It's all love for Mr T-Pain

A year ago if T-Pain had told you his ultimate onstage collaboration would be with his feuding rival Jay-Z, the laughter would have been heard from London to LA.

Ahead of his debut performance in the UAE, tabloid! can exclusively reveal that's exactly the case.

Putting an end to a year-long feud, T-Pain and Jay-Z finally admitted this week they kissed and made up well, chest bumped anyway at the Grammys.

But taking things further again, T-Pain told tabloid! if he had the chance to perform with anyone in the world, it would be with Jay-Z at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The feud began last year when Jay-Z released D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) off his Blueprint 3 album on the track, Jay used the name T-Pain (who is known for using a voice decoder).

T-Pain retorted with an insult during a show in Las Vegas.

T-Pain this week told MTV News there isn't animosity between the pair any more.

"We talked at the Grammys. It was a pretty big thing," he said.

"That's messed up the way you took that song. I'm crazy, so we gonna take the song like that. That's how we take songs.

"He [Jay-Z] was like, ‘I didn't mean nothing by that,'" T-Pain continued. "I was like, ‘I already put out my apology song [More Careful]. So there you go. My bad. I apologise. Apologise for taking the song like that. We shook hands, did the little chest bump. That was the end of that."

It was in the winter of 2005 when southern soulster T-Pain burst on the rhythmic scene with his debut, Rappa Ternt Sanga.

Having broken free from his rap pack, a five-man group called the Nappy Headz, he said he was tired of the borders which divide hip-hop and soul.

Having seen first-hand how drugs can destroy the fibre of family, T-Pain consciously chose to detour from that path and started working with a number of famous names in the industry, including Akon, who gave him some of his first opportunities.

T-Pain is now gearing up to start working with various artists on outside projects, including R Kelly, Kanye West, Usher, Chris Brown and Britney Spears. "In the past 19 days, I've gotten more than 25 calls from artists who want to work with me. Right now, it's a very exciting time."

A man of very few words, tabloid! gets the dirt on the man himself in an e-mail interview.

Are you looking forward to coming to Dubai?

Ooooohhhhhh yes. I haven't been there, but I heard it's an amazing place and it's one of the richest countries in the world. Can't wait.

What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

Doing the Super Bowl commercial in the US. Millions of people tuned in to watch my commercial. It was a great feeling.

Tell us about T-Pain and Kanye West.

He is one mad, kool dude. Enough.

What has success taught you?

To stay humble and grounded.

Who do you most look up to and why?

Cee-Lo Green — an American funk, soul musician. He is not afraid to step out of the boundaries. He isn't afraid of anything.

What is a regular day in the T-Pain household?

Good food and games when I'm home. A family is everything.

What is one question the media never asks but you wish they would?

I couldn't possibly say, because it's so crazy.

Tell us one thing nobody knows about you?

I never reveal my secrets!

How was working with Taylor Swift?

Working with her was great. She's a very talented artist and has a bright, long future ahead of her. I have respect for people for what they bring to the game.

You said Jamie Foxx taught you about singing...

Yeah, he encouraged me to sing in the shower. Yep, blame him.

If you could perform anywhere and with anyone in the world, who and where would it be?

With Jay-Z at Madison Square Garden.

What cars do you own and are you a petrol head?

I own 32 cars in the garage as we speak and I drive a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, 72 Impala. My car game is sick right now. It is estimated to be worth about $4 million (Dh15 million).

Jail break

Hitting the headlines again this week, T-Pain declared he still intends to release his collaboration LP with Lil Wayne. The pair were working on tracks for a new album, but recent rumours claimed the project had been scrapped. T-Pain reassured fans the record will eventually be released, although recording has been put on hold due to Lil Wayne beginning his one-year jail sentence. "The T-Wayne album, we're actually gonna wait until he gets out," T-Pain said. "He has so much going on."

The Taylor effect

Who would have known little Taylor Swift with her country tunes wanted to be a rap star? But Swift's hip-hop fantasy did not include lyrical rap king Jay-Z but instead it was T-Pain who was first on her list of mentors. In the 90-second video spoof Thug Story, curly-haired Swift dons a baseball cap and bling and raps alongside T-Pain about her thuggish tales of living with her parents, baking cookies and not owning a gun.

What's in a name?

T-Pain is short for Tallahassee Pain, a name which describes the hardship of growing up in the Tallahassee area of Florida. Born to Muslim parents, his real name is Faheem Najm.

‘I will not get more hats'

Feathered, tattooed and diamond-encrusted — when it comes to his top hats, T-Pain has done it all. But this year he donated his iconic top hat collection to charity, saying his trademark look was only for the promotion of his 2008 album, Thr33 Ringz."I have 332 right now," Pain told television host Carson Daly. "Yeah, I had to number them and sign them because I'm getting rid of them, I'm giving them to the Grammy committee and they're selling them on eBay and the money goes to foundations and charities. I will not get more hats. I'm giving them up, that was just for the Thr33 Ringz album. That was just for a ring leader look, you know, I figured if I'm gonna be fat with dreads, I might as well wear stupid clothes too. That was probably just part of the ensemble of the album."

Qoute unquote

"For me, soul music is about love, and it's that kind of warmth that I want to bring back to the music."

Some of his famous songs

• I'm Sprung
• I'm N Luv (Wit A Stripper)
• Buy U a Drank (featuring Yung Joc)
• Bartender

Catch T-Pain at the Elements Festival this weekend, tickets are just Dh85!