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2 Chainz is one of the most exciting characters in hip hop and an undeniable force in trap music. From a college basketball star to becoming one of the most recognizable voices in rap with some of the biggest hits of the early 2010s, 2 Chainz has had a fantastic career.
I’ve been listening to 2 Chainz for years since his Playaz Circle Days. When he rebranded as 2 Chainz and dropped massive hits like I’m Different and Birthday Song, it was clear that he would have a major impact on music. My favorite 2 Chainz album has to be Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, but he has a consistent catalog full of bangers and low-key cuts. Here is a look at the life and career of 2 Chainz.
2 Chainz Quick Facts
Birth Date | September 12th, 1977 |
Birth Place | College Park, Georgia |
Nick Name | Tity Boi, Drenchgod |
Nationality | American |
Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
Siblings | None |
Children | Harmony Epps, Halo Epps, Heaven Epps |
Partner/Spouse | Kesha Ward |
Most Successful Songs | Birthday Song, I’m Different |
Earnings | 1 million per year |
Net Worth | 12 million |
Social Media | @2chainz |
Awards | 1 Grammy, 2 BET Awards, 5 BET Hip Hop Awards |
Last Updated |
2 Chainz Birthplace
2 Chainz was born in College Park, Georgia, on September 12th, 1977. College Park is a small city in Fulton and Clayton Counties located just south of Atlanta.
2 Chainz Parents
Not much is known about 2 Chainz’s parents. His mother raised him while his dad was in prison, although he still has a close relationship with both.
In an interview with The Urban Daily, 2 Chainz opened up about their relationship, saying, “The fact that my mom raised me used to bother my pop. He didn’t know if a woman could raise a man. And they’d have differences of opinion all the time. My pops used to tell me things from prison, and as soon as he hung up, my mom would say, ‘don’t listen to him.”
In 2017, 2 Chainz shared a text exchange with his aunt where she thanked him for buying his mother a new house, revealing that he had purchased his mom a new crib just to thank her for all she did. So, it’s clear they have a great relationship.
2 Chainz Early Life
2 Chainz had a difficult childhood, growing up in an economically depressed neighborhood in College Park, Georgia. With his father in prison, his mother often struggled to make ends meet, so 2 Chainz felt he had to step up and help her put food on the table. As an only child, the young rapper had no other way to earn a living, so he took to the streets to support himself and contribute what he could to help his mother get by. But this led to trouble with the law, and at 15, he was arrested for cocaine possession.
Despite his illegal activities, he was still an exemplary student and a talented basketball player. At 6 foot five, 225 pounds, 2 Chainz was a star player on the North Clayton High School Basketball team. He graduated second in his class and earned a scholarship to play ball at Alabama State University.
He played on the team for two seasons from 1995 to 1997 and put up some decent numbers. But he again ran into some trouble which he is reluctant to speak about, and ended up transferring to Virginia State University. But, by the time he finished college, he was already rapping and decided to pursue a music career after graduating.
2 Chainz Professional Career
Playaz Circle
In 1997, 2 Chainz founded Playaz Circle alongside his friend from high school, Earl Conyers, aka Dolla Boy. At that point in his career, 2 Chainz was rapping under the name Tity Boi. The group released an album called United We Stand, United We Fall in 2002, which featured appearances from Lil Fate and 1-20 from Disturbing the Peace, a label founded by Ludacris.
Lil Fate eventually introduced 2 Chainz and Dolla Boy to Ludacris, and they all formed a close relationship. Luda even moved into the same apartment complex, and they began collaborating on records. He wanted to sign the group to his label, which 2 Chainz thought was a good move. But Dolla Boy wanted to wait until his mother’s health improved, so they delayed the signing for a year.
But while Ludacris was on his way to becoming one of the biggest Southern artists in the United States, Playaz Circle would experience a few setbacks. Dolla Boy would be incarcerated, and 2 Chainz would get shot, leading the group to take a hiatus from music.
They returned in 2007 to record their debut album for Disturbing the Peace/Def Jam, Supply & Demand. The album featured appearances from Ludacris and Phonte and Lil Wayne, who appeared on the group’s lead single, Duffle Bag Boy.
Duffle Bag Boy was the first 2 Chainz record I ever heard. It remains a classic trap record that showed his natural chemistry with Wayne, an artist he would continue to collaborate with for years to come.
Duffle Bag Boy was the group’s break-out hit and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. They also dropped an official remix that had appearances from Birdman, Juelz Santana, and a new verse from Lil Wayne.
