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2 Chainz

With his sludgy, Southern hip-hop beats and comical, cartoonish rhymes, 2 Chainz became one of the hottest independent rap stars and the rightful successor to Georgia artists like Ying Yang Twins, B.o.B., and Lil Jon. An Atlanta school friend of R&B star Monica, 2 Chainz (born Tauheed Epps on September 12, 1977) completed a basketball scholarship at Alabama State University before forming duo Playaz Circle with Dolla Boy and signing to Ludacris's label Disturbing Tha Peace. The group collaborated with Lil Wayne on the huge underground hit "Duffle Bag Boy" in 2007 before Epps changed his name to 2 Chainz in reference to the second chance music had given him. Going solo in 2011, his mixtapes Codeine Cowboy and T.R.U REALigion further enhanced his reputation while his debut album Based on a T.R.U. Story in 2012 featured Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and John Legend and shot to Number 1 in the US charts. A collaboration with Wiz Khalifa for the soundtrack to Fast & Furious 6 produced the UK Top 10 single "We Own It," and Pharrell Williams, Fergie, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, and Ma$e all contributed to his second album B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time in 2013. He began work on his third album straight away revealing the title of the collaborative effort with Lil Wayne in 2015 as ColleGrove. He continued his relationship with Lil Wayne on the 2016 EP Felt Like Cappin' with the lead single "Back On That Bulls**t." In 2017, 2 Chainz returned with the critically acclaimed Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, a star-studded effort featuring Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Swae Lee, Migos, Jhene Aiko, and Pharrell Williams. Following the release of 2019's Rap or Go to the League, hailed by critics as his most mature and cohesive effort to date, the Atlanta MC continued to solidify his position as one of the most influential Southern rappers with titles such as So Help Me God! (2020) and Dope Don't Sell Itself (2022), both of which managed to crack the Top 10 of the US rap albums chart.