‘Is he looking for a Bartender?’: Fans react to T-Pain opening own restaurant

Rapper says he has been inspired by his parent’s business growing up

Musician is yet to share details of the new venture (Getty Images)

Rapper T-Pain has announced that he is opening his own restaurant.

In posts to both his Instagram and Twitter, the “I’m Sprung” singer said the purchase cements a “new chapter” in his life where he is “taking a leap on anything I truly love and believe in”.

“I DID IT BOIS!!!! I’m officially a restaurant owner [sic],” the 37-year-old wrote alongside a picture of him inside a restaurant building, holding up a set of keys.

The musician, whose full name is Faheem Rasheed Najm, did not disclose where the restaurant is located, what he plans to call it, or the kind of food it will serve.

“Got my keys today and I’m scared as s***. BUT! I can no longer ignore the paths God has set for me just because I don’t understand or I’m scared,” he said.

“I’ve learned that if I’m not afraid, that means I’m in my comfort zone, that may be what some people want.

“In this new chapter of my life I’m taking the leap on anything I truly love and believe in. I’m fully in control and don’t have to ask for permission to believe in myself anymore.”

The news has been welcomed by fans, many of whom have suggested names for the upcoming business.

“You should name your restaurant ‘Buy U A Drank’,” one person said, referencing one of T-Pain’s singles.

Some asked whether the rapper was currently looking to hire a “Bartender” – the name of another earlier hit.

“My new dream is to be a bartender for T-Pains restaurant,” one Twitter user wrote.

Another said: “There has to be a ‘let me Buy U A Drank’ hour.”

T-Pain’s pivot to the hospitality industry is not wholly surprising, given that his mother, Aliyah, used to be a chef.

His parents also owned a restaurant, named Fish N D Pocket, in Tallahassee, Florida, where he grew up.

Sharing photographs of him and his father, Shasheem, outside the family business, T-Pain said: “I grew up in this place. I know the risks. I know how stressful it is. I know the success rate.”

The rapper recalled helping his parents pick up supplies for the restaurant every week, and how his father’s mind was “scattered...trying to balance all his different lives at once”.

“But he was strong and he made a promise to the family that he was determined to keep, and I got that same fire in me.

“My favorite memory is when the local news came to interview my dad about the restaurant and one of the questions was: ‘So, why did you decide to name your restaurant Fish N D Pocket?’”

“My dad’s crazy ass goes: ‘Well when you own something you can name it whatever the f*** you want’. The reporter was immediately like ‘OK I think we got what we need’.”