Following the success of his 2008 single “Can’t Believe It,” in which he memorably rhymed “mansion” with “Wiscansin,” popular rapper T-Pain, real name Faheem Rashad Najm, has put forward his plans to construct a new school in Wisconsin.
During an interview with Billboard, the 39-year-old revealed his plans to open an educational facility in the area. He had earlier made a similar pledge to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2023.
“I just really felt like I was Andre 3000 when I was recording that song,” he said about “Can’t Believe It”. “That was my spirit animal that I had on me while I was recording that song.”
He continued: “Again, that fostered the era of the ‘mansion in Wiscansin’ infamous rhyme. And since then, we’ve been really able to incorporate that into everything. […] All my tours that I go on now are Wisconsin based. We have a ‘Wiscansin University.’ All the merch is ‘Wiscansin’ based. We’re actually starting a school in Wisconsin. It’s a music school.”
HipHopDX noted that Wisconsin also reciprocated T-Pain’s love. According to the publication, the rapper received official recognition from the Badger State in 2022 while making a stop on his Road To Wiscansin Tour.
T-Pain treated fans to the Wiscansin Fest instead of a solo performance, where he was joined by other musicians like Lil Jon, Juvenile, Yung Bleu, K Camp, O.T. Genasis, and more.
State Representative Kalan Haywood shocked the rapper during his performance by announcing that June 11 would be remembered as “T-Pain Day”. The artist broke down in tears as he accepted the plaque, even getting on his knees to thank the audience for their love and support, per the videos posted on social media.
The Wiscansin Fest’s official Instagram page then thanked the rapper-turned-singer, posting a photo of him holding the proclamation at the concert.
The caption read, “The Mayor of Milwaukee, @cavalierformilwaukee has proclaimed June 11th as ‘T-Pain Day’ to be celebrated annually throughout the state. State rep @kalanhaywoodwi surprised @tpain on stage at #WiscansinFest to present him with a proclamation from the state office. The proclamation recognizes ‘Wiscansin Fest’ as an annual event acknowledged by the state of Wisconsin. Thank you @cityofmilwaukee and the entire state of Wisconsin for this incredible honor.”
