Who Is 2 Chainz?

Growing Up In Atlanta 

2 Chainz: “I was raised by single parents in an apartment. Me and my friends had the same [lifestyle] as far as hustling, playing ball, and things of that nature. Most of my friends were like my brothers.

“I was raised by a single parent, my mom. I’ve been paying bills since I was about 14. I got my first drug case—which was a possession of cocaine case—when I was 15 so I became a man very early. I learned a lot from my mistakes. Those are some of the scenarios I went through coming up in an environment where everybody around me did the same thing, had the same hobbies, and had the same goals.

“The apartment building I grew up in is gone after the airport [paid off the residents] and knocked it down to expand the runaway. I used to like when people go back [to their old house] like, ‘You know I stayed here?’ And they knock on people’s doors and people come out and they be like, ‘This was my room’ That was a dream of mine. But that’s not going to work for me. [Laughs.] I moved around a lot, but the majority of [the places I grew up in are] gone.”

Starting To Rap & Influences

2 Chainz: “Rap was my first job. I used to just play around, but I didn’t take it seriously, it was like a hobby. When I started seeing what I could do as far as my family and bringing people together, being around people that turn words into good situations, I guess me just being in the presence of successful people led me to believe that rap could be a real life changer.

“[My influences], coming from Atlanta, would have to be OutKast and Goodie Mob. Then you had 8Ball & MJG, UGK, Geto Boys and Scarface and that’s just on the Southern part. I [have the] East Coast influence from groups I love like Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep.”

Meeting Ludacris

2 Chainz: “Ludacris is from the Southside. He was also a radio personality in Atlanta. We were trying to get our music played and we found out he was interested in music as well, so we had some of the same things in common. He was big in building what I have going on now.

“Chris was so smart that he was one of the guys that moved into my apartment complex just to get a check [from the airport people] to get a bigger crib. I wish I had that kind of chess playing moves to find ways to get money the way that he did back then.”

Playaz Circle & “Duffle Bag Boy”

2 Chainz: “It feels like I been knowing Dolla Boy for forever. We came up together in the same apartment complex. We’ve been brothers all our life. We know each other’s moms, sisters, kids, siblings, it’s a family-oriented thing. We stayed in the same hood, hustled on the same corner.

“It was very exciting, the whole era behind ‘Duffle Bag Boy’ is where it took us and the traveling and the networking and actually meeting people but you know we had a superstar on the song by the name of Lil Wayne, but it was just temporary relief. I didn’t feel it was going to last long because it happened so quick.

“I learned during that whole process and I studied different techniques on how to promote and market. We put the album out and I don’t feel that is was promoted or marketed properly but every artist who doesn’t sell that well will have that as an excuse. Basically, I just moved on to build my own techniques and strategies and that’s what I’m doing with the 2 Chainz movement.”

Changing His Name From Tity Boi

2 Chainz: “I didn’t name myself 2 Chainz, things just happen coming from where I come from organically. Tity Boi thing came from my household [because I was an only child who was close to my mom]. It’s a dirt road statement, it’s some southern slang. Contrary to what people believe, it’s not disrespectful towards women. It’s just people judging a book by it’s cover.

“I’ve felt like I’ve always brought attention to go hard in rapping. 2 Chainz came up, I’ve been saying that in my songs as well. I think the way I delivered it just kind of made it more women friendly and more kid friendly.

“With the lack of a lot music being out, I just started filling lanes and people just started finding things. What makes people mess with me now is actually me working hard. The name is cool too but its me working hard [not changing my name].”

Live Shows

2 Chainz: “A few weeks ago I had about six shows in three days. I’ve done maybe 115 shows this year. Sometimes I have two in one night. It’s work. I’m able to connect with the fans and myself on stage. I don’t think it’s too serious, I smile, I dance, I have fun.

“I love the music that I’m performing. I do crowd participation, I take pictures, I sign autographs. I’m very appreciative to be in this moment. I think that keeps me on the road. I’m a people person.

