I'm living proof you can excel regardless of where you come from.
The talk-box thing that T-Pain does is something new and different for this generation because they don't know about Zapp or Teddy Riley. I think he's creative and has made the talk-box his own in the hip-hop world, but if these young ones studied their musical history, they'd know that.
Don't get caught up in the 'look' thing. Sometimes, we as men and women, the first thing that attracts us to someone is their physical appearance, and that's not always a good thing because what's good on the outside is not always good on the inside.
I'm not in the clubs; I'm a homebody. I go out when I feel I have to for work or if there's a special function. You might catch me at the grocery store, but you won't see me out and about in Atlanta.