The tale of Tauheed Epps, famously known as 2 Chainz and formerly known as Tity Boi – is a rebranding success story rarely witnessed in any genre, let alone hip-hop. Originally signed to Ludacris’ Disturbing Tha Peace label as one half of the duo Playaz Circle, Epps’ career reached its high as Tity Boi in 2007 with the Lil Wayne-featuring hit single “Duffle Bag Boy.” Yet by 2011, Epps was no longer with Disturbing Tha Peace, and in an effort to appear more family friendly as hip-hop began to take over the pop charts, Tity Boi became 2 Chainz overnight.
By the release of Kanye West’s “Mercy” in April of 2012, 2 Chainz had become bigger than Playaz Circle/Tity Boi could have ever imagined. Since his arrival into the rap game, 2 Chainz has released 5 albums, 5 mixtapes, 4 EPs, 10 platinum singles, and countless guest features all solidifying his dominance within mainstream hip-hop. Below you can find what we believe to be the 25 Best 2 Chainz songs. Let us know how we did in the comments.
Disclaimer: This list comprises 2 Chainz’s solo discography and songs where he appears as the main act. As such, it does not include songs where he is a featured artist.
Producer: Murda Beatz & G Koop
Album: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
The third single off Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, “It’s a Vibe,” features three of R&B’s biggest hitters in Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz, and Jhene Aiko. Ty Dolla Sign’s verse is incredibly basic, essentially just repeating, “It’s a vibe,” while Trey Songz goes for a similar, yet more graphic direction. Meanwhile, 2 Chainz brings some bars, rapping, “My ego is enormous like my crib in California; If you ain’t got no heart, man you gonna need a donor;” later adding, “Carbon copies get declined, I’m the pioneer, Beat that pussy up, I need riot gear.” Lastly, we hear from the oft-sultry, Jhene Aiko, who opts for a similar route to the one taken by Ty Dolla Sign. In the end, “It’s a Vibe” isn’t exactly 2 Chainz’s finest lyrical work, but rather… it’s a vibe.
24) “I Feel Like” feat. Kevin Gates (2015)
Producer: Hitmaka & Arch The Boss
Album: Trapavelli Tre
2 Chainz’s 2015 mixtape track, “I Feel Like” featuring Kevin Gates, finds the two southern rappers exactly where they should be: reflecting on the game at the top of their game. To go from the bottom to the top must be a unique experience to share with another artist, as Chainz and Gates relate with one another over the highs and lows of success. 2 Chainz raps, “I bought my momma a crib before I got my own place; Picked my pop us from prison and gave ‘em places to stay; See I am handpicked by God, I defied all the odds; I need a sign that say foreigns only in my garage.” “I Feel Like” stands as one of 2 Chainz’s strongest mixtape songs since becoming a mainstream name in hip-hop.
23) “Crack” (2012)
Producer: Southside
Album: Based on a T.R.U. Story
2 Chainz’s 2012 song “Crack” lays out its thesis statement from the jump – “Started from the trap, now I rap; No matter where I’m at, I got crack.” Produced by 808 Mafia co-founder, Southside, “Crack” sets a nice street rap tone to his debut album, before hitting listeners over the head with all the radio hits. Chainz and Southside have a great chemistry that has been surprisingly unutilized outside of “Crack” and the 2011 mixtape track, “Undastatement.” One can only hope the two hit the studio again in the near future. Meanwhile, the turntable scratches added by DJ Jaycee make for a nice touch throughout the drug talk banger, particularly the scratch outro.
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22) “Kilo” (2016)
Producer: DJ Spinz
Album: Daniel Son; Necklace Don
2 Chainz’s 2016 mixtape track, “Kilo,” is about selling drugs - kind of. Compare the confident way with which he walks to the way a major drug dealer would if he were carrying a kilo of coke; Chainz glamorizes the illegal act on the song, rapping, “Got the trap house rockin’, you ain’t get that shit; I got me a half, that’s a split when I flip it; And whip it ‘til I get me 36s; I get it, I got it, I’m slangin’ narcotics.” Included on Chainz’s Daniel Son; Necklace Don mixtape, alongside other hits like “Big Amount” and “1 Yeezy Boot” – “Kilo” is a classic mixtape track that 2 Chainz would continue to deliver with ease.
