In modern music, cars often show up in lyrics and videos as a shiny props and trophies. Machines built from obsession end up wasted as status badges, not used to make a drive. But an artist realized that cars can be used for more than cool entrances and Instagram photos. The man who wants to buy you a drank and have a mansion in Wiscansin, T-Pain.
We all know T-Pain has had a widely successful music career thus far. One of the pioneers of autotune, 6-time Grammy winner, is willing to slow his songs down when everyone else is speeding up, and his many, many sellout shows. And odds are you probably heard of one or two mentions of cars in his music, whether it be getting in his grey Cadillac or having an Impala with a 454 under the hood. But what many fail to see is his outright love of cars, which is deep enough to chase racing lines.
Just to get this warmed up, we have to talk about his relationship to drifting. He originally found the love for drifting on a frozen lake, being tutored by the legendary Vaughn Gittin Jr, the world-class champion of drifting. Obsession followed, and from it came the Mustang RTR convertible built with Gittin’s touch, chasing real tire smoke on real pavement. This tire executioner is capable of close to 1,000 horsepower, and with enough skill behind the wheel, landed T-Pain in professional drifting events.
But during his time inhaling his own tire smoke, he realized that his passion could be shared by more. He knew he was able to have this opportunity in part because of his fame and success, and knew others who might not feel like they could make it or fit in within the motorsports world might not have that opportunity. So he created Nappy Boy Automotive with a previous Hoonigan, Hertrech Eugene Jr., otherwise known as Hertlife. Nappy Boy Automotive was designed to give people an open invitation to the automotive and motorsports world. It fields a full drift team and hosts events with that signature T-Pain charm, bringing fringe fans right into the middle of the car community.
Now that the warmup is over, let's take a step into his garage. T-Pain believes that cars can elicit the same emotions as music. Similar to how the speed of a supercar matches the pace of hip hop, while a classic can slow it down like some chill R&B. So he made a rotation of cars similar to creating a playlist, so he could always match the feeling and occasion. It is why he has cycled through more than 40 cars and counting. We won’t mention all of his cars, but we will mention the highlights of his collection
This high number of cars is due in part to his tendency to feel the vibe first, see a car in the parking lot that matched it, and buy on the spot. He has literally walked up, found the owner, paid on the spot, and driven away. Unconventional, but it certainly got him into the car world with some unique and iconic cars.
But none quite as iconic as the F150 Catch 22, which sits in his garage. Earning its name from the creator's frustration finishing this car, as it generated a never-ending list of problems and things to do while trying to fix one thing. But eventually it was finished, and this car became a celebrity in the hundreds of car shows it was requested at in the early 2000s. And then after changing hands a couple of times, a friend of T-Pain called him saying, “You are the only one I know who would buy and appreciate it”, so it ended up in T-Pain's garage.
But he eventually got the vibe he wanted; he just couldn’t find it in a parking lot or catalog, so he decided to make it himself.
This birthed his next icon, the Joker 72 Impala, or the Joker donk. You’ve heard it in Rick Ross’ “Boss” when he said, “I got a Chevy with a 454 under the hood.” This car was T-Pain’s vision come to life. He wanted a donk, and after two years and a bold Joker-themed paint job, showing many of Joker’s most recognizable moments, this donk won best in show at many donk car shows and continues to be an icon within the donk community.
But these are not daily vibe cars, too important and easily destroyed by the harsh streets of Atlanta. Enter his modded 2024 Ford Bronco. He bought it because he believes “somebody goes around and actually digs the potholes in Atlanta.” While his other cars are great for an occasion, this car lets him do everything he needs on a daily basis and still look stylish. Because like any good collector, you have to care about your ride enough not to destroy it.
T-Pain has proven that he’s gone far above how most artists view cars, but has become an enthusiast who treats cars like a song created to make you feel something. Unapologetic, unique, and timeless are his tastes in creating music and cars. Let nobody ever doubt T-Pain’s credibility in the car community, and we look forward to seeing what he does next.