Club Shay Shay - 2 Chainz Part 2

Summary

Club Shay Shay - 2 Chainz Part 2

Host: Shannon Sharpe
Guest: 2 Chainz
Release Date: May 21, 2025

Overview:
In the second installment of his interview series, Shannon Sharpe engages in a deep and candid conversation with the multi-talented artist 2 Chainz. The episode delves into 2 Chainz’s personal journey, career transitions, insights on success, and his perspectives on various aspects of the entertainment industry.

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1. Early Life and Upbringing

2 Chainz opens up about his challenging upbringing, being raised by a single mother and the responsibilities he shouldered from a young age.

• Single Mother Household:
  "Actually, it's like, it's cool. I don't think I would change it. I don't know how. I don't think I would change it because now I had to be the man of the house." ([17:10])

• Early Responsibilities:
  "I got to sell drugs. I actually started selling drugs at 12 but they were just nicks. But it was for my mom and her boyfriend." ([24:26])

2. Struggles and Turning Points

2 Chainz recounts his early encounters with the law and how these experiences shaped his path.

• Juvenile Detention Experiences:
  "I remember just really wanting to like, have access to me to just like sell my weed to him." ([09:25])
  "I say, God has punished me from break. I said, I was supposed to be in here." ([29:28])

• Impact of Early Arrests:
  "Anything can help you live long enough. You know, stay out of prison, stay out of the graveyard, man." ([31:39])

3. Career Transition: From Basketball to Music and Filmmaking

2 Chainz discusses his shift from aspiring basketball player to a successful rapper and filmmaker.

• Basketball Aspirations:
  "I was recruited by Memphis. So that was one of the places I thought I was going to play to like, live out his footsteps." ([53:08])

• Transition to Music:
  "I don't care about basketball no more. Really didn't care about that." ([35:18])

• Filmmaking Ventures:
  "I shot my first short film called Red Clay. I shot it last summer, roughly, based upon my life." ([12:11])

4. Personal Life and Marriage

A heartfelt discussion about his relationship with his wife, Keisha, and the significance of their commitment.

• Proposal Story:
  "I get to pulling it, and it comes on out. And so I get on the knee... She think I guess fail or something." ([40:23])

• Maintaining a Strong Marriage:
  "You can't really just find it everywhere, especially when you become a certain." ([38:39])

5. Insights on Success and Motivation

2 Chainz shares his thoughts on achieving success later in life and encourages listeners not to give up.

• Success at 35:
  "It may be too late for them if that's what they believe." ([50:33])

• Overcoming Adversity:
  "I've lived being consciously a little bit more mature than, say, somebody else." ([19:13])

6. Views on Strip Clubs and Music Culture

An in-depth look at the interplay between strip clubs and the music industry, and his role in selecting dancers for his establishments.

• Selecting Dancers:
  "If they can dance, then you start looking at other things... it's up to me." ([07:29])

• Music’s Influence:
  "Records really, when they do good in Atlanta strip club, they do good all over because it's like a weird science to it." ([08:25])

7. Basketball Interests and Favorite Players

2 Chainz articulates his passion for basketball, highlighting his all-time favorite players and his own basketball experiences.

• Favorite Players:
  "Jordan, Kobe, LeBron. I throw Shaq in there, and if I want to win all the games, I'm gonna have to put Step in there." ([54:20])

• Basketball Games:
  "When y' all was calling me by my government name." ([38:39])

8. Entrepreneurial Ventures and Products

2 Chainz discusses his entrepreneurial spirit, including his short film, music projects, and product lines like Halo Cologne.

• Collaborations and Projects:
  "I want to be behind the camera... what's after that, which will be aligned and tied to that." ([12:10])

• Product Promotions:
  "Halo has sold 1000 bottles of cologne already called Halo by Halo. And you can go to meandhalo.com to purchase it." ([61:14])

9. Advice and Legacy

Wrapping up, 2 Chainz imparts valuable advice to aspiring individuals, emphasizing resilience and the importance of personal growth.

• Living Through Hardships:
  "What don't kill you, make you stronger. In this case right here. I appreciate it." ([19:13])

• Encouragement to Persist:
  "A lot of people don't feel like they make it by 21, 22... but here you are." ([50:03])

---

Notable Quotes

• On Early Life Responsibilities:
  "I had to be the man of the house." ([17:10])

• On Overcoming Adversity:
  "I've lived being consciously a little bit more mature than, say, somebody else." ([19:13])

• On Success and Belief:
  "It may be too late for them if that's what they believe." ([50:33])

• On Personal Growth:
  "What don't kill you, make you stronger." ([19:13])

• On Maintaining Marriage:
  "You can't really just find it everywhere, especially when you become a certain." ([38:39])

---

Conclusion

This episode of Club Shay Shay offers an unfiltered glimpse into 2 Chainz’s life, showcasing his resilience, entrepreneurial spirit, and dedication to personal growth and family. Shannon Sharpe facilitates a conversation that not only highlights 2 Chainz’s successes but also underscores the importance of overcoming adversity and staying true to one’s values. Whether you're a fan or someone seeking inspiration, this episode provides valuable insights into the making of a modern-day icon.

Transcript

[Trey Farrow]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast. When it's tip off time at my house, there are a few things that are must haves on my checklist. My fellow friends and fans. Check my favorite jersey.

[2 Chainz]

It is good luck.

[Trey Farrow]

Check an iconic drink that's a fan favorite.

[2 Chainz]

Check.

[Trey Farrow]

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[Degree Advertiser]

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[Trey Farrow]

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[2 Chainz]

Everything from first steps to first dates, from all nighters to all time personal bests.

[Trey Farrow]

From building pillow forts to building a.

[2 Chainz]

Life for all the big and small.

[Silenia]

Moments that make up your whole world.

[2 Chainz]

DSW is there and we've got just the shoes. Find a shoe for every you from brands you love at brag worthy prices at your dsw store or dsw.com thank.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You for coming back. Part two is underway.

[2 Chainz]

You know I'm from, I'm from a pre DM era. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You had to walk up on them.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah.

[2 Chainz]

You know what I'm saying was how you know, have something to say, have instead of like just send like an emoji to communicate. It's a little different. But I, I, I saw her and, and we just, you know, just hit it off.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Were you nervous?

[2 Chainz]

No, I've never been nervous when it comes to females at all. Yeah, no, no, no. I'm, I'm, you know I'm. I'm one of them. I think I'm a pretty charming.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

Pretty charming fella. You know, I'm as. I know what I bring to the table too. So. Yeah, it wasn't. It was just about me knowing that this was the one more than anything, you know, which. Which I believe.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I think I read a stat where it says, like, I think maybe 80% of the men have never asked a woman out on a date personally. So, like, you walk up to that individual like, hey, how you doing?

