The Other Problem About the T-Pain Concert

Tallahassee Pain (commonly known as T-Pain), the renowned perfecter of Auto-Tune, performed at the 2019 Student Union Board Homecoming Concert. The concert itself went relatively well - T-Pain sang five recognizable songs, danced pretty well and went to MaGerks. He then decided to post rude comments on a live stream and engage in a Twitter battle with Barstool Elon, which is exactly what a 34-year-old man should do on his Saturday night. The aftermath left Elon students feeling disenchanted to say the least. Everyone was talking about the T-Pain drama, but no one mentioned or seemed to notice T-Pain’s graphics, which tended to portray women as subservient and sexual objects. 

Many songs objectify women, belittle their intelligence and make it seem like their sexuality is meant only to pleasure someone else. There is however, a rising tide in the music industry to create art and graphics which embrace women, not make them out to be one trick ponies. Women in the music industry, especially, are over objectification and make it known that they are their own creative forces. Men in the industry do their part by helping women create and produce art that represents themselves wholly. T-Pain has obviously not learned the same lesson. His graphics seemed to highlight his lyrics of women dancing around and yearning to please him. These women served a singular purpose: to perform. These women earn nothing from being represented this way.

They are seen as objects, not human beings. The women’s sexuality belongs to themselves, not some rapper paid by the school. Judging by his concert, it is hard to believe that T-pain respects women while simultaneously singing about how they are sexual toys to be discarded. It is time to wake up and smell your patriarchal stench, T-Pain. How would you feel if you were labeled as a sexual object, subservient and subjected to crude taunting? Probably not that great. The music industry is changing, but it has a long way to go if T-Pain can display these graphics and still be hired by actual universities to entertain. The gender double standards run so deep in our society that it goes unnoticed to the eye.

Next time you hear a song or attend a concert, pay attention to the lyrics and messages sent by the artist.  Good music is something that invites everyone in, not just a single gender.