Faheem Rashad Najm, better-known as singer-songrwriter T-Pain, is living the dream: he gets to work on Grand Theft Auto VI alongside Rockstar Games. However, it seems like T-Pain’s new job is having unintended consequences.
In a livestream clip circulated on social media, T-Pain confirmed that he’s contributing to Rockstar’s anticipated sequel, which was finally revealed in 2023. In the course of bringing T-Pain aboard, though, it seems that Rockstar requested that he stop role-playing on NoPixel — a popular GTA 5 role-play server that runs on third-party servers.
At least one fan noticed that T-Pain was no longer on the server and asked what happened.
“I used to be on NoPixel, then I started working on GTA VI, and they told me I couldn’t do RP anymore because it kind of goes against… they had this whole speech, like, ‘What if somebody took your album and re-recorded it, and more people were listening to that,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay, I kind of get that, but I was having a good time. Alright that’s fine,'” T-Pain said.
Amusingly, Rockstar went on to hire the modding team behind role-play servers including FiveM and RedM, which was an irony that wasn’t lost on T-Pain.
“Then I started working on the game with them and then they teamed up with the people that make the RP sh*t, and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, what? What the f**ck?…Y’all tell me I can’t do this sh*t and then you team up with the people that enable the RP?” T-Pain said, laughing.
T-Pain didn’t elaborate on how exactly he’s contributing to GTA VI. IGN has reached out to Rockstar Games for comment.
T-Pain had been role-playing on NoPixel since at least 2021, when fans noticed that he had been whitelisted. According the server’s wiki, the idea behind NoPixel is to “talk, act, and proceed as the character you are playing.” The idea is to “create an immersive experience where players and viewers alike can experience stories and situations, in what is essentially another world.” GTA RP has been described as “essentially a gigantic long-running improv show,” making it a popular way to play among certain fans.
Elsewhere, not much is known about GTA VI right now, but it seems as if RP might have a significant (ahem) role to play in the upcoming sequel. For now, though, Rockstar Games is choosing to focus on the single-player story, which it showcased in its first trailer.
We’re sure to learn plenty more ahead of GTA VI’s 2025 release date. But in the meantime, plenty of fans are still playing on GTA V’s role-playing servers, just not T-Pain. For more, check out GTFM, our show in which we share theories about GTA VI and talk to former Rockstar developers about what to expect, as well as our ranking of every GTA to date.
Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.