[2 Chainz]

Such and such.

[Shannon Sharpe]

My name is this. What's your name? I would like to take you out. No, I think.

[2 Chainz]

I think that's too scripted. Right. Anything about let's go on a date? It doesn't normally happen. You meet somebody, you hang out. You know, I just don't hang out. How you gonna hang out right now? Right now, a date with me and. And my girl. We might be at the studio. This is anything. Oh, okay. You know what I'm saying? Like a date.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You don't like the script that. Okay, we going out to eat. We going out to do that?

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, like, that don't even sound right. That sounds like a real script to me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[2 Chainz]

You know, I think the normal way is you end up at Candyland, you know what I'm saying, having a drink or two, whatever. And you know, you. You might don't want to say it was a date, but that's exactly what that was, you know, so, yeah, that's what I like to.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Before you, I mean, were you. Were you heavy into the adult entertainment industry? Would you come in here with other thing, a normal thing that you would do?

[2 Chainz]

I came here before I owned it. Yeah. I'm like being from Atlanta, the strip clubs is one, known to break music and two, known to have, like, popular people.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely.

[2 Chainz]

Congregating.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

So I've been coming to strip clubs. I'm like, maybe like 15 to 16. It was a strip club on Cleveland Avenue called Pleasers, and they used to do. And we might need to do it here. They used to have free popcorn, like little. And that little smell.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

I used to be hungry. I go in there, man, I eat three, four things.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And. You know. I thought you was gonna say that one on pause. I thought. I mean, I thought you was gonna say Clermont.

[2 Chainz]

No, no, no.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They don't know nothing about the Clermont.

[2 Chainz]

No, I can't believe that. That. That club that he's talking about actually have, you know, women upwards of 50, 60 years old.

[Shannon Sharpe]

70.

[2 Chainz]

70 years old for show. Yeah. I wanna See, I'm not co signing that because once I heard that, that what was going on, you gotta go.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got to go one time to see it for yourself. Cause you don't believe it.

[2 Chainz]

I do believe it. And I don't have to see it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You gotta see it.

[2 Chainz]

I do believe it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You gotta see it.

[2 Chainz]

I've heard it from too many different people.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You gotta see it.

[2 Chainz]

But man, to know that women and I ain't judging. It's men in there watching. Yeah. And women, but it's 70 year old women in there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Four teeth, no teeth.

[2 Chainz]

Hey man, say they say they kids ain't way like, like you see like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

On National Geographic, the women on Africa.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Atlanta. That's the culture. Yeah, man, I think Magic opened his spot in the 80s.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh yeah. Oh, but yeah, yeah, yeah. But you, I mean you, you so you like, okay, I'm gonna get this. She's like, okay, babe, I can see that.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, okay. Yeah. This whole spot has been repurposed, you know what I'm saying? So the seating, the everything. So that whole process, they came in. Now my mom, I was just. Because my mom, if she could, she would come in here. But I was like, mom just don't do me like that. You know what I'm saying? She goes to all my spots, Esco and all that. She'll be with my aunts hanging out. So my momma come up here and eat, but she won't hang out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[2 Chainz]

You know what I'm saying? But know my wife and everybody else will. And it was just a whole process from beginning to end that they were definitely a part of it. No one was in the blind with this.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What do you think the top three cities for adult entertainment is?

[2 Chainz]

Atlanta, Houston and Miami.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Can't go wrong.

[2 Chainz]

Atlanta, Houston and Miami for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, Houston made a come up.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, that's it right there. Them the cities.

[Shannon Sharpe]

With the video with you. I think it was a video where you and you shot it with Kiki in the strip club. Kiki Palmer.

[2 Chainz]

Kiki ain't been in here. Kiki hadn't been in here. I don't know what man. Kiki had, Kiki hadn't been there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It wasn't in here. But where was where? Do you remember where it was?

[2 Chainz]

Uh, nah. But Kiki, I think she a Virgo like me. So we've been. We big, we cool. But I hadn't seen in a minute. Like I know this last movie was hard with Sza Sza. Yeah, yeah. But I've had too many. It's an entertainer here every weekend, though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

It's entertaining here. A football player. Like, I ain't. But like, it's an entertainer here. It's. Yeah. If you're a part of the culture, you've been in here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, I want to know. Cause I know Madge. Been knowing Madge 30 years. Do you like when the dancers want to come in? They come and audition. You audition them.

[2 Chainz]

I've been here for auditions before, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what's the idea? What are you looking for? Is there a particular height there, a particular shape there, a particular personality? There's a particular.

[2 Chainz]

I mean, it's hard to tell personalities during auditions because you're not really talking to them. You get them on stage and it's two songs. One would close on one with clothes off, right. And you see if they can dance first because this is, you know, an entertainment facility. If they can't dance, then that kind of ends it right there. If they can dance, then you start looking at other things. And then, you know, it's not really about. Because people like natural bodies, people like bbls, people like white, people like black, people like different things. So it's up to me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Natural booty boot.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, up to me to try to have a little bit of everything. So when I'm. When I'm in here trying to get girls, I'm trying to feel voids for something that we may not have at this time, or if we got too many looking this way, I'm trying to bring in something like that. So I'm just trying to have options for people who come in here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. What is it about the strip clubs and the music? Because you get some of the best music in the daughter.

[2 Chainz]

It's the energy. It's about dancing. So originally, girls would come on stage to do their set and they would tell the DJ what they wanted to dance to, right? And so the reason they're telling the DJ to play this is because it's making people spend money, right? And so it had a direct connection with everything that's going on. So that's why records really, when they do good in Atlanta strip club, they do good all over because it's like a weird science to it to where people tip or do something to the song, you know, and it doesn't even have to have that kind of connotation in the music. But if it's. The tempo is right and it has that vibe to it, and people can throw money or dance to it once it. Once it incubates in the strip club, it can just live anywhere.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Were you around? You were. Obviously you were around, but did you ever bump into Big Meech when they were in Atlanta?

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That was. That was. That was a time.

[2 Chainz]

It was. It was a time that can never be duplicated, man, because you. I've never seen that many, you know, brothers get along and have they in and everybody had. Yeah. And shine. I can actually say I saw that with my eyes. And, you know, the prices on the streets was different and everything, you know, and I was in my. I was selling weed at the time, so it was like I wasn't even in the same game that they was dealing in. So I just wanted to. I just wanted to get. I. I remember just really wanting to like, have access to me to just like sell my weed to him. I would have to sell it to a few other members around before I could even just get to them. But yeah, I mean, it was. It was a time in Atlanta that I don't think could be, you know, duplicated, man. Too much money flying around, too many, zero cares given, you know?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So I tell you what, something else that won't ever be duplicated. Freaknik.

