With the release of Pretty Girls Like Trap Music this year, 2 Chainz made it clear that he deserves to be looked at as an album artist. The Atlanta rapper was once known primarily for his quotable and energetic singles and features, but his full-length projects give us a better look at who he is as an artist. Some are stronger than others, but each of Chainz' studio albums gives us a piece of his identity; whether it be the pun-loving joker, the southern rap traditionalist, the hooky hitmaker or the the trap music synthesist. There's also a clear growth and increased comfort in Chainz' work throughout his discography; something he has described as the result of practice and determination.
“I understood a while back that, rap don’t have that little time-clock thing," he told HNHH in June. "This shit ain’t no clocking out, ain’t no clocking in, you’ve got to be ready to spend an extra day in the city if you have to, you have to be ready to live with some decisions you’ve made. You have to be able to motherfucking know how to network, make relations, whatever it is, that’s what this rap, or hip-hop, whatever you want to call it, is about, and that’s what I understand. I know if I stay in the studio, if I stay in the gym, if I stay anywhere, I’m going to get better at it. I can’t get better, doing something I don’t understand, it’s just not gonna make me better. That’s why it’s important that I have a studio everywhere I go, and that’s why I sound so refreshed all the time, I’m up on everything all the time.”
In order to look closer at the strides 2 Chainz has made since his debut album in 2012, we've decided to revisit and rank his four studio albums. You can check out the list below.
Based On A T.R.U. Story
2 Chainz’ debut solo album arrived with a considerable amount of hype. Chainz was coming off a solid year of scene-stealing features, and in many ways, Based On A T.R.U. Story is an album-length summation of that portion of his career. Singles “No Lie,” “Birthday Song,” and “I’m Different” are ruled by outrageous punchlines; shout-along jokes and brags that were so synonymous with Chainz that he was able to take them to the brink of absurdity (“She got a big booty / so I call her Big Booty”). Those tracks, as well as album cuts like “I Luv Them Strippers” remain among the most beloved and representative examples of the 2 Chainz single formula -- a common thread that can be found throughout his albums.
Though the more introspective material on the album isn't quite as confident as that of his later work, the essence of Chainz’ appeal was never more purely laid out than on the thrilling highlights of BOATS. Slip “I’m Different” into any DJ set or party playlist in 2017 and the reaction will speak for itself.
ColleGrove
Originally framed as a co-headlining project from 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, ColleGrove is actually more of an Only Built 4 Cuban Linx with Wayne in the Ghostface role. Though 5 years his senior, Chainz is in many ways a student of Wayne’s, made possible by the fact that Weezy has been rapping professionally since age 15 while Chainz was more of a late bloomer. On opener “Dedication,” 2 Chainz shares some of his most potent storytelling as he describes his early interactions with Wayne and what they meant to him both as an artist and a person. From there, he more than keeps up with one of rap’s all-time greats as he falls into a more centered position relative to Weezy, bringing an element of rap traditionalism to his punchline-driven raps to offset his collaborators wild-card flows.
Their dynamic is no better illustrated than on “Bounce,” a driving record that puts them head-to-head in a clash of wit and energy. Though both coming out of the generation that passed on pen and paper when mapping out their rhymes (Wayne being one of the figures who popularized the approach), the ColleGrove emcees are rappers who are clearly obsessed with the craft of writing. In a vastly shifting hip-hop landscape with a growing variety of styles, ColleGrove feels like a tour through 00s southern rap history from two rappers who’ve lived through it and found a comfortable place within.
Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
2016 found 2 Chainz hitting a similar run to his 2011-2012 feature frenzy, pumping out guest appearances and mixtapes that established Chainz as one of the most reliable, prolific voices in Atlanta rap (which with Future, Migos, and Young Thug at their respective peaks, was no small feat). Single like the Drake-assisted “Big Amount” and the trap spiritual “Good Drank” saw Chainz gravitating to darker textures and a more fluid writing style, toning down his punchlines in favor of more complex, in-the-pocket flows.
With trap music at large now ranging from traditional, technical street rap to more melodic vocal experiments, PGLTP makes an effort to find the genres center, recruiting help from pioneers (Gucci Mane, an uncredited OJ Da Juiceman) and outsiders to Atlanta using its building blocks (Swae Lee, Travis Scott). The result is Chainz’ most stable collection of songs; uniformly gritty but always containing a magnetic hook or rhythm that allows easy entry. With that being said, the biggest outlier on the project, the sunny, R&B-infused “It’s A Vibe” has become its biggest hit, proving that his pop-leaning efforts should not be discounted even as darkness creeps in.
B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time
Easily 2 Chainz most underrated album, B.O.A.T.S. II does not have the hits of the original BOATS or the striking uniformity of Pretty Girls Like Trap Music. What it does have is an all-encompassing look at Chainz many strengths. In many ways, the album is a tune-up on B.O.A.T.S. Much like the hanging necklaces on its cover art, it’s bigger, shinier, and more detailed than its predecessor; both widening Chainz’ range while hammering in what he does best. It’s difficult to find a harder slap in the face than the opening run from street anthem “Fork” to Cash Money homage “Used 2,” as Chainz brings his most quotable ferocity to sharp, colorful, riff-heavy beats from Mike WiLL, Pharrell, D. Rich, and Mannie Fresh.
Things get a shade weirder when Honorable C.N.O.T.E. and Diplo team up for the cartoonish Fergie collaboration “Netflix,” at which point, the album becomes exhilarating in its unpredictability. Once a rapper restricted by formula, Chainz’ proved his versatility with BOATS 2, which balances out its forceful opening with a stretch of records that make use of his conversational storytelling. The throwback southern soul-rap section of the album is soundtracked by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, DJ Toomp and Streetrunner and brings out some of the best and most personal verses of Chainz’ career, reminding us he was rapping way before “Riot.”
It’s called Me Time for a reason. While Chainz is best understood with a deeper look through his catalogue, there is no studio album in his repertoire that gives you a better sense of all of his dimensions. Perhaps it came at a time when rap audiences were still more invested in 2 Chainz singles, but years later, it’s clear that B.O.A.T.S II was Chainz finding himself as an album artist, fine-tuning the formula much like he did for his hits.