New York, NY (Top40 Charts) 2 Chainz, the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning MC and "One of the Very Best Rappers Alive" (Noisey), confirms his highly anticipated fifth studio album, RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE, A&R'd by LeBron James, is set for March 1st release via Def Jam Recordings/Universal Music.
The countdown to March 1st is officially on, as Apple
Music rolls out the first trailer for
2 Chainz x LeBron
James RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE, an exclusive in-depth conversation between two of the biggest titans in their respective fields. As long-time friends and fans of one another,
2 Chainz and LeBron represent the true intersection of music and sports.
The title RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE challenges the notion that the only way out of the inner city is either to become a rapper or a ball player. (In fact,
2 Chainz has done both, earning a full ride to college for basketball and graduating at the top of his class, and becoming a superstar rapper.) Chainz' new album - easily his most personal, most lyrical, most soulful to date - flips that trope on its head, celebrating black excellence and focusing on the power of education and entrepreneurship.
The eagerly awaited RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE is Chainz' first official new long-player since his platinum #1 release of 2017, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music. That LP has netted over 2 billion streams after spinning off four consecutive multi-platinum hits: "4 AM" featuring
Travis Scott; "It's A Vibe" featuring Ty Dolla $ign,
Trey Songz and Jhene Aiko; "Big Amount" featuring Drake, and "Good Drank" featuring
Quavo and Gucci Mane.
2 Chainz released a pair of well-received EPs in 2018: The surprise, unannounced The Play Don't Care Who Makes It (February) contained the gold-selling viral track, "
Proud" featuring YG and Offset, which has over 100 million streams to date. "The ultimate embodiment of Atlanta rap," raved Pitchfork in its extended-length review, "he's old enough to have witnessed the forging of its building blocks but maintains the youthful spirit of an ever-changing genre."
2 Chainz returned with Hot Wings Are A Girl's Best Friend in November. The brand-new two-song bundle included "Hot Wings" and "Girl's Best Friend." The upcoming new album will also contain Chainz' 2018 gold single, "Bigger Than You" (featuring
Drake and Quavo) whose videos have amassed over 55 million combined YouTube views to date.
In addition to music, 2 Chainz' cultural influence continues to grow. Earlier this month, he starred alongside Adam Scott in "the world's first Super Bowl commercial you can expense" for Expensify. Chainz' wildly popular TV show Most Expensivest on VICELAND moves into its third season in 2019 with 20 new episodes (season premiere TBA); view the series trailer HERE. Chainz' sneaker collaboration with Versace called "
Chain Reaction" hit stores in the spring 2018, and was their most popular shoe of the year. In October,2 Chainz launched his own cannabis brand, GAS Cannabis Co. available now throughout California HERE.
ABOUT 2 CHAINZ:
Following his run as a founding member of Def Jam duo
Playaz Circle from his native Atlanta, 2 Chainz'name was on everyone's lips in 2012, when he stole a verse on "Mercy," fellow Def Jam artist Kanye West/G.O.O.D. Music's RIAA triple-platinum #1 R&B/#1 Rap hit (from Cruel Summer). In August 2012, Chainz arrived as a Def Jam solo artist with Based On A T.R.U. Story, his debut album. B.O.A.T.S. entered Soundscan at #1 and was certified RIAA gold. Its success was fueled by the RIAA platinum #1 "
No Lie" featuring Drake, the double-platinum "Birthday Song" featuring Kanye West, and double-platinum "I'm Different." "
Mercy" was subsequently a Grammy® nominee for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance, while B.O.A.T.S. was nominated for Best Rap Album. Chainz' dominance was extended when the sequel, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time entered the Soundscan hip-hop chart at #1 in
September 2013, and spun off the RIAA gold single, "Feds Watching" featuring Pharrell.
In 2016, Chainz brought it back to his essence with a series of mixtapes that dominated the streets: Felt Like Cappin,
Daniel Son; Necklace Don, and Hibachi For Lunch. Also in 2016, he released the lauded collaborative album ColleGrove with New Orleans hip-hop luminary Lil Wayne. Critics agreed that
2 Chainz conquered 2016, with the New York Times proclaiming "all hail our greatest punch line rapper, 2 Chainz." The year was capped off with his first Grammy Award, Best Rap Performance for his verse on Chance The Rapper's hit song "No Problem."
With momentum on his side,
2 Chainz released his first solo album since 2013: Pretty Girls Like Trap
Music (June 2017) was accompanied by a 35-city tour of North
America through September. Chainz' TV appearances included visits with Jimmy Kimmel (HERE), Jimmy Fallon, and Trevor Noah. 2018 brought the EP releases The Play Don't Care Who Makes It (February, with the RIAA gold "
Proud" featuring YG and Offset), and Hot Wings Are A Girl's Best Friend (November), pointing the way to the release of Chainz' fourth solo album, RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE on March 1, 2019. Chainz' impact on popular culture encompasses not only music but his Most Expensivest cable tv series on VICELAND, his "
Chain Reaction" sneaker collaboration with Versace, his GAS Cannabis Co. brand, and his Expensify videos with Adam Scott. TheRinger.com was inspired to write: "Forget Mount Rushmore -
2 Chainz deserves his own national monument. This year dude is top five humans of all time."