[2 Chainz]

Nah, Freaknik won't be duplicated either. I remember being. I remember those days too.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I saw from 92 to 96, I.

[2 Chainz]

Saw girls before the word twerking was out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They were doing. They were twerking way back when. That was. I mean, that ain't what they called it, but they was doing that back.

[2 Chainz]

In here, wearing no clothes, guys doing the most.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Too much.

[2 Chainz]

Dudes doing too much.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Too much.

[2 Chainz]

Dudes doing too much in the traffic.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You think it was like freaknick when they came here for that Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, what you see at Atlanta, traffic, it was like that way back when. I mean, it was worse because you remember at a certain point in time, they even blocked the intersect. They blocked the exit. So once you got on 85, 75, you had to go damn near to Clayton county to turn around.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah. Wow. You remember. That's crazy. What I was on feet. You look up, you been on walk eight miles. Cause you know, these people, they're parking their car, getting out, and you just meeting people. You interact and you dance. Somebody got this big ass camcorder.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[2 Chainz]

And you just don't even know what footage you shot with yourself back there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You people would literally. It was a gridlock. So 85 was like a parking lot. You people literally stopped and they was dancing in the street and just like. And I remember thinking to myself, I said, shame. I don't know how much longer they gonna let this go on. Cause this thing getting out of control.

[2 Chainz]

When it starts scaring y' all, when it starts scaring black folks, it's.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Remember, they shut down the mall. They started shutting down the malls at three o' clock in the afternoon.

[2 Chainz]

Started making black folks scared.

[Shannon Sharpe]

James, you wanna. I mean, you've done a little acting.

[2 Chainz]

You wanted to just.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Is that something you would like to take on? Take on a more responsibility, Do a little bit more of.

[2 Chainz]

I wouldn't mind doing acting, but I'm actually interested in being behind the camera.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[2 Chainz]

So. Okay. Yeah. I shot my first short film called Red Clay. I shot it last summer, roughly, you know, based upon my life. And it will be in a few festivals you mentioned.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's like. It's a short film.

[2 Chainz]

It's only 20 minutes, but it's. It's. It's really well put together. And so I'm excited about getting that off my chest and everything that comes with that. And I'm also excited about producing what's after that, which will be aligned and tied to that. So.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[2 Chainz]

That's where I am with it. I'm really in it. And up to now, I kind of have kept it a little, you know, to myself, kind of a secret a little bit. But right now, I think it's time for people to really know. I really got something special coming out, and I'm just as attracted to this feeling of doing something good as I was back in the days with my mixtape, my music. I just feel like I got something special to bring to the table.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I meant to ask you this earlier. You got 50 to narrate your album with Lil Wayne. How were you able to pull that off? You knew you had a relationship with 50?

[2 Chainz]

Yeah. Yeah, I just called him. He. I even called him or I saw him, because I was in bmf. Before I was in bmf, I was invited to a dinner where I met a lot of the producers and writers and stuff. And then obviously he put me in bmf. The BMF thing. Yeah. And so, you know, what's the worst thing somebody could tell you is no, you know, I figured out a long time ago, if you don't actually want to know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So I was like, don't get fed.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, I got this. You know, I got this. I want you to narrate. Because to me, when I was describing. When I was describing the album, it felt so cinematic, and I felt like I wanted somebody to narrate the Project. But I wanted to be somebody that never said their name. But you just know who it is, right? You know what I'm saying? Just.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They just know who it is.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah. So you know, you got Snoop. It's a few of them. Snoop, fifth, Samuel Jackson, like a Morgan Freeman. You hear Morgan. Yeah. It's like they don't have to say, hey, this is. They don't have to say their name. And so I don't know, 50 just got this. So I actually wrote everything he said, man. And he just killed it and sent it back. And yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Your last name is Epps. You were telling me that he. Omar, which is a cousin of yours, helped you write your. Your 20, your. Your short. Your short film. You related to Mike?

[2 Chainz]

Mike. I want to say Mike is an Epstein Marriage, if I'm not mistaken.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[2 Chainz]

But most Epps are related. Let's just say that. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm trying to figure out why do so many rappers come from the south side? Thug, Future, Gunner, Lil Baby, Outkast, Jeezy, Gucci, Man Walker, Flocka.

[2 Chainz]

None of them from the south side.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What are you from?

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, like. Like Gucci from Zone 6. Future, like Kurt Wood.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you talking about. See, you talking about zone six. You talking about that first 48.

[2 Chainz]

Southside would be like College park or Clayton County. And so your south side artist will be Jermaine Dupree.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[2 Chainz]

Lotto, right? Waka flocka. Me, you can somewhat say Outkast because they were from East Point.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[2 Chainz]

So that's the south side. But basically everybody else is from either the west side of Atlanta or east side of Atlanta.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, did you know any of these. Any of these artists when you were coming up?

[2 Chainz]

I've known Gucci a very long time. I've known Gucci a very, very long time. I swear I can.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Out of all those people, you went to North Clayton?

[2 Chainz]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Monica and Sierra graduated.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, Monica. Monica, man. Monica. I went to school. We went to school during the same time. I'm not sure if cece went there or not. Maybe she went there for a year or two. Or to Riverdale. She went to one of those schools. But I met Monica in high school.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[2 Chainz]

I have known her for that long.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Titti Boy. How do you get that name?

[2 Chainz]

Titty boy is a homegrown name that I got from basically just being an only child, a spoiled brat, somebody that's very close to their mom. And my mom have a great relationship even to this day. We talk every single day. She hangs out with me, I hang. We go to the game together. So people used to be like, ain't nothing but a titty boy. He be hanging, you know, that's where your, like, safety zone. The comfort zone for me was that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Early on, that's a boy's first true love.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, so. And my mom, she liked that too. She's kind of like. Like, I love you, man. She borderline bully, so ain't nobody gonna mess with me or her.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what I mean?

[2 Chainz]

So I'm just, like, used to just being a bunny stuff.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How was it being raised by a single mother?

[2 Chainz]

Actually, it's like, it's cool. I don't think I would change it. I don't know how. I don't think I would change it because now I had to be the man of the house.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Great.

[2 Chainz]

So I replaced. Now it's definitely some obstacles, but it forces you to grow up faster, mature faster. You know, playtime be over real quick when you the only.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Only male alive.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, playtime is over real quick. Like, did.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Is there a part of you that resent that? That you didn't really get to have a full childhood? Because like you said, you're the only man in the house. And so you're expected to grow up a lot sooner than, say, had your dad been in the house or there's another dominant male figure in the picture.