21) “4AM” feat. Travis Scott (2017)
Producer: Murda Beatz & CuBeatz
Album: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
“4 AM, I’m just getting’ started; For my birthday I threw me a surprise party; Reminiscin’ ‘bout the trap, playin’ the first Carter; My life changed when I had my first daughter,” begins the 2 Chainz and Travis Scott collaboration, “4 AM.” Produced by Canadian hitmaker Murda Beatz and German twins, CuBeatz – like most Travis Scott features over the past few years, “4 AM” cruises ib the identity of him more so than the actual artist himself (“Okay, you popped up on me by surprise; You see I never took you for the poppin’ type, Straight up!; Damn, it’s 4AM so please believe the hype, It’s lit!”). While that’s not necessarily a negative, ultimately “4 AM” sounds much more like a Travis Scott song than a 2 Chainz record… straight up! Still, the infectious single helped propel Pretty Girls Like Trap Music into the spotlight, rounding the album out with a hypnotic, after-hours experience.
20) “Threat 2 Society” (2019)
Producer: 9th Wonder
Album: Rap Or Go To The League
9th Wonder really blessed 2 Chainz with a gem on “Threat 2 Society.” Flipping “So Good to Be Alive” by The Truthettes – the instrumental contrasts with Chainz’s hook as he boasts, “You know I’m a threat, I’m a threat, threat, threat,” while the sample proclaims “It’s so good just to be alive!” Throughout the verses, 2 Chainz reflects on seeing friends and family killed, basketball coaches who helped shape him, and his beautiful, growing family. The confidence of Chainz paired with the soulfulness of the beat makes for a great start to his fantastic new album, Rap Or Go To The League.
19) “Riverdale Rd” (2017)
Producer: Mike Dean & Mano
Album: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
With a beat fitting for the Geto Boys, appropriately produced by Mike Dean, “Riverdale Rd” follows 2 Chainz down the College Park street on which he was born and raised. Bragging about the elegance his recent life has afforded him (“My pocket pregnant, don’t want no abortion; My draws got them horses, my car got them horses"); Chainz looks back on where he came from, contrasting the differences in lifestyle (“Okay, from grams to Grammys; Okay, from fans to family; I went from trips we tryna plan; To cribs in South Miami”). In addition to Mike Dean, Kanye West’s former DJ Mano, also contributed to the beat, making “Riverdale Rd” an unofficial mini-G.O.O.D. Music reunion. Now where’s Cruel Winter?
18) “Proud” feat. YG & Offset (2018)
Producer: T-Minus & Vaiyeh
Album: The Play Don’t Care Who Makes It [EP]
“Yeah, I’m just tryna make my momma proud; I ain’t tryna let my momma down,” goes the chorus to “Proud” – the perfect Mother’s Day anthem. 2 Chainz lays it all out, sharing that he “and momma used to trap out the same house; Used to eat and go to sleep on the same couch; Me and momma got busted at the same time; Went to court and told judge the damn same lies.” Then YG reassures his mother that “When I leave the house it’s for them dollars; You are the reason I bought that choppa; ‘Cause I know you wanna see me come home proper; Soon as I get right I said I gotcha then I gotcha.” Finally, Offset preaches some life lessons his mother’s taught him, such as, “Every n**** not cha partner, son, when you come up; All them bitches in your face, son, they are piranhas.” It’s kind of beautiful that when an LA street rapper got together in the studio with two Atlanta trap hitmakers, they decided to make a song for their moms.
17) “NCAA” (2019)
Producer: Da Honorable C.N.O.T.E.
