When Bruno Mars wins, the entire team wins. So when Mars scooped up Grammy Awards for both Album of the Year and Best R&B Album last Sunday for 24K Magic, T-Pain did too since he wrote the LP’s “Straight Up & Down” track.

“I saw what it took to make that album,” Pain said via phone from Florida on Tuesday. “It was the first session I’ve been [in] where the artist was in with the whole band and the engineer. They’re all recording and catching a vibe. Instead of sticking everybody in a booth, it’s like a party where everybody is jamming out and having a good time. Everybody started grooving. So much fun and creativity among the whole group. Not just Bruno.”

Pain added, “Putting in all that work—a couple super long nights for me, [so] I know it had to be no less than months and months for him—it paid off. He went in, made some different shit and was real specific about what he wanted. That made it all worth it.”

Pre-Grammy-winning Mars was already in that upper echelon of recording artists and performers. He’s passed the super status and went to icon. But does Pain agree that Mars has transcended to legendary status yet?

“Not yet,” Pain says. “Legend status means undeniable. You gotta make people question whether they want to go to Grammys or not because you’re in the same category as them. He’s getting there for sure. He making the music he wants to make. He’s living his best life. That’s all you can ask for right now. Legends become legends because they don’t concentrate on being legends. They be so nonchalant about it [that] they don’t realize they slipped up on legendary status. Legends don’t try. It’s a natural thing. It’s very possible for Bruno. I saw how natural it was for him and how much fun he had in the studio.”

As for T-Pain, he’s working a couple projects and is is focused on getting some more Grammys next year.