[2 Chainz]

No, it's. No. When I was seven, I remember this very vividly. My older cousin, he threw away the toys. I had, like, threw away my toys. I was playing with, like, a Hulk Hogan wrestling, just like. Like, Charlie, we not playing with no toys. You know what I'm saying? Threw them away. And I remember being crushed, like, being hurt. Cause I'm the only child. I'd be sitting up here having a whole.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You had a whole conversation. You got a whole story going on.

[2 Chainz]

I got a whole. This is a man. I'm in the middle of a ww. This was a whole cage match.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, you got a whole match going on.

[2 Chainz]

I don't even know what. And so. But when I look back, I appreciate the moments because I couldn't. I couldn't think like a kid or even, you know, I can act like a kid. But I grew my mental. The way that I think mature way faster than my ex. My actual physical strength and all of that. I was mentally strong way before I was physically strong.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[2 Chainz]

But that was due to me having to do that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[2 Chainz]

And so they always say, what don't, you know, kill you, make you stronger? In this case right here. I appreciate it. I wouldn't I can't sit here and give you a story on me being close to dying that I know of, you know what I'm saying? But I can tell you how much I just lived, you know what I'm saying? And I've lived being consciously a little bit more mature than, say, somebody else that can just go around, play, act like nothing is going on. Like I had to way back, learn how to do money orders or fill out certain things and know how to ask for menthol, Newport, whatever, menthols and all this old stuff that I ain't got no business. They don't even sell these stuff to kids.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[2 Chainz]

You know what I'm saying? But I'm going to the store. I gotta get all this stuff. Stockings. You remember when we used to wear stockings?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely I do.

[2 Chainz]

I gotta go in the store, buy stockings. I gotta cross.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got me the stocking caps. We had. We done cut.

[2 Chainz]

My grandma paid home to my pussy. You know exactly what it is. I done had to walk across Kendall Road, this thing is busy, just to go to a store, ask for cigarettes and stockings for her and all this old stuff. So, you know, I can't imagine like why I was even doing this type of stuff at 11 or 12 years old.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know, you got arrested, I think at 15, got arrested again at 17. Did you feel an obligation? Because like you said, you're the male figure, your only child, and you wanted to do something to help your mom because you saw what your mom was going through. Nobody knows what a person going through except somebody that's really close to that person. And you saw your mom struggle, you saw your mom going through that. Is that why you kind of got into that life? Or was it something else that drew you to it?

[Trey Farrow]

When it's tip off time at my house, there are a few things that are must haves on my checklist. My fellow friends and fans. Check. My favorite jersey. Check. An iconic drink that's a fan favorite. Check. Hypnotic can turn any cocktail into an iconic creation. With its game changing color and tropical flavor, Hypnotic should be in everyone's starting five. I consider Hypnotic the point guard of my game day roster because not only is it versatile, like having it on the rocks or as a base for cocktails, it also finishes smooth and just like the banners in my stadium, letting people know that we take championships seriously. Having Hypnotic at my watch parties lets people know that I also take quality seriously since it's crafted with high quality ingredients for a championship level drinking experience. So the next time you need a Break from the action with a distinctive timeout. Look no further. Grab a bottle of Hypnotic and make your next basketball watch party iconic. Enjoy the vibrant taste with friends and turn every game into a memorable celebration. Hypnotic where every sip is a slam dunk. Hypnotic Liqueur Bardstown, Kentucky 17% alcohol by volume Hypnotic Reminds you to think wisely, drink wisely.

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[Silenia]

Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn [e-mail] credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report.

[2 Chainz]

So if I, if I live in Hawaii, if I was born in Hawaii, I think I would know how to surf, right? Because I adapt. If I was raised in Colorado or whatever, I would be good at skiing, right? But my family, my mom lived in these low socioeconomic spaces and they were trapped. So I'm, I live in these traps. It's not like traps are really places. People come there to buy drugs and leave. But it's like the zoo. They come to the zoo and leave. But I'm staying at the zoo all day. I'm here forever. I'm like, so I'm from the trap. So everybody around me does the same thing. It's kind of like neighborhoods and gangs and stuff like that. Like some people are Just it's really because they mom live here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

You know what I'm saying? My mom lives here. You know, it's always this special kid or somebody we don't want to expose to this lifestyle or whatever. But I wasn't that kid, right? And this the. Actually the 15 year old. When I go to get in TROUBLE When I'm 15, my mom knows I sell drugs. You know what I'm saying? My mom knows. This is not even a secret. My mom used to do drugs, right? So it wasn't like a huge secret. And it was just this time my father was already incarcerated and my mom just had. I don't even know if this was her boyfriend or just somebody who sold dope. But they came in our house after being chased by the police to try to come in the house and flush. It just kind of like made their way in our house. And I was asleep. I remember being on my little air mattress. Sleep. But what I used to do before I go to sleep was eat like Oreos and milk. It was like a routine, a little milk. And that night I had like, I don't know, 10 crack sacks or whatever. And I put the crack sacks in this napkin and I borrowed a napkin up and I put it in the red little cup that my milk was in. I sat it by my air mattress. Because honestly, at an early age I had to be creative with where I put stuff because people would steal from me while I was asleep, steal money out of my pocket. I would put pants under my pillow and money still would be missing. So I would start having creative ways on just hiding stuff around. The police come in and eventually I'm kind of handcuffed in the hallway. And eventually I kind of see somebody kick that cup over. And when they kick that cup over, I see the satches come out. Now the sacks. All this happens in my room. So they take my mom to jail with this dude. They let me call somebody like a cousin to come get me. I leave. And when I come back, some people in the neighborhood because the house has been busted, people had ran in the neighborhood and just start going through my stuff. Yeah, going through our apartment. So. And the door off the hinge is. So my friend lets me move, like live with him for a while. He stayed in apartments as well. And so while I'm living with him, I'm going to school. He don't go to school as much as me, but I'm going as often as I can. I'm going. And I think that they tried to serve Me a warrant for that stuff. That cocaine being mine, and I was nowhere around to be, so they had to come to my school and get me. So that's how that particular incident happened. But my mom was fully aware of. Of what I had going on.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did she ever say, hey, son, stop that. You going. Did. Did your mama ever try to.

[2 Chainz]

No, no, no, no. It's deeper than. It's so deep, it's crazy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They say association bring on simulation.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, it's deep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So they take you to juvie, right? How long you in juvie?

[2 Chainz]

Like, a week and a half. But I didn't know, like. Yeah, as you know, I'm, like, playing basketball, so I got people coming up there that. I guess it's. It's Clayton Council. People know people. So I guess people are in areas where they can see me and I can't see them. People are checking up on me. But for, like, the first two or three days, I was super to myself. Didn't want to even really shower. But then I got sprayed with whatever they spray you with. So I had to, like, take the initial shower.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But, like, after they got. They spray you down, make sure you got no bugs, no license.

