T-Pain paid tribute to the late Oliver Tree in a powerful way this weekend.
The rapper surprised fans at Electric Forest this weekend by debuting a previously unreleased collaboration they recorded together before Tree’s death earlier this month, according to TMZ. The emotional moment took place during T-Pain’s back-to-back set with Shaquille O’Neal aka DJ Diesel at the Michigan festival.
Fan-recorded footage captured a glimpse of the track, which begins as a slow, reflective song with Tree singing about chasing dreams before transforming into an energetic dance anthem. As the music played, a montage of Tree appeared on the giant screen behind the performers, transforming the beginning into a heartfelt tribute.
Tree died on June 14 at the age of 32 after a helicopter collision above Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a neighborhood in southwest Rio de Janeiro. Six people were killed in the crash and authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.
T-Pain, born Faheem Rashad Najm, paid tribute to his friend on social media on the day of his death by sharing a video from a 2023 reunion.
“I will never forget that lesson from Oliver or the time we spent [Nappy Boy Radio podcast]. Thank you for sharing your art and always being different in the best way possible. We’ll see each other on the good side,” he wrote.
In the clip, the two kiss before Tree jokes, “Isn’t it crazy that we’re both DJs now? We’re done singing!”
