This is what T-Pain sounds like without Auto-Tune

Spoiler: surprisingly good.

T-Pain, the artist who helped popularise Auto-Tune in the mid 2000s (think I'm on a Boat), has performed without it for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert Series. And he sounds really, really good.

T-Pain pioneered the use of Auto-Tune but was also affected by the backlash against the technique, as a New Yorker profile from March details. "People are, like, ‘You’re rich!’ What’re you so worried about?’" he told the magazine. "And I’m, like, money ain’t the issue here. Yeah, I can buy s**t. But I want people to like me, too! God damn!"