The one rapper who makes 2 Chainz anxious
There are few things in the world that you’d imagine make 2 Chainz quake in his boots. The star looks about as nervous as a Marvel character before a world-saving mission.
Yet, the ‘It’s a Vibe’ rapper has spoken publicly about his nerves before working with Lil Wayne. 2 Chainz said that the anticipation of building his collaborative project with the Young Money founder made him feel genuinely stressed.
Speaking to Zane Lowe, 2 Chainz explained that he felt like he had to maintain artistic excellence next to one of hip hop’s most revered rappers. Notably, though, the pressure didn’t impact the natural creative chemistry between the two.
“I think me and [Lil Wayne] just have that chemistry. We enjoying working with each other a lot, and it’s a lot of respect there”, he said. “And I always say, steel sharpens steel”.
Despite the niceties, the Atlanta rapper admitted that he was anxious stepping foot into each recording session with Lil Wayne. He was aware that he wanted to bring his best game every time, and that he put pressure on himself to record each verse better than the previous.
The collaborative project, called Welcome 2 ColleGrove (released in 2023), came after the two rappers released CollegeGrove back in 2016. The album has an impressive 21 tracks in total, and also features Benny The Butcher, Rick Ross, and Fabolous.
Speaking about the experience, 2 Chainz said that his anxiety was actually good for him because it enabled him to grow as an artist. He and Lil Wayne have been friends for a long time – they told Jimmy Fallon that they met in Atlanta at a studio, and Wayne recalled how laidback 2 Chainz was. They also shared that they only met in the first place because Wayne had sought 2 Chainz out to buy weed.
CollegeGrove was the pair’s first album project together, and when it was released, it hit number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 53,000 copies in its first week.
Many hip hop heads regard Lil Wanye as one of the greatest rappers, and so it’s easy to understand 2 Chainz’ apprehension about working together, no matter how long they’d already known each other. For industry players and music-lovers alike, 2 Chainz’ ability to be candid and humble is a testament to his eagerness to learn and continually improve in his music.
Rappers undoubtedly get anxious around their heroes, and the “steel sharpens steel” comment demonstrates that he trusted Wayne and knew that he can reverberate off him to tighten his flows and overall performance.
2 Chainz story is a gentle reminder that the biggest of artists are still humbled at points in their careers, and it’s the collaborations that are the most anxiety-inducing that often end up making the most memorable beats.