True Story

2 Chainz gets ready for a little “Me Time” on his latest album

Words by Andrew Bell

It turns out that when 2 Chainz says he’s different in his hit song, aptly titled “I’m Different,” he wasn’t lying.

Since re-naming himself and signing to Def Jam in 2011, 2 Chainz’ first solo studio album, Based on a TRU Story, was released to rave reviews and reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. With three Grammy nominations under his Versace belt this year and his follow-up album, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time, due out Sept. 10, 2013, 2 Chainz is currently touring with Lil’ Wayne and T.I. on the America’s Most Wanted tour. The tour stops in Sacramento at Sleep Train Arena Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013. We caught up with the rapper for a few minutes on the back of the tour bus to talk B.O.A.T.S. II, healthy eating habits, how he is different than his image, and the physics of getting fat rabbits on to Kraftmatics.

Let’s talk about the new album. How are you going to follow up Based on a TRU Story? What can folks expect from this album? 
You can expect growth and maturation. Every time I do it, I try to do better than the last. I tried to dial into some more personal me. I feel like over the last three years I’ve developed into a star, if not a superstar. I traveled a lot and I’ve seen a lot of different cultures and things of that nature. I try to show that with my music. The first single, “Feds Watching” with Pharrell, I tried to, you know, of course, be me, but show some international flavor on the production side. I just recently dropped “Where U Been” with my artist Cap 1 on that. It’s about living and learning from other people’s success and mistakes. I’m a student and a fan of hip-hop.

B.O.A.T.S. II comes out Sept. 10, 2013. The subtitle is Me Time. I feel like not only is it me time like it’s my time, but when people talk about me and my music they express it as being something that takes them away from something strenuous or stressful. You know what I mean? I think everybody, needs a little me time, so that’s where the subtitle came from.

So there’s also a cookbook coming out with B.O.A.T.S. II?
Yeah man, I like to eat, but I like to eat healthy. A lot of people just typecast rappers as us just being weed-smoking, alcohol-drinking, sex-having, no-water-drinking, fried chicken and Chinese food, Taco Bell-eating or whatever. For me I’ve done well over five, six, seven hundred shows over the last three of four years so it’s the method to the madness and it’s about what you put in, your intake, you know what I mean? Everything that happens starts with the inside so I’m just expressing that from another angle being a hip-hop artist, quote-unquote trap rapper, quote-unquote swag rapper. I am trying to express some other kind of education besides just giving people some B-roll footage of tour or some stuff like that. 

Do you realize the impact someone like you has on the community when you take a stand for healthy eating? Is there a sense that you could be doing something huge?
When I make records like “I’m Different,” I don’t just make them to be a jingle. It’s just what I feel, and I don’t want to be like any one else. I want to be an individual and I want to encourage everybody too. It’s called self-esteem so it starts truly with yourself. You know, with my style of dress and my gold chains, my hats, my glasses—everything is a statement for me. It’s a confident statement. Like I said, internally. It’s not just your exterior. It’s about internal things too. Food is very much a part of it. Energy, exercise and all of that is very much a part of healthy living and lifestyle. For black people, high blood pressure is the leading cause of death and things of that nature, so it’s just about me educating them a little. I’m comfortable and confident and still staying in my own lane. 
 
You’ve done some TV. Is there any chance we’ll see you on the Food Network anytime soon?
[Laughs] You know I hadn’t thought that deep about it, but people been jokin’ like, “Boy, you know what you’re doin’? You’re about to be on Rachael Ray.” But nah, man. We’ll see. I cook when I can. It’s just that I have stomach problems. I have ulcers and I have acid reflux so a lot of those stomach issues caused me to change my diet and have my chef with me at all times. That’s kind of where it started from and I’m just taking it on to the next level. 
 
For every T.I. story about a run-in with the law, there are untold stories of how much he’s given back to his community. I had to dig to find out about your work with Rollingout.com and the Charity Christmas Concert. You don’t really hear too much about that stuff.
[Laughs] You’ve been diggin’, fool… 

You know it’s kind of the same thing with me. Before I was even 2 Chainz I was buying like a hundred bikes for Christmas for kids because they were just getting caught staying in the house. You know, we were in a huge video game era a minute ago. Like, kids were getting carpal tunnel and wouldn’t [go] outside. That’s what jump-started the obesity epidemic to me. And I just remember coming up and there used to be a house that had all kinds of bikes outside. You knew everybody was at this house. You know what I’m sayin’? And people were outside just enjoying life and enjoying nature. So…I bought bikes. And then when I became 2 Chainz, I took it further, to another level. We throw a concert in the city and have artists come out, and we have people bring a toy to get in. We don’t even charge. I perform. Everything. I give bikes out from the stage, I perform, and then the next day I’ll take those toys and I’ll just take them to group homes and churches and things like that but I don’t be wantin’ no cameras or no news there. And I don’t be wantin’ to Twitter it, or whatever. None of that. I just want to do it and then go back home right quick so… There it is. You caught me. 

I also have the TRU Foundation that I’m doing some things with. My girl’s cousin was killed by her boyfriend. Just a crazy situation. So the initial part of that has been a couple things dealing with domestic violence and things like that. I think when the time is right or whatever it’ll be cool, but for me, I don’t want attention for something that I’m doing to try to help someone else. I think a lot of times we can get switched around, so for me I’m just kind of like…just know that I care and I do things here and there.

Was there any added pressure during the B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time recording process to follow up the success of Based on a TRU Story?
Nah. I actually did like eight mixtapes before I got my deal and all of them did better than the last one, so I definitely don’t feel like this is a sophomore album. I feel like I went through that already. It’s just the same process of just, you know, working hard. Hard work pays off. There’s really no other way to put it. I know that sounds like some cliché shit. That’s what I did and that’s what I do and I expect good results.
  
You describe B.O.A.T.S. II as a vacation for listeners. How does Tauheed Epps take “me time” away from 2 Chainz? Or does he?
You know, for me music is therapeutic. When I’m alone in the studio and things of that nature it’s me time. You know what I mean? When I’m actually able to go to my room and kick my shoes off, that’s me time. When I get to go home and go to the crib and kick it with my daughter and stuff like that, that’s me time. When I ride my Can Am that’s ME time. You know, there’s a few things that I do. I got a Segway that I ride on tour. I just leave everybody and shit. I just need some me time sometimes.
 
When putting a fat rabbit on a Kraftmatic should you lift with your legs or your back?
[Laughs] Are we through with the serious questions? The fact that people didn’t know what “fat rabbit” and “Kraftmatic” were was funny to me.

[Changes tone to professorial] So just to fill that in…a “fat rabbit” is a pussy and a “Kraftmatic” is a bed. I didn’t want to just say, “I’m going to put your pussy on a bed.”
 
 2 Chainz, T.I., Lil Wayne… It’s a match made in mainstream hip-hop heaven. See them live when the America’s Most Wanted tour rolls through the Sacramento area and hits the Sleep Train Arena on Aug. 28, 2013. Tickets start at $48.65 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com.