Album: Rap Or Go To The League
One of the more pivotal and thematic tracks on Rap Or Go To The League, “NCAA” preaches the hypocrisy of the National Collegiate Athletic Association – a “non-profit” organization that blatantly profits off the labor of student-athletes. 2 Chainz draws from experience, as he was once a scholarship basketball player for Alabama State University in the mid-90s. The song’s chorus goes, “NCAA, yeah, we the young and dangerous, yeah; We be ballin’ hard, yeah, I just want some paper,” while the overall album serves the purpose of “celebrating black excellence and focusing on the power of education and entrepreneurship” while “challeng[ing] the notion that the only way out of the inner city is either to become a rapper or a ball player.”
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16) “MFN Right” (2016)
Producer: Mike Will Made-It & Zaytoven
Album: Felt Like Cappin / ColleGrove
Originally featured on 2 Chainz’s 2016 EP Felt Like Cappin, “MFN Right” was so well received it was later added, along with a new Lil Wayne verse, to the ColleGrove tracklist. Throughout the song Chainz flexes about women, jewelry, and cars over a laidback, flute and piano-driven beat courtesy of two of Atlanta’s biggest producers, Mike Will Made-It and Zaytoven. A simple, yet undeniably successful formula.
15) “Blue C-Note” feat. Lil Wayne (2016)
Producer: Mr. 2-17
Album: ColleGrove
“Blue C-Notes, All of ‘em singin; Blue C-Notes, All of ‘em Franklins; Blue C-Notes, Spend without thinkin’,” goes the chorus on “Blue C-Note” – an ode to the new $100 bill over a funky bass and hi-hat driven beat. A common slang term along with “blue faces,” Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz devote this entire song off their 2016 collaborative album, ColleGrove, to the hundred-dollar bill. Because as everyone knows, "it’s all about the Benjamins.”
14) “Money in the Way” (2019)
Producer: Buddah Bless and Jabz
Album: Rap Or Go To The League
One of the catchiest songs 2 Chainz has released since his monster run in 2012 with “Mercy”, “No Lie”, “Birthday Song”, and “I’m Different” – “Money in the Way” flips a soulful The Three Degrees sample to instant swag success. Produced by Buddah Bless, who also produced 2 Chainz’s 2016 single, “Big Amount” – the track continues in the popular rap trope of “mo money, mo problems.” For 2 Chainz however, he articulates the struggle as “The money in the way, fuck what they got to say; I throw it up, it’s fallin’ down, it’s definitely in the way.”
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13) “Used 2” (2013)
Producer: Mannie Fresh
Album: B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time
2 Chainz pays respect to the original Cash Money era on “Used 2,” the second single off his sophomore album, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time. Produced by southern hip-hop legend and one half of the Big Tymers, Mannie Fresh – the collaboration takes it back to the sound of a bygone era. The song both samples and pays homage to the 1999 Juvenile, Lil Wayne, and Mannie Fresh classic, “Back That Azz Up.” In fact, outside of the blatant YouTube reference in the chorus, many music fans might have been convinced this song was released ten years earlier than it was. On “Used 2,” 2 Chainz, a native Georgian, pays the utmost respect to all that New Orleans has given the culture.
12) “Big Amount” feat. Drake (2016)
Producer: Buddah Bless
Album: Daniel Son; Necklace Don / Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
Buddah Bless’ second appearance on this list, “Big Amount” is a pan-flute beat that gives off a beach vibe ideal for 2 Chainz and Drake’s luxury rap verses. A rare Drake feature with no hook, “Big Amount” showcases Drizzy and Chainz going the classic route of one long verse apiece. The song originally appeared on 2 Chainz’s 2016 mixtape Daniel Son; Necklace Don, however, nine months later it was also included on Pretty Girls Like Trap Music. The song ultimately makes more sense as a mixtape track, but when Drake calls, you answer and put it on the album.
11) “2 Dollar Bill” feat. Lil Wayne & E-40 (2019)
Producer: DJ Mustard, Terrace Martin, and GYLTTRYP
Album: Rap Or Go To The League
The Rap Or Go To The League track takes the west-coast funk and jazz production styling of DJ Mustard and Terrace Martin, pairs it with the southern raps of 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, and binds the two regional vibes with that of Bay Area legend, E-40. In the end, the three unite for a banger about how they’re as rare as a $2 bill. A concept that shouldn’t work the length of an entire song somehow does, by utilizing the right amount of silly (“I’m rare like Mr. Clean with hair”) and swag (“I chill where it’s hot, Brazil, backdrop, I’m real; Her ass not, I’m rare”).
