anything that had music like that in it that resonated with me, you got a favorite movie out of me.
What is a reality show that you would like to appear on, (that you haven't already)?
I'm not real big on reality TV, it's not one of my favorite things. I don't think I'd want to. I mean, they've been asking for a long time.
Would you ever do Bar Rescue again?
Oh yeah. Yeah, we're trying to actually do a spin-off of that. We're trying to make a whole new show out of it.
What is one thing everyone should buy that's under $10?
Condoms, that's easy. Definitely condoms.
What is a question that you would never like to be asked again?
What the T in my name stands for. That'd be f*cking cool. (Ed note: It stands for Tallahassee). Or, "What's my name?" when I meet somebody. God, I never remember anybody's name, and then some people are just bold assholes, like, "Hey, you remember my name?" No, I don't f*cking remember your name! Any variation of that question, I would very much like to not be asked that ever again.
What is your favorite fast food place to eat at?
Five Guys. Five Guys is the joint.
What is your favorite pair of shoes that you own and why?
My favorite pair of shoes is kind of like a love-hate thing, because they're Balenciagas, but they're huge, and it just makes walking upstairs very difficult. I can't drive any of my manual shift cars because my feet are all over the place. They're the huge ones, the ones with the two extra soles on them, like all them different colors and shit, but they're the most comfortable shoes I have. I have two [pairs]. I have the blue and red and yellow joints and the black and gray and white.