[2 Chainz]

So after they sprayed, infestation after they sprayed, but they was really like, shorty. They was telling me, shorty, you gonna have to take a. You know, you gonna have to get that stuff off you. So after I did that, the next couple times, I just kind of stayed in my room, and then they played basketball. So I said, oh, man. I said, you know, I got. Everybody got on the same shoes, whatever. So that's what got me through that little extra little week or whatever was basketball. And then. I don't know how they figured it out. Somebody court appointed, somebody looked out for me. And I remember my name being called and. Hold on, Is this the first time? Yeah, because one of these times. One of these times. All right, so either that time I. I got called and they released me, but maybe the next time I got locked up, which was in high school again, right? We. They called my name. And I remember just talking so much to the. To my cellies and every. Everybody else or whatever. And I gave them my store, and then when I walked out, they put me in maximum. And that's where, like, real people do real stuff.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

And I said, God has punished me from break. I said, I was supposed to be in here. They said, man, put on this red suit. I had on the orange suit. They told me, put on this red suit. And I done just damn near boop I done damn near did everything leaving out this cell. And for some reason, I don't know what happened paperwork wise, but they got me in here next to somebody who done swallowed a razor blade and tried to go to the hospital and escape. This person is a serial rapist. The cell is maximum. It has the electric doors when they close open, but it's too many people in there, so you got people sleeping outside of it. And it was just like that experience was even kind of a little bit more nerve wracking than when I went to Juvia or whatever just because of the maximum. I could still hear the maximum doors. And then it's just a bunch of that not telling stories or whatever. But that was like my. And I've been. When I became a rapper, I got in way more trouble than I got in back then. It felt like I was targeted, but back then it was almost like the situations I went through, I wouldn't even be right here now next to you if I didn't go through them. But when I was currently in that position, I thought my word was going to end. I thought my words with the juvie thing, it was the most. I was the most shame. I was so ashamed. When I got up to my 12th grade year, I had scholarships to many different schools to play basketball. And actually Mr. Sat Just Mama told me, don't even take all this weed to school. You know what I'm saying? And it's not even a lot of weed at this time. It's like some nicks. It's $100 worth of nicks or something crazy. So it's not even a lot of weed. But I get caught with it and that puts a blemishes. I lose scholarships, I lose people. So it make you feel like your life gonna end. But then I end up going to somewhere else where I meet these different people and the love of my life and some other things and it just worked out differently. So I tell anybody, which I have told some of my like little play nephews that have grown up that has gotten into some trouble right now. I tell them just to live long enough, man. Anything can help you live long enough. You know, stay out of prison, stay out of the graveyard, man. Man, this stuff can turn around and you can just. This just can be a part of your story now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because at the end of your story.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, I can just tell it so freely now, like boy. And it might sound cool. I'm not trying to make it sound. It's not cool at all. But I actually experienced It. I had to tell my kids. It's like, you know, I went to Juvia 15 while you doing all this. Like, I really like so just to. Just to express that. I just feel like sometimes we go through stuff and it just. It really do make us a better person. Because now I'm not interested in none of that type of lifestyle. You know, in the hood, getting shot, shooting somebody, going to jail, Any of that is a part of puberty. It's like part of adolescence. You fully don't even develop or grow up unless something like that has happened. Like, man, you ain't been shot, you ain't shot nobody. You ain't never even been to jail. It's like one of those things. It's like, I don't know if you've really been through this.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So that part, even through all that, you get an opportunity, you get a scholarship. You start off going to asu. Alabama State, right? What happened at Alabama State?

[2 Chainz]

Alabama State was tricky. So they called me, man, super vulnerable. But I'm happy they did, man. They called me after they heard. This is pre social media. So the schools that's recruiting me don't know. I got locked up in school. So I'm literally damn near like. Like somebody asked me in a letter. Cause I'm getting these letters every week, you know, after practice, when you're good. The coach, I'm sure you. But it's two, three players to get like these little letters from people that's interested in them. You know what I'm saying? It's me and my homie getting these letters. And I mean, I wish I had these letters now, but one of the letters was asking me how you think you did on the sat, you know, And I started being like, damn, this crazy. You know, I'm a little ashamed. I done got caught with weed in school, right? You know, and the Alabama State, they call. I talked to them on the phone. They say, we heard what happened. You know, man, we looking for a big guard. You know, we two hours from Atlanta. It was already some people from my school that was down there. So it made my transition a little easier. And when I go down. When I go down there to play, they get fired. The coaches, that was showing me so much interest, just telling me everything what they was going to promise me, you know, little weight program to put a little, little, little something on me. And they gets fired before anything, before I even ever. I never even ran a practice with these guys, right? And here comes a coach and his own four players. And I remember I remember him walking in to my left. I remember him walking in and four other tall, you know, looked like Hoopers. And from that point on, I ain't care about basketball no more. Really didn't care about that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You lost interest just that quick.

[2 Chainz]

Cause he came in, it's just whole energy change. When he came in, he already had his mindset on. He wouldn't have brought these players if he weren't gonna use. And so that just, you know, it just took. It just discouraged me for so many reasons. Because I've been playing basketball Since I was 7 years old, you know what I'm saying? Here I am playing. Here I am in my mind. I don't even supposed to be at this school, right? And now you telling me or whatever, showing me I ain't finna play. Oh, man, I just did not mess with it, you know what I mean? So commenced the trapping, commenced the going up and down the road.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you leave that and go to vsu. You go to Virginia State?

[2 Chainz]

No, I go to tsu.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Tsu.

[2 Chainz]

I mean, no, I'm sorry. Tuskegee, everybody. I went to Tuskegee, which is a 30 minutes up the road, right? So here it is, Atlanta, dude in Alabama, right? You can imagine like the ego or the mentality that I have. And I was taught a few lessons in Alabama, like, you know, there ain't nothing to play with. I was taught a few lessons. So I have a party at a club and I got on this. This is when park wearing the silk Versace. Yeah, yeah, they like 450. Yeah, I got me one. I don't. I got on. So I'm. I'm like, I'm sure Shannon. Yeah, the club ain't got nothing but Andre looker. The. That's called Andre. I think it's about out of 20. Yeah, but I'm from Atlanta and I, you know, I've been to 112 a couple times and these people, they have ballers in the club. So I'm just. I'm gonna represent the Atlanta culture down here. Alabama, man. Before you know it, it's a huge fight that breaks out in the club. Uh oh, and when the fight breaks out, a young lady gets her eye damaged severely. I'm talking about.

[Shannon Sharpe]

A new sight in.

