T-Pain's name has become synonymous with auto-tune over the years.

As the hip-hop singer churned out hit after chart-topping hit throughout the last decade, fans have come to expect heavy voice manipulation as an essential component of his music. (In fact, if you search auto-tune on Wikipedia, you'll find an entire paragraph on T-Pain.)

However, in a recent performance for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, T-Pain proves that he never needed the audio processor to sing. Unlike many stars who now use auto-tune to hide their vocal abilities, or lack thereof, T-Pain has used it to make his music unique. 

"People felt like I was using it to sound good," the 30-year-old musician told NPR in an interview for "All Things Considered." "But I was just using it to sound different."

NPR requested that the T-Pain perform the Tiny Desk concert in addition to his interview. And it's clear that giving such an intimate live performance, devoid of any effects, is a little uncomfortable for the singer.

"This is weird as hell for me," says T-Pain to the small crowd assembled for his 13-minute performance.

He can't help but joke about the situation, considering most music listeners have no idea what his actual voice sounds like.

"I know everybody's wondering where the auto-tune's going to come from. It's okay. I've got it in my pocket," he says with a laugh. "It's all surgically inserted."

The singer, who has released countless hip-hop hits over the years, proceeds to perform a surprising rendition of "Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin')."

This is followed up by "Up Down (Do The All Day)" and "Drankin' Patna."

According the NPR, T-Pain will release a greatest hits album next week. It's unlikely that the collection will include an acoustic track but perhaps the star will be thinking of going au naturel for a song or two in the future?