CENIPLUG

T-Pain **'s way to the top wasn't easy. The Tallahassee, FL singer-songwriter, producer and rapper had to prove naysayers wrong since childhood.

"I wasn't treated that well in school by the kids. I used to get picked on a whole lot. Fat, chubby, tubby, they would make me try to do pushups," T-Pain says on the 'Behind the Music' episode. "Coming from somewhere where nobody liked you, nobody talked to you and now everybody wants to like you and talk to you… I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let anybody or anything hold me back."

T-Pain kept his promise. In 2007, T-Pain claimed four of Billboard's top singles, most notably a guest spot on Kanye West **'s "Good Life." 'Ye's hit earned T-Pain his first Grammy for Best Rap Song.

With another Hot 100 hit, 2011's "5 O'Clock," T-Pain isn't slowing down. He's even launched his own charity, "If I Could Change the World," and will host a celebratory benefit concert on March 31.

"You gotta learn how to fly. You're either gonna hit the ground or you're gonna hit the sky and I chose to hit the sky," he says. "I'm just taking a ride. Whatever's brought my way. Whatever stops we make, it can only get better."