In a clip from “This Is Pop,”an upcoming Netflix series, T-Pain whose real name is Faheem Rasheed Najm, has revealed that he fell into depression that lasted for Four years, after Usher criticized his use of Auto-Tune in music.
“Usher was my friend,” T-Pain said in the clip. “I really respect Usher. And he was like, ‘Man. I’m gonna tell you something, man. You kinda f*** up music.’ ”
He said he let out a “nervous chuckle” at the comment but soon realized Usher wasn’t joking or about to mince words.
“I didn’t understand,” he said. “I thought he was joking at first, but then he was like, ‘Yeah man you really f*** up music for real singers.’ “
And those comments, T-pain revealed, were the beginning of his mental health woes.
“I’m like, ‘But I used it, I didn’t tell everybody else to start using it,’ ” T-Pain said. “I don’t even think I realized this for a long time, but that’s the very moment that started a four-year depression for me.”
T-Pain almost single-handedly popularized the use of the pitch-altering technology Auto-Tune in hip-hop, beginning with his 2005 debut hit single, “I’m Sprung,” which made it to the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“This Is Pop” is an eight-part series uncovering the real stories behind some of the biggest artists and moments in pop music history, according to Netflix’s description. In addition to T-Pain, it will feature interviews with Shania Twain, Boyz II Men, Chuck D, Brandi Carlile, Neko Case and more. The series will be released in full Tuesday.