[2 Chainz]

It almost, you know, and everybody just started pointing the finger at me. He said, my party and this Versace shirt. That's all I'm hearing. Versace shirt me. Versace shirt me. So I do like anybody who got sense. I'm getting out of here. I Ain't sticking around, right? I immediately. Immediately, bro. I just went to a whole nother school soon as I started this probably took two weeks. I go to a whole nother school because I got a couple homeboys at this other school. It's 30 minutes they've been coming down here, kicking it with me, so I got a homeboy to play on they team, and Tuskegee was D2, but they still was good. Alabama State was D1, but they was really, like, still 30 minutes. So I go down to this school, and it was very, very interesting because my degree was something in computer or programming or something like that. So when I go to Tuskegee, I end up changing my major to psychology because the actual teacher was my grandfather's sister, so my great aunt. So it was just interesting to meet her. And she already knew so much information about me, I figured she was gonna let me cheat, which she never did. And I end up taking that and graduating from that. But I end up leaving Tuskegee and going back to Alabama State.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You meet your wife. I think the question that you probably get asked a lot, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that they, like, change, bro. How you stay married, how you stay committed when you have all this around you at your fingertips and you go home to the mother of your three?

[2 Chainz]

How all the time. I've seen. I've seen what it. I've seen what it. I've seen what it looked like, you know, I'm seeing. I've seen what outside look like. I've seen all perspectives. You know what I'm saying? But it's just something about having that stability and that loyalty. I mean, really, that real loyalty, that real love.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

You can't really just find it everywhere, especially when you become a certain. When you get to a certain level, you don't know how real effect.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, it's easy.

[2 Chainz]

It's easy, everybody.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, Chain. Oh, I love chain.

[2 Chainz]

Oh, he look good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you see Wavy? It's easy to say that now, but when I wasn't too chained.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When y' all was calling me by my government name.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, it's. I think that's just, you know, even working in the. In a. Or owning a strip club, even in this space right here, I already. I already knew that, you know, people were probably just assuming that I was gonna just throw it all away, you know, And I just couldn't wait to prove people, you know, wrong. You know what I'm saying? And girls walk around me naked all the time now. I don't know if that's done something to my libido. Cause a girl walking here naked now, I just. It just. She just will be naked. It won't even. Like. She'd just be a naked girl. She be naked.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hey, look. Hey, you might need to get on them roast bark like your boy. Them roast bark.

[2 Chainz]

No, no, no, no. Everything still work real good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

O.

[2 Chainz]

Let's, let's. No, everything works really good on me. Really, really good. Yeah. You know, pause. Everything works good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But that just interests you.

[2 Chainz]

I'm just saying, any given day, it's 30 or 40, 50 naked women in here. Yeah. I ain't walking around with no boner in here by seeing no 40, 50 women. Because I see it. So I just see it every day. Oh, you know, you on your root.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Whatever, that roast bar.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, roast bar, whatever.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You taking the times of 2030, you.

[2 Chainz]

Gonna be around here looking and stabb. Folks all. Excuse me. Stabbing folk trying to get to the. I gotta go to the bathroom. They come now. I got control over Debo. Yeah. I got control, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You proposed that to your wife. Did you know you was gonna propose? Cuz you proposed at the Met Gala, correct?

[2 Chainz]

Oh, man, I had to, man. That was big, man. I went. That's. You know, sometimes you gotta do something where they can go back and it's historic. They can go back and. Yeah. Were you nervous? No. So this is what happened, man. I get there, I get invited by Versace because I'm doing a collaboration with Versace and my homie Salehi. We go. They let us go to Versace on 5th Ave. In New York. We get all type of shit, you know what I'm saying? They got custom. They got a lady that done flew over to do Keisha makeup from all this. Just everything, you know. So I had already planned. I said, man, this would be dope. Everybody see it. You know what I'm saying? Be play. I'd be throwing my little player card. Whatever. We just wait, you know, put it up, man. Listen. We get there all kind of stuff. Try to prevent me from doing it, right? Get there, wait up in line. It's just all type of stuff. So, man, I get. I'm thinking a couple times, man, I got it right here in my pocket. I'm thinking, man, I just keep thinking. I said, man, we're going to do this, man. I want to do it on. So it takes so long to get there. At this point, it seems like it's just never going to happen. So I get there, we get on. When I finally get there. We get on the steps, and Keisha, she look around. I said, I go in there, and then they won't come out. So I said, what does this mean? You know what I'm saying? Like. Cause I don't want her to see me doing this. I want to already have it out. You know what I'm saying? So I get to pull. I get to pulling it, and it comes on out. And so I get on the knee, and then Keisha turned around, look at me and say, baby, you all right? She's like, you okay? She think I guess fail or something. Cause she just didn't expect it. So I think it was cool for it to be a surprise on such a huge stage.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right, but you had proposed before at the BET Award in 2013, right?

[2 Chainz]

No, we just went out then, and people thought it was like that. Like, me and Keisha, we look good together and stuff in pictures. And every time we would step out and then she was somebody that I was calling my wife before we even had. You know, before we even.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, you know, you had to be there. Cause you make that presentation, the court say okay. That what you've been saying. Okay.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I had been saying it. You know how you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, yeah. That's why.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah. You know how you just say that like this. You just. I mean, you know, and for a long time, I felt like she deserved a wedding. She deserved the. She deserved all that. But for the most part, I was treating her like a wife.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's. You have star studded wedding. Kim and Kanye, Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, Swizbeat, Gucci mane, Monica. Attendance at the Versace wedding at the Versace mansion in Miami. Is that what you had to.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, I'm trying to think. Monica came. Oh, man, my mind, it was a blur.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You don't remember. You was just so focused on making sure.

[2 Chainz]

I don't think Alicia came or Swizz came. Everybody else came. All those other names came. But it was nice, man. I had a. The thing about that wedding wasn't so much the celebrities that came out, it was the people that I was able to show something like my uncle, who I was telling you about, who had all the necklaces that's no longer here. He was there. Keisha, Grandmama was there. Like, it was people that hadn't been to Miami beach, hadn't been to Versace. I got the. I got the mansion in the hotel next to it. I rent the whole hotel for everybody else. Yeah. So it's just the situation that we this close, you know what I'm saying? And it's unlimited food and liquor. So I like to show people a good time like in this space. I don't know about you but I like to show people like you know I love like I like to show.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Them a good time.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah I like to show them a good time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They bring their ass back, I'm gonna show em a bad time.

[2 Chainz]

I show people a good time and it just be like I had a good time. It might one off thing like man you know I had to put my mom on the jet, you know jumping on just let me put my mom on the jet, you know. It's just certain things I like just want to offer to people that I.

