T-Pain recalls Usher waking him up on a flight to tell him he ruined music


T-Pain was napping on a flight to the BET Awards in 2013 when a flight attendant woke him to let him know Usher wanted to have a chat.
The rapper initatied small-talk, but then Usher said, "I'm gonna tell you something, man. You kinda f‑‑‑ed up music," T-Pain recalled in a preview for the Netflix series This Is Pop published via Entertainment Weekly. He thought it was a joke before Usher went on to say T-Pain's use of Auto-Tune "f---ed up music for real singers." T-Pain defended himself by saying he used Auto-Tune (quite iconically), but didn't tell everyone else to use it. Reflecting on the conversation, T-Pain admitted it spawned self-doubt: "That's the very moment that started a four-year depression for me."
He clarified on Twitter he still respects Usher and the moment was "a drop in the ocean" of what he was already going through.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Taylor Watson is audience engagement editor for TheWeek.com and a former editorial assistant. She graduated from Syracuse University, with a major in magazine journalism and minors in food studies and nutrition. Taylor has previously written for Runner's World, Vice, and more.
-
Weapons: Julia Garner stars in 'hyper-eerie' psychological thriller
The Week Recommends Zach Cregger's 'top notch' new film opens with 17 children disappearing at exactly the same time
-
Freakier Friday: Lohan and Curtis reunite for 'uneven' but 'endearing' sequel
The Week Recommends Mother-and-daughter comedy returns with four characters switching bodies
-
Al fresco art: the UK's best sculpture parks
The Week Recommends Soak up the scenery with a stroll through these open-air galleries
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation