T-Pain says his experience with DJ Khaled perfectly shows why artists shouldn’t take the word “brother” at face value in the music industry.
During a candid sit-down with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay, T-Pain reflected on one of the biggest lessons he’s learned in his 20-year career: loyalty often fades the moment someone stops benefiting from you.
“Nobody is your brother. Nobody,” he told Sharpe. “Everybody is your brother while they can use you.”
The “Buy U a Drank” hitmaker said he’d rather people be upfront about their intentions than hide behind emotional language.
“Tell me what the business is,” he said. “Say, ‘We’re gonna make some money, separate for a while, and I’ll come back when I need you.’ Cool. Don’t hit me with the ‘you my brother’ stuff.”
T-Pain brought up DJ Khaled as an example — someone he worked with on massive hits like “I’m So Hood (Remix),” “Welcome to My Hood,” “All I Do Is Win,” and “Go Hard.”
Despite contributing to Khaled’s rise during his dominant late-2000s era, Pain said the relationship wasn’t what he thought.
“Fuck DJ Khaled. Everybody done told me ‘I’m your brother.’ Do not believe that shit,” he said, noting that Khaled is just the first example that comes to mind, not the only one.
He emphasized that this isn’t about personal drama — it’s about recognizing a pattern he’s seen repeatedly throughout his career.
