T-Pain Reveals Details of His First Record Deal: “It Was 85-15 in the Label’s Favor”
T-Pain has opened up about how the beginning of his career was both lucrative and costly for him in the long run.
In a candid interview with Vallejo rapper LaRussell, T-Pain opened up about the surprising and unfavorable terms of his first-ever record deal, shedding light on the challenges he faced as a young artist entering the music industry.
Reflecting on the deal, T-Pain revealed the massive discrepancy between the revenue split share he received as an artist versus what the label got in return as a part of the agreement.
“My first deal. That whole first joint was 18… Oh no, it was 85-15 in the label’s favor, 85-15.” Despite the lopsided terms, T-Pain was initially unconcerned, as he was blinded by the large sum of money he was offered. “But they gave me crazy money, so I didn’t, never even thought about it. Didn’t even think about it. I didn’t even care, bro.”
The deal was finalized quickly, and T-Pain recalled how the excitement of receiving such a significant advance overshadowed any concerns about the long-term implications.
“They straight up was like, all right, deal’s done. Here you go,” he said. However, as time passed, T-Pain began to realize the full extent of the deal’s impact on his earnings.
“Have you gotten a royalty check before? Oh yeah, a lot. I still get a lot of royalty. I’m probably never going to not get royalty checks,” T-Pain explained, but the reality soon hit hard when he reviewed the details of his contract. “I had to go look at my deal. I was like, oh, I’m about to get paid. And it was like, no, though not. And I was like, bro, there’s no way. And they were like, there’s all the way, because here’s your signature. Your stupid piece of…”
T-Pain acknowledged that his decision was driven by greed and the influence of those around him who convinced him to take the deal. “That was just from greed. And a bunch of people were like, bro, this is a lot of money. You need to take this. It was a huge advance. It was 40 million, but then 40 m’s to complete zero.”
Despite the harsh lesson learned from his first record deal, T-Pain has gone on to achieve massive success in the music industry. His debut album, 2005’s Rappa Ternt Sanga, spawned hits like “I’m Sprung” and “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper),” cementing his place in the music world. The album was certified gold, and T-Pain continued to dominate the charts with his signature autotune sound.