Yes folks, the father of Auto-Tune is coming to town. If you haven’t heard T-Pain before, there are four basic things you need to know: 1. He loves shawtys; 2. He actually has a good voice but uses Auto-Tune because he thinks it’s cooler; 3. He will buy you a drank if you are a shawty and/or know how to “talk money”; 4. He may or may not be in love with a stripper right now.

Oh, he also lost four teeth in a golf cart accident, but that’s neither here nor there.

Florida-born R&B hip-hop singer T-Pain hit it big in 2005 with his tracks “I’m Sprung” and the aforementioned “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper),” which features the ever-forgettable Mike Jones. Almost a decade later, T-Pain is still locked in people’s minds, and probably will be forever. Pop music’s maddening use of Auto-Tune rages on, and we have only one man to thank. In 2008, Mr. Pain personally demanded credit for the Auto-Tune sensation, stating that all other artists using electronic voice enhancements were biting his style.

All this aside, though, T-Pain’s influence is undeniable. His fingerprints (and voice) can be found all over artists such as Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Akon and Jamie Foxx, to name a few. He’s also done some acting work, and he probably has a damn fine sense of humor considering he’s worked with The Lonely Island (the comedy hip-hop trio comprising SNL’s Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) on their song “I’m On a Boat.”

One more thing: T-Pain actually does have an excellent singing voice. Live, he does not use Auto-Tune. It’s definitely worth seeing because you’ll leave wondering why in the hell he bothers correcting his voice in the first place. But don’t expect to hear those sweet vocals at 7:30 pm sharp because a slew of performers hit the stage first including Las Vegas hip-hop artist Denovo, EP, Luis V, Salem’s Leek, Portland’s Rse Gld Suave and Eugene’s Derek Dfk Harris and Greg “Shoulders” Jr.

T-Pain plays 7:30 pm Thursday, March 13, at Studio 44; $30 adv., $130 VIP.