[Trey Farrow]

Love right when it's tip off time at my house. There are a few things that are must haves on my checklist. My fellow friends and fans. Check My favorite jersey. Check. An iconic drink that's a fan favorite. Check. Hypnotic can turn any cocktail into an iconic creation with its game changing color and tropical flavor. And Hypnotic should be in everyone's starting five. I consider Hypnotic the point guard of my game day roster because not only is it versatile, like having it on the rocks or as a base for cocktails, it also finishes smooth and just like the banners in my stadium, letting people know that we take championships seriously. Having Hypnotic at my watch parties lets people know that I also take quality seriously since it's crafted with high quality ingredients for a championship level drinking experience. So the next time you need a break from the action with a distinctive timeout, look no further. Grab a bottle of Hypnotic and make your next basketball watch party iconic. Enjoy the vibrant taste with friends and turn every game into a memorable celebration. Hypnotic where every sip is a slam dunk. Hypnotic Liqueur Bardstown, Kentucky 17% alcohol by volume Hypnotic reminds you to think wisely, drink wisely.

[Silenia]

Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn [e-mail] credit card Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, think advertising on TikTok isn't for your business?

[Trey Farrow]

Think again. We've generated over 100,000 leads, which has converted into over 40,000 sales for our pet insurance policies.

[2 Chainz]

My name is Trey Farrow I am.

[Trey Farrow]

The CEO of Spot Pet Insurance TikTok Smart Plus AI powered automation takes the guesswork out of targeting, bidding and optimizing creative. If I can advertise on TikTok you can too. Drive more leads and scale your business. Today only on TikTok. Head over to get started.TikTok.com TikTok ads the kids aspect.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You mentioned that you were the only child raised by a single parent. It almost seems like you did the total opposite with like you wanted to be, you felt you needed to be around for your kids that what you went through, your kids would never experience what you went through.

[2 Chainz]

Absolutely. I had to, I had to sell drugs. I actually started selling drugs at 12 but they were just nicks. But it was for my mom and her boyfriend, right? And you know, it was almost like they gave me a little something to keep, you know, like it was 40, $50. But I never have to even go through that with Halo or Heaven or Harmony. Like I don't have to tell them that now granted, when I'm trying to teach them a lesson sometimes I may have a flashback and tell them yo, I love you right? Like this is the reason, like you know what I'm saying? I didn't have this, this wasn't around. I had to learn the hard way or whatever. But yeah, me growing up with one, not in the household necessarily, not my father anyway, it made me want to like be around and also like you know, I got the money so but I just got to try to like offer certain experiences too. Like they can remember like certain trips or certain, I don't know, games. Whatever I do, I mean, you know, you'll never get it 100% right. But I'm trying to.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damon Wayans told me the best thing his dad did was come home. How do you balance. How do you balance Shanes? Because you not having. Having to do what you did but. And it got you here to make sure you're like okay, I wanna give my kids enough but not give em too much because you know, tough times create tough men. Tough men create easy times. Easy times easy create weak kids. Weak kids create hard times. How does Chang who didn't have a lot but you know your mother loved you. How do you impart Instill and partake the wisdom. Partake the wisdom that you learn to make sure your kids appreciate what you're doing but not take it for granted.

[2 Chainz]

That's a good one. I might have to ask AI that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because you know, what do we always say? Chains? I don't want my kids to go through none of what I went through. But think about what it made you, man.

[2 Chainz]

Listen, man, I literally. And this is an inside joke with me and my wife. I literally got a song that I play in my head to take cold showers. Mm. And it's like a joke. Like, if, like, we go somewhere in the water. Ain't just. She'll be like, it's ambitious of a ride. About Tupac. I play that in my head. But I get in the shower, just take a cold. Man, I've been wired to do something because, like, I ain't have no hot water. Or we had to turn the water off from six to six and then take the same little T thing and turn it back on. Or even stealing lights, stuff that they would never know about. Like, it just wouldn't even happen. You know what I'm saying? Like, even stealing or borrowing lights, not even stealing them. Going to your neighbor, getting an extension cord from their house all the way to your house, and you see this big old cord going through your big old orange. Two, three orange cords connected. Going to your house. Like, man, it's just unbelievable that I, you know, it's just good to be on the other side of that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely.

[2 Chainz]

You know what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

You blew up at 35. What do you tell people that feel like it's too late for them? Cause a lot of times people don't feel like they make it by 21, 22. Like, oh, it's over for me. But here you are, had success later. I mean, it's not like you were 50, but I'm saying a lot of people have success a little early, especially in this game. But you had success at 35. What do you tell people that said, man? And just not in music, but in anything. Cause a lot of times people don't feel like if they're successful early on, there's no chance for them to be successful later.

[2 Chainz]

It may be too late for them if that's what they believe.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. That's their thought process.

[2 Chainz]

That's what they believe. Yeah. But if you confident like me, you might put out a number one record anytime. Like, I'm trying to be upwards of 100 million for us all over. I'm nowhere near content.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[2 Chainz]

With my space, nothing I'm doing. So it's about the person. And I also feel that, you know, you know, the person knows. Like, let me ask you this. Did you know you was going to the NFL?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

Every time I ask somebody that, and it's crazy. That it's like, no, you didn't know, but did you?

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's something about, yeah, I didn't have a plan. I didn't have no plan B. I didn't have no plan C. That was it. Everything. I had a tunnel vision. I didn't see anything but see myself in the NFL and getting my grandmother out of that thousand square foot cinder block home.

[2 Chainz]

You just. I'm telling you, man, so people in positions like us, if it's like I would like to tell somebody that's like, man, like having that little wonder, you will know. Yeah, you can't trick yourself. You'll know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep.

[2 Chainz]

Now, for me, I didn't know when, but I just knew, bro, I could just change the climate of a room. I knew my personality. I knew I wasn't no lame. I knew I'm from Atlanta. I knew how to dress. I knew I was popping. I knew I really hustled. I knew I really hooped. I knew I really just was well known. So it just was just. I was just waiting on the dots to connect.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. Let me ask you there, basketball, when you was growing up, obviously, frame. What are some of the players that you like that you like? Man, I really like his game. Okay. I'm kind of modeling my game after that.

[2 Chainz]

My game out tall guard. Well, not even anymore. Like, I'm probably a short. I'm six five, right. So right now, according to the league, I might be a short guard right now. But when I was playing, I was like labeled as a tall guard. So I would, like, watch more, you know, tall guard stuff, whether it was somebody like a Penny. Penny was my number one player. I got recruited by Memphis.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, so that was one of the places I thought I was going to play to like, live out his, you know, footsteps or that type of stuff like that. But Penny was like my number one player, man. I like. I like everything about Penny.

[Shannon Sharpe]

There've been some great rappers that. That.

