T-Pain announces tour after fueling retirement rumors
After sparking rumors of a retirement, T-Pain is announcing plans to do just the opposite.
On Tuesday, June 3, the Grammy Award-winning rapper announced he would embark on the TP20 fall tour, a multi-city excursion in October to celebrate 20 years in the music industry.
"This tour is not just a celebration, it's a thank you to everyone that was there in 2005 and to everyone now who's just catching onto the wave," T-Pain said in a statement alongside the tour announcement. His debut album, "Rappa Ternt Sanga," dropped in 2005.
"It's for the college kids that played my records at all those parties. It's for those same people that are now parents and are putting their kids on to what they loved so much back in those days," he continued.
Kicking off Oct. 3 after a special show at Radio City Music Hall, T-Pain's tour will take him to many of America's major cities alongside special guest EARTHGANG.
How to get T-Pain tickets
Presale will go live Wednesday, June 4, at 10 a.m. local time, followed by a general on-sale Friday, June 6, at 10 a.m. local time.
Is T-Pain retiring?
The announcement comes on the heels of a mysterious video the rapper dropped on social media hinting at a "big decision" after two decades in the industry.
In the 43-second clip, published on June 2, the "Buy U a Drank" emcee hinted at taking a step back and thanked his fans for "making this a great ride."
"I gave you all everything for 20 years. I'm grateful to each of you for making this such a great ride," T-Pain said in the video's caption. "Right now, I just need some time for me." He ends the video with the words, "This might be it."
While the meaning behind the video is unclear, some users on social media suggested the rapper could be considering retirement.
The Paste BN Network has reached out to a representative for T-Pain for comment.
The hip-hop star, known for his use of auto-tune and deft ability to crank out club-charting hits, has been on the road performing shows all over the country. This musical grind comes after T-Pain (whose real name is Faheem Najm) made a big splash in his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida, in 2024.
In November, a street named "T-Pain Lane" was revealed in his honor at a portion of Pasco Street from Orange Avenue to Tucker Street that ends at Bond Elementary School. Later the same day, the rapper performed to a sold-out crowd, his first headliner show in the city, at the Adderley Amphitheater during Tallahassee's bicentennial celebration concert.
He gushed over the opportunity to perform his hits to the adoring crowd, adding that he'd love to bring a variation of his popular "Wiscansin Fest" to the Florida capital. Days after the concert, organizers told the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the Paste BN Network, that there were talks about making this a reality.
Contributing: Anna Kaufman, Paste BN