The group released their second album, Flight 360: The Takeoff, two years later on June 23rd, 2009. The album had features from Lil Wayne, CeeLo Green, O.J. Da Juice Man, and Raekwon. The project did well commercially and debuted at number 74 on the Billboard 200. But it didn’t have any smash hits like Duffle Bag Boy and, in my opinion, is a weaker album than their debut.
Solo Career
Around that time, 2 Chainz decided to leave Disturbing the Peace and try his luck as a solo artist. He was already releasing solo mixtapes, including Me Against the World, All Ice on Me, and Trap-a-velli. So, Ludacris reluctantly agreed to let him off the label, which began his career as a solo artist.
In 2011, he changed his name from Tity Boi to 2 Chainz after facing accusations of sexism. He claimed that Tity Boi was a childhood nickname he was given because he was a mama’s boy and that it wasn’t meant to be derogatory. But he still decided to change it to avoid more scrutiny. The name change was clearly a good idea because 2 Chainz would have the biggest run of his career not long after.
He dropped the mixtape T.R.U. REALigion in 2011 featured appearances from Meek Mill, Big Sean, Young Jeezy, and more and amassed over 1 million downloads on filesharing site DatPiff. He would also be featured on huge songs like Mercy by Kanye West and Beez in the Trap by Nicki Minaj, which helped build hype for his upcoming album.
Based on a T.R.U. Story
He released his debut studio album, Based on a T.R.U. Story on March 24th, 2012. The project was a huge commercial success and featured hit songs like No Lie featuring Drake, Birthday Song featuring Kanye West, and I’m Different. The album debuted at number one on Billboard and was eventually certified platinum. It was also nominated for best rap album at the 55th Grammy Awards.
Based on a T.R.U. Story is an album jam-packed with bangers and features some of 2 Chainz’s most iconic tracks. It’s one of my favorite 2 Chainz albums and helped prove that he could find even more success as a solo artist.
The success of his debut album and the many singles it spawned helped skyrocket 2 Chainz into the upper echelons of rap. Not long after, he embarked on a sold-out solo tour and performed alongside Lil Wayne at the V.M.A.s.
BOATS II
He returned with Based on a T.R.U. Story II: Me Time in 2013, which featured guest appearances from Drake, Lil Wayne, Rich Homie Quan, Fergie, T-Pain, Pharrell, and many more. The album debuted at number three on Billboard, slightly lower than his debut, and spawned two singles, Feds Watching and Used 2. While BOATS II definitely has a few classic 2 Chainz tracks, it’s not as iconic and meme-worthy as his first album.
For his next full-length project, 2 Chainz teamed up with Lil Wayne for a collaborative album called Collegrove, a portmanteau of their hometowns of College Park and Hollygrove. The project was a bit of an ode to the Raekwon album Only Built 4 Cuban Links, which featured frequent appearances from Ghostface Killah, and Wayne contributed to all but three tracks.
Collegrove is a highly underrated album, in my opinion, and features some amazing performances from both rappers. While some of the tracks do sometimes feel a bit redundant, the two artists have such strong chemistry that makes the project work well.
Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
In 2016, 2 Chainz released two back-to-back mixtapes, Daniel Son – Neckless Don and Hibachi for Lunch. Although not his best work, these are fun projects that showed 2 Chainz experimenting with his sound.
He released his fourth studio album, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, on June 16th, 2017, which featured guest appearances from Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Migos, Drake, Ty Dolla Sign, and more. It produced four singles, Good Drank, 4 AM, and It’s a Vibe and debuted at number 2 on Billboard.
Pretty Girls Like Trap Music is my favorite 2 Chainz album, and I feel like it’s his most personal. On this album, he gets a bit more introspective and goes beyond the swag rap style that made him famous. I think it’s his most complete body of work and features some of my all-time favorite 2 Chainz songs.
The album’s release would also coincide with a nationwide tour and pop-up shops across the country. The same year, 2 Chainz began hosting a show on VICE called Most Expensivest, where he would sample expensive products and food.
Later Career
He released an E.P. called The Play Don’t Care Who Makes it in 2018, which featured appearances from Offset and YG. He then returned with a studio album called Rap or Go to the League in 2019, which had the hit single Rule the World with Ariana Grande and appearances from Travis Scott, Young Thug, Chance the Rapper, Kodak Black, E-40, and more.
He kept his foot on the gas and released another album called So Help Me God! in November 2020, which featured Lil Wayne on the single Quarantine Thick and appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Chief Keef, Kanye West, N.B.A. Youngboy, and many more.
