Mark Zuckerberg Teases Jaw-Dropping Rap Debut with T-Pain Weeks After Swaggy Glow-Up Shocks the Internet
It appears Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg could lend his support on a track with recording artist T-Pain.
On Nov. 11, the social media hyphenate posted a photo on his Instagram Story of himself in a recording studio with the “Can’t Believe It” hitmaker.
“It’s happening guys,” the 40-year-old Meta Platforms CEO wrote over the picture T-Pain also posted on his Instagram Story with the words, “It is time.”
Both men wore headphones as the Grammy-winning “Buy U a Drank” crooner played on a keyboard. An acoustic guitar was also in the shot.
Zuckerberg and T-Pain have displayed a friendly relationship in the past. The two 40-year-olds linked up for a public video conference in Aug 2022.
The Auto-Tune aficionado wanted to hold the online meeting with the billionaire businessman because he was having trouble with his direct messages.
In addition to DMs, they talked about social media algorithms, changes to the Meta Platforms-owned Instagram app, and online bullying.
“I can’t thank you enough for coming through here,” T-Pain told Zuckerberg about joining him for the conversation. Zuck responded, “I appreciate you doing this as a public service announcement.”
Zuckerberg and Pain’s social media connections continued. In July 2024, Zuckerberg uploaded a video to his Instagram page showing off a piece of jewelry Pain gifted to him.
The Nappy Boy Entertainment record label founder sent the former Harvard University student a gold pendant featuring the Nappy Boy and Meta logos.
“Thanks @tpain for the epic new chain,” Zuckerberg wrote in the clip’s caption. Pain’s “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” single played in the background.
Zuck added, “Perfect opportunity to show how the new Segment Anything AI research model we’re releasing today can track different objects in the same video. Lots of fun video effects will be possible with this.”
The Rap Instagram account reposted Zuckerberg’s studio pic with T-Pain. Some commenters expressed shock at the music/tech crossover, while others made light of the union.
“Mark Zuckerberg was in the studio with who???” one person asked. Another Instagram user joked, “They tryna figure out how to give him built-in auto-tune.”
One fan wrote, “The collab you never knew you needed.” In contrast, a critic stated, “They are NOT cooking.”
Additionally, people mentioned Zuckerberg’s technology industry rival Elon Musk. For instance, someone commented, “Bro bout to drop a diss track for Elon.”
The battle of the billionaires between Zuckerberg and Musk hit a fever pitch in 2023. Zuck’s Meta Platforms launched the Threads social media service in July of that year.
Threads served as a direct competitor to the Musk-run X (formerly Twitter) social media app. In response to his new market challenger, Musk jokingly challenged Zuck to fight “any place, any time, any rules.”
Speculation of a “cage match” involving Musk and Zuckerberg became the talk of the internet. UFC president Dana White was even rumored to be involved in putting the charity event together.
“Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all. I spoke to the PM of Italy and Minister of Culture. They have agreed on an epic location,” Musk tweeted on Aug. 11, 2023, about a potential live streamed fighting event.
Two days later, Zuckerberg shot down the possibility of an MMA-style bout against Musk. The Brazilian jiujitsu-trained fighter addressed the situation on Threads.
“I think we can all agree Elon isn’t serious and it’s time to move on. I offered a real date. Dana White offered to make this a legit competition for charity,” Zuck wrote.
He continued, “Elon won’t confirm a date, then says he needs surgery, and now asks to do a practice round in my backyard instead. If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, time to move on. I’m going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously.”
The Zuckerberg versus Musk MMA fight will likely not happen soon. However, Zuck followers can seemingly look forward to his collaborative effort with T-Pain.
What would a Zuckerberg and T-Pain collab sound like? The current fourth-wealthiest person in the world’s musical preferences may shed light on that question.
According to Hypebeast, some of Zuck’s favorite musicians include pop stars Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga as well as EDM pioneers Daft Punk. He is also said to be a fan of rapper Eminem.
T-Pain’s musical style leans on the hip-hop and R&B genres. The Tallahassee, Florida, native has three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including a guest feature on Flo Rida’s “Low.”
