adminCHAINZ is perhaps hip-hop’s hottest commodity right now. His second record, “B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time”, has produced three top-20 hits and a slew of collaborations with stars as diverse as Pharrell, Drake and Diplo. And he’s officially a top choice for rappers looking for a guest — 2 Chainz charges a cool US$100 000 for a verse, according to Kanye West on BBC Radio’s 1Xtra.
But 2 Chainz took a break from his music last week to tackle a different task: Filming for Music Choice’s Take Back Your Music Campaign, which he did at Other Music in New York City.
The ad campaign, which has featured Robin Thicke, Luke Bryan, A$AP Rocky and others, highlights Music Choice’s library of music videos and digital music channels.
The 36-year-old rapper certainly dressed to impress: He donned a flashy hooded T-shirt emblazoned with two huge gold chains, some spotless white trousers and a pair of thick-rimmed sunglasses.
He didn’t forget his namesake, of course: A thick gold chain and pendant hung from his neck.
But 2 Chainz, real name Tauheed Epps, recently revealed in a Rolling Stone interview that people don’t know the secondary meaning behind his moniker.
“People think it means I wear two chains all the time,” he says. “But it also means this is my second chance.”
Though he made a couple mixtapes under the name Tity Boy, the turnaround in his career came as he picked up a focused work ethic — inspired by Lil Wayne, who 2 Chainz opened for on a 2008 tour.
“Having a phone full of millionaires and not being one bothered the hell out of me,” the rapper says, referencing the peers that he saw and interacted with on a daily basis.
Eventually, his talent and effort came together, attracting attention from hip-hop’s biggest names.
“Kanye would tell me that he was designing clothes listening to my music,” says 2 Chainz. “Like, ‘I made a scarf listening to that sh-t.’’ — Daily Mail.
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