In 2022, he released another album called Dope Don’t Sell Itself, which he claims will be his last trap album. While not his strongest work, it’s nice to see that 2 Chainz still has a hunger for the game and continues to explore new ideas.
2 Chainz Video
2 Chainz Family
2 Chainz is an only child and has no siblings. He married Kesha Ward in 2018, and they have three children together, Halo Epps, Harmony Epps, and Heaven Epps.
2 Chainz Dating and Relationship History
2 Chainz and his wife Kesha Ward have been dating since 2006, way before the rapper was famous on a mainstream level. Kesha is a businesswoman and philanthropist who owns a childcare facility, a recreation and entertainment venue in Atlanta, and runs the T.R.U. Foundation, a not-for-profit. She is the mother of all three of his children, although they were born before the couple was married.
2 Chainz originally proposed in 2013, but they had to postpone the wedding for many years due to their hectic schedules. He finally proposed again at the Met Gala in 2018, and the couple was married later that year.
2 Chainz Net Worth
2 Chainz has an estimated net worth of around $12 million. Outside of music, he’s also been involved in several business ventures that have added to his impressive earnings. He makes money touring, selling merch, and album sales. He also has his own label called T.R.U. Entertainment through a partnership with Atlantic.
In 2021, 2 Chainz and Juicy J got into the solar energy game by investing in a company called Heliogin, which is supposed to be worth over $ 2 billion. The rapper also owns his own Cannabis brand, GAS Cannabis, which teamed up with DTC lifestyle technology brand Camp Nova to create a new online shopping experience for cannabis users.
He’s also a minority owner in the College Park Sky Hawks, an NBA G League Affiliate, and started his own line of hoodies and sweaters in 2016. 2 Chainz has so many business ventures that he’s even considered the idea of starting his own venture firm.
2 Chainz Real Estate and Residence History
2 Chainz also owns an impressive portfolio of real estate.
In 2012, 2 Chainz purchased a mansion in foreclosure on 22 acres in Palmetto, Georgia, and rehabbed it to live in himself.
In 2016, he purchased a lavish home in the Hollywood Hills worth about $2.5 million. The Mediterranean-style residence features 3400 square feet of space with a home recording studio chef’s kitchen, three bedrooms, and five bathrooms.
In 2022, he also bought another extravagant Los Angeles mansion worth about $3.8 million. The 8,800 square foot house features six bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms, a home movie theater, a swimming pool, and a sun deck with an outdoor kitchen.
2 Chainz Famous Quotes
“I can say sincerely, don’t take your voice for granted. It is truly what makes us all equal.” – 2 Chainz
“I just be comfortable in my own skin; I might wear anything.” – 2 Chainz
“My whole story is just about me having a second chance.” – 2 Chainz
2 Chainz Discography
With Playaz Circle
- 2007 – Supply and Demand
- 2009 – Flight 360: The Takeoff
Mixtapes
- 2007 – Me Against the World
- 2009 – All Ice on Me
- 2009 – Trap-a-veli
- 2010 – Me Against the World 2: Codeine Withdrawal
- 2010 – Trap-a-Velli 2 (The Residue)
- 2011 – Codeine Cowboy
- 2011 – T.R.U. REALigion
- 2015 – T.R.U. Jack City (with T.R.U. University)
- 2015 – Trapaveli Tre
- 2016 – Daniel Son Necklace Don
Studio Albums
- 2012 – Based on a T.R.U. Story
- 2013 – BOATS II: Me Time
- 2016 – Collegrove
- 2017 – Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
- 2019 – Rap or Go to the League
- 2020 – So Help Me God
- 2022 – Dope Don’t Sell Itself
FAQ
Answer: Early in his career, 2 Chainz went by the name Tity Boi, which was his childhood nickname. But as he started to gain popularity, he faced accusations of sexism and misogyny that he frequently denied. After a while, he decided it wasn’t worth the fight and changed his name to be more brand-friendly.
Answer: 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne have a strong relationship that goes back many decades. The first time Wayne shouted out his friend was on the song Where You At from his 500 Degreez album, where he raps, “Yeah Tity baby put it in the air!”. The two would later appear side by side on a remix to the Ludacris track Grew Up a Screw Up in 2006. Then the following year, Wayne would be featured on the Playaz Circle song, Duffle Bag Boy, which helped launch 2 Chanz career.
Answer: Despite being in the music industry for many years, 2 Chainz did not truly blow up on a mainstream level until he was 35. He had a hit with Playaz Circle when he was in his early 30s, but didn’t cross over to a mainstream level until he changed his name and released his T.R.U. REALigion mixtape in 2011.
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