“[You have to] stay humble. You have a lot of people [use the word] “Hollywood” [to describe someone]. I’m appreciative of the moment so I just take the time out to speak and do autographs or whatever.”

Mixtapes

2 Chainz: “There are so many avenues to eat, there’s things that we’ve learned to do with a mixtape. . I used to use mixtapes as throw aways. But now I come at it a different way; I do photo shoots, I do videos for all my songs, I do marketing, I do t-shirts, I sell sweatshirts, I sell cups, I do a lot of things.

“I have creative control, I’m picking the beats and arranging the songs. I get it mixed, I get it mastered, the whole nine. I feel like an [independent] label. I have a lot of creative ideas and I enjoy injecting them whether it be for directing a video or whether it be on how to work a record.

“I’ve done everything off a mixtape except go overseas. So the one I just dropped, True Religion, that’s what I plan on doing with this one, get my passport it’s time to step out. I’ve maxed out what you can do with an actual mixtape because it’s everywhere I think it’s more accessible than an actual album. I realize that because I’m on the road a lot and I just take advantage of that.

“As far mixtapes, this is my ninth solo mixtape. And then I’ve done the Playas Circle mixtapes as well as the Duffle Bag Boys mixtapes. And two albums. It’s not over night for me. People think I came out of nowhere. It was just me constantly swinging and digging and trying to get it to go. I’m confident in what I do and I felt like I had the respect from a lot of my rap peers, it was just trying to connect the dots with a lot of my fans.

“Right now I’m with my interior decorator and we’re working on my 22 acre house, I bought that off mixtapes.”

Guests On T.R.U. REALigion

2 Chainz: “I know I have a lot of features on my mixtapes but that was just really showing my networking abilities. That’s for labels to look at and gauge where I’m at with it. I feel like I can hold it down on my own anyway. When I have a feature from Jeezy, Gutta, and Birdman it’s just me showing the label that I can get Birdman on the phone, I can get Jeezy, I can get a turnaround maybe faster than someone else.

“People ask me how I get a lot of those features. They were actually as easy as just reaching out. Shoutout to Trey Songz and a few other people that actually reached out to me and wanted to be on my project because they knew where I was going and where I was coming from.

“It felt like a celebration because I still don’t know what’s going on as far as maximizing my full potential. I don’t even think I’ve even nearly peaked yet. I haven’t even put out an album, this is everything I’m doing off mixtapes. For people to genuinely want to be a part of it, and genuinely be available to shoot videos, it felt right.”

Kreayshawn

2 Chainz: “Kreayshawn is a fan of my music. Mister Fab reached out and said, ‘This little white girl is a fan of your music.’ We end up communicating and exchanging numbers. For a long time people didn’t even know but we talked on the phone. She’s always overseas so it was cool for her to do a feature for me because I understand she’s not doing songs for anybody besides maybe me or Snoop or whatever.

“That shows my networking and my campaign are what people want to be a part of it. She was one of the people that gave back the feature in quicker. I thought she was going to be last, but she turned her feature in a little bit earlier than everybody. So I really appreciate shorty and we plan on shooting a video. I’ma let her shoot it real soon out her way [in Oakland] so that would be a cool experience.”

The “Being Real” Campaign

2 Chainz: “My campaign is about being real, being an individual, being a leader. It’s about me not laughing at jokes that’s not funny. It’s me being me and it’s taken me far. When I call it’s really not a big deal, it’s been that way since before ‘Duffle Bag Boy,’ that’s how me and Wayne been so cool. It wasn’t hard getting that record done [with Wayne] at all [because of my relationship with him].

“I feel like being real is a minority, that’s what my campaign is. I feel like we don’t have too many real people left. I’m just trying to separate myself from other individuals as far as me being accessible. I’m here, I’m not going to have a good day every day, but me being able to just be real with the situation, appreciative of the situation, being appreciative of people liking my campaign.

