T-Pain's The Iron Way is due out later this week (March 27), and now he's revealed a very special featured artist -- the late R&B singer Aaliyah. While speaking to Vibe about the new mixtape, he explained how he got ahold of the unheard vocals for his new song "Girlfriends."
"This is vocals people never heard before," he told them. "They were actually doing an Aaliyah album a few years ago. They told me to do two songs and I could pick one to keep. So I've just kinda been holding that one in the vault."
He continued: "Once this mixtape came up I was like, this is the time I need to record my verse and my vocals and slam it on this mixtape. It's a slower song. It's not a ballad, but you know what I'm saying. It's called 'Girlfriends,' and it's basically about [if] you can't beat 'em, can't join 'em, you go do your thing, stop spending money on these b*tches. I have many plans of breaking the Internet this year."
When asked whether he was concerned about the backlash of using the work of such a revered artist, he said he wasn't worried about criticism.
"I wasn't old enough to work with her when she was alive," he explained. "I don't think it will cause any conflict, but at the same time, I don't expect it to all be good. But that's with everything -- you never expect everything to be 100 percent positive."
In addition to his Gangsta Grillz mixtape, Pain is also gearing up for the release of his upcoming album Stoicville: The Phoenix, which is due out later this year.
Are you excited to hear new vocals from the late Aaliyah? Sound off in the comments section below!
