Following his run as a founding member of Def Jam duo Playaz Circle from his native Atlanta, 2 Chainz’ name was on everyone’s lips in 2012, when he stole a verse on “Mercy,” fellow Def Jam artist Kanye West/G.O.O.D. Music’s RIAA triple-platinum #1 R&B/#1 Rap hit (from Cruel Summer). After the breakthrough chart success of his T.R.U REALigion mixtape in 2011, Chainz arrived as a Def Jam solo artist with Based On A T.R.U. Story, his debut album, in August 2012. B.O.A.T.S.entered Soundscan at #1 and was certified RIAA gold. Its success was fueled by the RIAA platinum #1 “No Lie”featuring Drake, the double-platinum “Birthday Song” featuring Kanye West, and double-platinum “I’m Different.” “Mercy” was subsequently a Grammy® nominee for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance, while B.O.A.T.S.was nominated for Best Rap Album. Chainz’ dominance was extended when the sequel, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time entered the Soundscan hip-hop chart at #1 in September 2013, and spun off the RIAA gold single, “Feds Watching”featuring Pharrell.
In 2016, Chainz brought it back to his essence with a series of mixtapes that dominated the streets: Felt Like Cappin, Daniel Son; Necklace Don, and Hibachi For Lunch. Also in 2016, he released the lauded collaborative album ColleGrove with New Orleans hip-hop luminary Lil Wayne. Critics agreed that 2 Chainz conquered 2016, with the New York Times proclaiming “all hail our greatest punch line rapper, 2 Chainz.” The year was capped off with his first Grammy Award, Best Rap Performance for his verse on Chance The Rapper’s hit song “No Problem.”
With momentum on his side, 2 Chainz released his first solo album since 2013: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music (June 2017) was accompanied by a 35-city tour of North America through September. Chainz’ TV appearances included visits with Jimmy Kimmel (HERE), Jimmy Fallon (HERE), and Trevor Noah (HERE). 2018 brought the EP releases The Play Don’t Care Who Makes It (February, with the RIAA gold “Proud” featuring YG and Offset), and Hot Wings Are A Girl’s Best Friend (November). Rap Or Go To The League, arrived March 2019, and included three multi-platinum hits: “4 AM” featuring Travis Scott; “It’s A Vibe” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz and Jhené Aiko; and “Good Drank” featuring Quavo and Gucci Mane. Chainz foresaw covid’s new normal on his January 2020 single + video release, “Dead Man Walking” featuring Future. SO HELP ME GOD, Chainz’ sixth studio album via Def Jam arrived November 2020, containing the singles “Money Maker” featuring Lil Wayne and “Quarantine Thick”featuring Mulatto. In a worldwide exclusive the day before the album release, unreleased songs from the album were premiered by NBA 2K21 on current- and next-gen consoles – a groundbreaking milestone for the release of major label music in a video game, yet another example of Chainz’ impact on popular culture. It encompasses not only music but his Most Expensivest cable tv series on VICELAND, his “Chain Reaction” sneaker collaboration with Versace, his GAS Cannabis Co. brand, and his 2019 Super Bowl LIII Expensify tv spot with Adam Scott. TheRinger.com was inspired to write: “Forget Mount Rushmore – 2 Chainz deserves his own national monument. This year dude is top five humans of all time.”
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