“I feel like I’m a real dude, I know everybody feels that, so I think it’s an overused word but i try to show it by my actions. That’s the general campaign. you know how you do 140 some shows in the South Eastern region alone, then a lot of places four times. I actually went to Chicago four times before they put me in rotation so, it’s something right.”

Gangsta Grillz

2 Chainz: “I felt like the brand was tainted. When Jeezy and them were doing it, it was cool. But when I could tell people were paying to get them done, I just didn’t buy it any more. I just didn’t feel like it was something that I needed to get to the next level.

“But I’ve been in the game for a minute. I remember when DJ Drama used to be a part of budgets, it felt like you had to do a Gangsta Grillz. So I just felt like it didn’t hold as much weight. I felt like I do without a Gangsta Girllz or without a co-sign because I was being real to the game.

“But yeah, it was time [for me to do one]. It was perfect timing for this. I did the remix for him, me Trey Songz, and Big Sean. it was a good look. I don’t even see me doing another mixtape anytime soon so it was just appropriate.”

Fashion

2 Chainz: “I could say a little flamboyant but exclusive at the same time. I like getting things first, I like having things other people don’t have. That’s kind of how I’ve been since I was young. I’m into high fashion.

“People might think it’s a waste of time and money, but that’s just me. I enjoy my Louies, I enjoy my Ballies, I enjoy my Guccis. I like the shoes that cost. Air Force Ones, you might as well buy a 10 of them. I just buy one pair of Louies and know they will last four or five years. That’s what I do. I look at it that way. I feel that way about my designer, just my swag, I’ve been that way on and off the camera. [The belt I got on right now] is $490.

“I’m chilling at the furniture store right now and we are swagged out in here. I’m looking at a few things. I don’t get a chance to do this, so it’s kind of exciting. The way I feel about fashion is the way I feel about furniture. I have a very reputable interior decorator by the name of Simone, she does a lot of stuff for everybody in Atlanta so, I think it’s time for me to start messing with somebody like her.”

Major Labels

2 Chainz: “A lot of things are changing in my life. I can predict a deal coming pretty soon or something like that. That’s an option. Everything is working right now, I can’t complain. Every label [has courted me for a deal].

“Buy you gotta understand, what am I really in a rush for? They are a rush because I have a song that has almost 1000 spins and another songs that’s about to have a couple hundred spins and I’m an independent doing the same radio shows, satellite radio shows, so I have some of the same connects. I’m not saying I have it all figured out but I have a great publicist and a great team. I’m in a position that everything they can offer me, I already have.

“I mean it’s something to do of course. If the money is right and the situation is right for the future. But for the present right now, we have a lot of things set. They can come and get behind the situation and get behind this machine that we already have. I like to say we have our own machine working.

“People know, I got a lot of peers. I talk to a lot of these cats. They are kind of rooting me too. Pimp C said a long time ago that they don’t want us to unionize, they enjoy the beef and all that. By me being by myself and rolling like this, I’m manning up. This is our job, this is how we take care of our family.

“A few artist just know how to to use it for my advantage and work the situation. I can’t get everything done. I got T.I. on a song but that doesn’t necessarily mean we are going to shoot a video. So I can take it as far as I can. Some people may have to come in and assist in the process.”

Future

2 Chainz: “I’m just really excited about what the game has to offer, what it’s assured me. I know it’s declinement [sic] right now. We can’t even get basketball this year, so I know the money is real tight. Money is real funny, so I just feel like I’m blessed to even have time to do something like this. I know that it came from me working hard and being independent. I’m excited to see what’s next for 2 Chainz.

“I’m a strong believer in hard work paying off and planting seeds and watching them grow. Coming from where I come from, that’s the only thing I have. Me working hard and being able to hustle for what you want and what you have. I applied a lot of my street techniques to music as far as staying consistent and being relevant. I believe that’s how everything works.”