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10) “Feds Watching” feat. Pharrell (2013)
Producer: Pharrell Williams
Album: B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time
One Grammy night in 2013, Pharrell and 2 Chainz linked up and recorded their song, “Feds Watching.” Now, simply receiving a beat from Pharrell is quite the victory in itself, but a beat and a feature makes for a guaranteed single. And that’s exactly what it became for 2 Chainz’s sophomore album, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time. The guitar and horn-based beat gives the song a tropical, summertime vibe perfect for Chainz and Williams’ memorable hook/mantra – “I’ma be fresh as hell if the Feds watching; Drop top, head bopping.”
9) “Forgiven” feat. Marsha Ambrosius (2019)
Producer: Dem Jointz
Album: Rap Or Go To The League
2 Chainz’s most recent album, Rap Or Go To The League, opens with a high school basketball announcer introducing number 21, Tauheed Epps. 2 Chainz raps about how his dreams turned to nightmares when he was arrested on a first offense drug charge. He pleaded with the judge about being a high school basketball player and working toward a scholarship, but in the end, there would be no ACC or SEC for Epps. Instead, he wound up playing at Alabama State. But as the beautifully sung Marsha Ambrosius chorus goes, with a little help from a classic Jay-Z “Lucifer” sample – “Just let it all be forgiven (Lord forgive him).” Featuring turntable scratches courtesy of Statik Selektah, “Forgiven” starts 2 Chainz’s best album to date off with an elegant and appropriate tone.
8) “Good Drank” feat. Gucci Mane & Quavo (2017)
Producer: Mike Dean
Album: Hibachi for Lunch / Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
“Good Drank” featuring Gucci Mane and Quavo is one of 2 Chainz’s strongest collaborations in recent memory. Chainz and Gucci handle the bars (“Today I’m in the Maybach; And that car came with some drapes; You know I look like a safe, I put you back in your place; I look you right in your face, sing to your bitch like I’m Drake”), while Quavo takes on hook duty, and Mike Dean delivers a spacey, synth-trap beat. Originally released in 2016 on 2 Chainz’s Hibachi for Lunch EP, the song was later re-released as the first single off Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, where it eventually went platinum. The song closes with Chainz shouting out his collaborators, saying: “Ayy, Mike Dean. This shit hard as fuck, bruh. You a living legend. I appreciate that. Ayy, Guwop. I’m glad you home, cuz. Quavo, you already know man. You got next on these n*****, double salute man.”
7) “Watch Out” (2015)
Producer: FKi
Album: Trap-A-Velli Tre / ColleGrove
“Watch Out” features the classic 2 Chainz staple of a simple piano beat with heavy trap drums and a comical first couplet: “Pulled up in a Phantom; Pull off with a dancer; Got a pocket full of money; Kinda hard to keep my pants up”. Following the breakout success of “I’m Different” and other DJ Mustard hits, it's no surprise that producers likely began to flood the Hair Weave Killer with more piano-driven beats. However, FKi’s “Watch Out” didn’t simply rise to the top as a standout track off 2 Chainz’s mixtape Trap-A-Velli Tre, but also went platinum after being included on the Lil Wayne-assisted collaborative album, ColleGrove.
6) “Where U Been?” feat. Cap. 1 (2013)
Producer: Mike Will Made-It and Marz
Album: B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time
Yet another batch of swag-brag raps, “Where U Been?” is arguably one of 2 Chainz’s most underrated songs. Now six years removed from its release, the track still bangs, thanks largely in part to Mike Will Made-It’s trap & rock production. While the song finds 2 Chainz once again boasting about making money. However, following the massive success of his debut album, Based on a T.R.U. Story, the lyrics this time around are all very much warranted. Appropriately capped off with a verse from 2 Chainz affiliate, Cap. 1, “Where U Been?” was released as a promotional single for his second album, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time, but tragically never got the acclaim seen by some of his bigger singles.
