1x215 - Behind the Music

"Behind the Music: T-Pain" explores the rise of a shy kid from Tallahassee, Florida to the heights of the music industry. T-Pain was born Faheem Najm into a stable, middle class family that supported his natural curiosity and talent in music at a very young age. An outsider in school, T-Pain spent his childhood locked in his makeshift bedroom "studio," producing his own music, eventually dropping out of the 8th grade to pursue his dreams full-time. As a teenager, he found local success with a group called the Nappy Headz. Frustrated by the lack of opportunities in Tallahassee, the falling apart of his family and a tense relationship with his father, T-Pain ran away from home and signed with Akon's fledgling label, Konvict Records. Finally on the national scene, his use of auto-tune created a signature sound and he quickly became one of the most sought-after producers, working with everyone from Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Britney Spears. A multi-platinum selling artist in his own right with 2005's Rappa Ternt Sanga, 2007's Epiphany, 2008's Thr33 Ringz and his most recent release rEVOLVEr , T-Pain has produced and been featured on over 45 top ten songs and 16 No. 1′s.Those participating in the special include: T-Pain, his family including wife Amber Najm, his parents and brother, Eric "DoeBoy" Youman, Akon and BU, Akon's brother and the person who gave T-Pain his first big break with a label and Michael Blumstein, Dave Abrams and Rocco Valdez from Chase Entertainment.