encourage a division between me and my son, they can suck my dick. I love my son, and I love his children and his family, but I don’t like the way I’ve been treated by his managers. His managers treat me and my wife like we’re crackheads. When we come around we have to beg for tickets [to his shows]. Man, if that was me, I would honor my parents. They spread rumors about me all over this country. I’m a walking shame. This should be a time of celebration for me, but it’s almost like my funeral instead. [T-Pain] didn’t fall out of the sky. That boy was built. I took him out of public school at age thirteen and taught him at home and bought him everything necessary to become the musician he is today. Akon and Bu are nasty ass niggas. They’re supposed to be Muslims but there’s nothing Islamic about what they did to my family. They’ve got us walking around in disgrace because their greedy asses want all the cars, all the women, all the pleasure, and all the opportunity. They know it’s fucked up, and I’ll tell ‘em to their face if I’m ever in their presence again. But they duck me because they know I’ve got a bullshit shield. They know I’m bullshit-proof; that’s why they back-doored my son. Akon sends his little brother in [to do the dirty work] so his hands will be clean. I listened to the dumb stuff that little boy [Bu] said. He couldn’t hold a good conversation with me so he sold my teenager a bunch of dreams. I don’t need a dream merchant in my life. I’m not buying dreams. I’m a grown man. I really don’t appreciate Akon because he has no integrity. He’s never kept his word. When we first met and he introduced himself as “Akon,” I’ve got a metaphoric mentality, so I thought, “a con”? A con what? A con man? A convict? I don’t even know his real name. I’ll slap the shit outta Akon. He’s a thieving, un-Islamic, back-stabbin’ pussy. Put that in the book. I’m hotheaded enough to tell him that to his face. I get a retirement check, but it’s not a lot of money. I’m on my ass right now, and I don’t deserve to be on my ass. All my money is gone and I’m struggling like I’m on social security. I should be honored for creating the most phenomenal thang that ever came out of Tallahassee. I saw [the talent] God had given [T-Pain] for music. I was him; that’s how I identified it. I was Mr. Music in high school. I was the drum major, director of the student choir and concert band; a very popular guy in the Marching 100. I have one bone to pick with my son. [In his OZONE interview] he said that my bills are not his responsibility. I’m being kicked to the curb. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry can come through his world except his father who built him. He didn’t do this by himself. A lot of family members didn’t want me to [speak on this], and I respect that, but you’ve gotta understand everything I went through [for him]. I had a stroke in Ft. Myers. A promoter wouldn’t pay us and I was trying to grab that nigga around his neck and I had a stroke. I had a triple bypass and had to leave my job after 25 years. I was making $30/hour. I walked away from that on behalf of [my son]. Now everybody’s gonna piss on me and call it rain? I don’t think so. I’ve always been by his side, to guide him wisely and gently and calmly encouraging him along the way. I’ll never try to take his manhood from him. I call all my sons every year on Father’s Day and on their birthdays. But I don’t get the same treatment. I always planned to relinquish the management role in order for [T-Pain]
(above) T-Pain and Bu in Orlando, FL, in April 2005 (left) Akon and T-Pain at Springfest in Miami, FL, in May 2005 Photos by Julia Beverly to get bigger opportunities. I was gonna reduce myself to his personal advisor. “Call me when you need me, son.” I’m still there. My phone number hasn’t changed. I’m still available. I’m not interfering in his business. Once he [signed the contract with Akon] I left it alone. Was I mad? Goddamn right. I was irate. In my first breath, as a man, I told him I probably wouldn’t ever talk to him again. In the next breath, as a father, I had to find out what made my son so desperate to sign a deal with a bunch of knuckleheads that were selling him dreams. But I did respect him for making a bold decision on his own. I asked him, “What the fuck is it about Akon? Did he catch you fuckin’ a rabbit or a fag or something? Do they have photographs of you doing something nasty that [makes] you feel obligated to these dudes?” He said, “Daddy, I can’t explain it. It was just like you taught me; it was like The Matrix.” In [the movie] The Matrix when Neo asked the Oracle if he was the one, she told him, “Being the one is like being in love. Nobody can tell you you’re in love, you just know it.” That’s what Pain told me and that’s why I left it alone. He made an independent decision. We were business partners and he ran away with the whole business, but I’ve forgiven him. I told Pain when he first came in the game that he was better than Akon. He did a parody of Akon’s song “Locked Up” and called it “Fucked Up.” Akon came to The Moon in Tallahassee and got booed because [the crowd] thought Akon was taking T-Pain’s stuff as opposed to the other way around. My son has blown past Akon by now. He’s probably accomplished more than Akon has. [T-Pain] had 11 number one hits last year; two more and he would’ve tied the Beatles. And y’all ain’t even seen the best of my son yet. That’s why I tried to be quiet. If I had challenged [his deal] y’all would’ve never seen what you see today. I stayed out of the way because I don’t want to destroy what I built. I had to get this stuff off my chest. I’ve been in agony. I have heart problems and my heart has been hurting ever since I read that [T-Pain said I tried to blackmail him]. People are trying to play us against each other, but I never believed in “divide and conquer.” Akon grew up in Africa, but I grew up in the ghettoes of America. He doesn’t know the rhythms of this society and he wasn’t in the struggle here like I was. I haven’t discussed all these things [with my son] because with the level of our energy, we’d end up arguing. I wouldn’t be heard and understood. I’ve cried a lot. At his show last year at the [Leon County] Civic Center [in Tallahassee], we got into an argument and one of the former Nappy Headz was the chief instigator. I won’t call his name out, but at that time, he destroyed the relationship between me and my son. I was hurt like hell. Now when [T-Pain] comes to town, I graciously honor him for his accomplishments and keep my old ass at home. // OZONE MAG // 59