5) “No Lie feat. Drake” (2012)
Producer: Mike Will Made-It
Album: Based on a T.R.U. Story
“Me and Chainz go way back, we don’t talk shit, we just state facts.” As the second Drake-featured song on this list, “No Lie” should come as no surprise considering it served as 2 Chainz’s lead single from his debut studio album. With a Drake feature and a Mike Will Made-It beat in tow – “No Lie” was too big to fail the mainstream rap industrial complex. Beginning with a memorably goofy line from 2 Chainz (“I am smokin’ on that gas, life should be on Cinemax, Movie, bought my boo bigger tits and a bigger ass”), the song at times feels more like a Drake song featuring the former Playaz Circle member. But in 2012, that was clearly a formula for success, as the song has since been certified 2x Platinum.
4) “Spend It” (2011)
Producer: Drumma Boy
Album: Codeine Cowboy
As the first song many rap fans ever heard by the then-rebranded 2 Chainz, “Spend It” marked a pivotal transition and new beginning in the Georgia native’s career. You have to remember, early 2011 was nearly four years removed from the success of “Duffel Bag Boy” and still over a year before the release of “Mercy.” But “Spend It” truly signifies the hard work 2 Chainz has put in throughout his entire career. He could have easily hung it up, but instead he changed his name, went into mixtape mode, and started cranking out what would become known as the 2 Chainz model – a street rapper with a sense of humor, unafraid to mix some pop elements with his genuine brand of trap: a formula made for the charts in today’s music industry. Because whether it’s 1997, 2007, 2011, or 2019 – 2 Chainz will always be “ridin’ round and… gettin’ it.”
3) “Saturday Night” (2017)
Producer: Mike Will Made-It & Ducko McFli
Album: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
Of 2 Chainz’s five solo albums, “Saturday Night” is his strongest intro song to date. The wailing guitar beat begins Pretty Girls Like Trap Music with a southern, lyrical punch reminiscent of Lil Wayne’s “Tha Mobb” on Tha Carter II, Ludacris’ “Southern Fried Intro” on Chicken-n-Beer, or UGK’s “One Day” on Ridin’ Dirty. Mike Will Made-It and Ducko McFli pair up for a simple, but deeply emotional instrumental that 2 Chainz verbally tap dances over like the veteran emcee he’s developed into. The powerful opener preaches the mantra/mission statement for the Pretty Girls Like Trap Music album – “I hit the trap today, I’m gon’ hit the club tonight, yeah; Treat every night like it’s Saturday night.”
2) “I’m Different” (2012)
Producer: DJ Mustard
Album: Based on a T.R.U. Story
Produced by DJ Mustard in the throes of his radio single hot streak (“Rack City,” “R.I.P.” “Paranoid”) – “I’m Different” was released as the third single off Based on a T.R.U. Story, following the back-to-back successes of “No Lie” and “Birthday Song.” Based around a simple, yet addictive piano line, “I’m Different” serves as a classic swag & brag rap track. In the track, 2 Chainz shows off how different he is by explaining how he’ll arrive in a convertible wearing thousand dollar sneakers, and like that, he’ll take your girl. In a very self-aware bar, he states: “Hair long, money long; Me and broke n*****, we don’t get along.”
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1) “Birthday Song” feat. Kanye West (2012)
Producer: Sonny Digital, Kanye West, BWheezy, Anthony Kilhoffer, Lifted, and Mike Dean
Album: Based on a T.R.U. Story
Released as the second single off 2 Chainz’s 2012 debut album, Based on a T.R.U. Story – “Birthday Song” went double platinum in four mere months and has held up so well, it’s nearly commandeered the unofficial title of best alternative birthday song from the Beatles’ “Birthday” and Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.” So now, thanks to 2 Chainz – whenever you’re indignant to singing the nursery rhyme birthday song we’ve all been raised on, instead we can all erupt with a rousing chant of, “When I die, bury me inside that Gucci store; When I die, bury me inside that Louis store; All I want for my birthday is a big booty ho; All I want for my birthday is a big booty ho!”