Riding high on the heels of the release of his third solo album, 2 Chainz made his way to the “RapFix Live” couch to talk about some of the guest appearances that made the LP’s final cut.
B.O.A.T.S II: Me Time, released on Tuesday, has been fueled largely by the rapper’s collaboration with super producer Pharrell for the album’s lead single “Feds Watching.” But those who pick up the project will discover a handful of names they may not have seen coming.
“I like doing features that are not so cliché. Something that people wouldn’t think of,” he explained.
The album features guest spots from Fergie, Chrisette Michelle, T-Pain and Rich Homie Quan, among others. In addition to speaking on the LP’s opening skit, which features his mother, the rapper formerly known as Tity Boi spoke on sharing mic time with Ma$e.
“First of all, I’m a fan of Ma$e,” 2 Chainz said. “[Ma$e] was someone that people didn’t really realize I knew.”
The two linked up for a song on the album titled, “Beautiful Pain,” which also features R&B crooner Lloyd. The rapper also acknowledges that the title may sound contradictory to some.
“I guess the best way to describe it would be like a tattoo. But it would be a tattoo of a portrait of someone that passed away,” he explained. “So you have that pain of getting the actual ink, the pain of having the actual portrait, but it’s a beautiful piece of artwork.”
While fans may know him for some of his more colorful lines and verses, “Beautiful Pain” is somewhat of a detour from what many have heard from the MC thus far.
“It’s not as ratchet as people think all my tracks should be. I’m smart enough to know what people expect from me, but at the same time I have to show the growth. I have to show them what I can do.”
2 Chainz hooked up with Lil Wayne and Drake on the track, “I Do It.” Having had a smash hit alongside Drizzy with 2012’s “No Lie,” it was a no-brainer for the two to get in the studio again.
“We just had sessions for two or three days where me and [Drake] were just working because we felt like we had good chemistry with ‘No Lie’ and we’re pretty cool as far as communicating.” Known for popping up on features for a who’s who list of artists, 2 Chainz said that he very rarely is asked to change his verses. But one superstar did ask him to alter his rhymes, a request he took in stride.
“I did a record for Beyoncé. It ended up being on Dream’s album, but I did a record for Beyoncé,” he said, speaking of the song “Turnt” from The Dream’s 2013 album IV Play. “She asked me to change it, but the way she asked me made me really realize why she’s in the position that she’s in and the whole diva thing, and I just had mad respect for her.”
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