T-Pain paid tribute to the late Oliver Tree in a powerful way over the weekend.
The rapper surprised fans at Electric Forest over the weekend by performing an unreleased collaboration they recorded together before Tree’s death earlier this month, according to TMZ. The emotional moment unfolded during T-Pain’s back-to-back set with Shaquille O’Neal, aka DJ Diesel, at the Michigan festival.
Fan-recorded footage captured a preview of the song, which begins as a slow, reflective song with Tree singing about chasing dreams before turning into a high-energy dance anthem. As the music played, a montage of Tree appeared on the giant screen behind the artists, turning the debut into a heartfelt tribute.
Tree died on June 14 at age 32 after a helicopter crash over Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a neighborhood in the southwest of Rio de Janeiro. Six people died in the crash and authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.
T-Pain, whose real name is Faheem Rashad Najm, honored his friend on social media on the day of his death by sharing a video of a 2023 reunion.
“I will never forget this lesson from Oliver or the time we spent together. [Nappy Boy Radio podcast]. Thank you for sharing your art and for always being different in the best way possible. See you on the positive side,” he wrote.
In the clip, the pair embrace before Tree jokes: “Isn’t it crazy that we’re both DJs now? We’re done with the singing thing!”