[2 Chainz]

Who.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So I'm gonna let. Okay, you got Cole, Drake, P. Master P, Damon Gillard, who is Gilly the Kid, Chris Brown, Quavo, Lil Durk, game, Nelly. I think Dave east can play, too.

[2 Chainz]

Dave east can hoop, French Montana can hoop. That's a lot of people that can hoop, man. I like that. Cause I kind of could tell your child, you know what I'm saying, by how you shoot. I can kind of tell your childhood. And I like, I like, I like that. I like that people was outside playing ball, you know what I'm saying? We was growing up or whatever. So, yeah, man, I'm trying to figure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Out how you and Lil Baby lost to Quavo and Jack Harlow.

[2 Chainz]

I know how we lost to them.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Lil Baby.

[2 Chainz]

Nah, I just. It just. It just. It wasn't a day. That wasn't a day.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right? You're supposed to dominate that game by yourself.

[2 Chainz]

I should have. I should have. But, hey, maybe next time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Give me your top five basketball players of all time. Chain's top five. That don't have to be the best, but who are your top five?

[2 Chainz]

Jordan, Kobe, LeBron. I throw Shaq in there, and if I want to win all the games, I'm gonna have to put step in there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nice little list. That's a nice little list. You got a few old. You didn't go too far back.

[2 Chainz]

See, I've been living long. I can do. I can do the whole. I can do arrows, I can do the Jordan era, I can do the Kobe era, and I can do the LeBron era. You know, they always arguing, Right. But none of you know what I mean? So I can really do one from each era. But if I just had to combine them, them three would definitely be on the team. And then I'll fill in the blanks.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Who's your goat? Who's your basketball goat?

[2 Chainz]

Man, I just. Man, I just love that Kobe guy, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause you got a tattoo of Kobe.

[2 Chainz]

I don't got no. Oh, yes, sir. I got the number 24. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

24. Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

How you be knowing every damn thing? Yeah, I do, man. But I think everybody went and got Mamba this, Mamba that when he passed away. Cause it was just so out of the blue. And I had just saw him New Year's, I had just saw him bringing in New Year's, and I just shot him a DM.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like Christmas Day, just DMing going back and forth. Yeah. I think Vanessa had just had the fourth girl.

[2 Chainz]

Okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And I was like, bro, I know you trying, but, bro, you just can't get no little. You can't just get a little Mamba. And he say, hey, these little Mamba sees. I got mine. He was talking about the one that passed away with him. He said, that's my son.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah. Yeah. Cause she was like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

And so I met Jordan once or twice. He was really nice. He was cool. I met Kobe many a times. We had conversations about basketball, and it somewhat seemed like he might have respected my IQ. And then LeBron and I are good friends.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

Real great friends. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause he. LeBron was AR on your record, right?

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, man. Me and him have hung out. My kids has been to his house and all of that. Our wives have hung out before and all that. So, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So help me understand this, because there's been a lot of conversation. Bronny getting drafted. They make it seem like Bronny went top five. He's the 55th pick in the draft. They only got 60 spots in the NBA. So you go the first two rounds. You only got first two rounds. So he went 55. The only five players that were 56, 57, 58, 59. So only five players went after him. They make it seem like he top five. There's been a lot of criticism about, oh, man, he wouldn't even be in the league if it wasn't for his daddy. Your false and fault. What's he supposed to do? I mean, if you're in a position to help your kids, isn't that what you should do?

[2 Chainz]

Chan? You know, that's how you know. I'm gonna show you what nepotism look like when mine get old. Show you. You have. You can't get down. Come here, brother. Hey, man, look out. I'll be back, right? Dropping them off now, I figure out. But it's just like he did nothing wrong. And then actually, you're seeing a whole nother side. When Bronny been playing in the G League, and just the culmination of just what this season doing. He just. Man, he's a different player already. And that's what happens. It's like when kids play up, right? You know what I'm saying? When kids play up, they get better. They get better, man, you ain't got no choice. You get stronger, you do all type of stuff, and you don't even know your body can do this type of stuff. Man. That's interesting.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's how it was with me changing. My brother's three years older, and then my next youngest, my next youngest cousin is five years, and he went six years and then it went seven years. So I'm playing against guys three to five to six to seven years older than me.

[2 Chainz]

Damn.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I ain't got no choice but to get better.

[2 Chainz]

Oh, you get tough and get tough?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, yeah, yeah. They knock your ass down. They didn't care.

[2 Chainz]

You had to be tough playing against them. Cause they. Man. And this is what I know now from my son playing ball. It's a difference between 7, 8, 9, and 10 year old, like body difference, how they move, coordination, you know, footwork and everything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So, yeah, you mentioned the cybertruck earlier, and people like, man, I don't want no cybertruck. Elon Musk. Yada, yada, yada. You like? Man, I love my cybertruck, man.

[2 Chainz]

I just. I leave here on Friday night, man. I get me an order of fries.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

I get in my truck, I put it on autonomous, and I just let it take me home while I eat fries. And I tell myself, this ain't drinking and driving, right? I ain't doing nothing, man. I'm eating some fries. This is eating fries. And that's it. In the car, it's gonna hit this blinker.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

It's gonna stop.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's gonna do all that.

[2 Chainz]

It's so small. It's like. It's like me. It's like, whoever run Apple, do something. And then now they like, you gonna keep that Apple phone. Like, get off my line with that. Get off my line with that. You know what I'm saying? This is. Yeah, yeah, I'm keeping it. You crazy? Yeah, yeah. I'm keeping it and driving it. And so. Yeah. So, you know, with that being said, I ain't here to sell no product. Cause I ain't getting no money. I had to pay for mine. But at the end of the day, it's one of my convenience. And we talked about convenience. It's convenient for me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got anything you want to promote? You got anything you want to sell?

[2 Chainz]

We talked about red clay. We talked about everything. Yeah, I got some stuff for you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What you got?

[2 Chainz]

I got some stuff for you. Before I go, let me do. Let me give you some product before you get out of here. We have had a. All right, all right. First of all, this is some hall of fame. Like I be seeing you now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[2 Chainz]

Cause you don't like the cuss. You be like, ish. Yeah, this is some hall of fame ish right here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[2 Chainz]

There's some hall of fame Ish.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It looking good.

[2 Chainz]

They love. They. They. They. They going crazy about these. These. The Candyland letterman jacket. That's for you. That's for you, Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm gonna take this.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, that's. That's the new hall of fame Ish standing. Don't be cussing out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah.

[2 Chainz]

Look. Look at this. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Dollars float a candle.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, they float. They be floating in. Look at this gravity. That's nice.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I appreciate that.

[2 Chainz]

Thank you, man. Appreciate that. Temptation. Supposed to drop later on. You might have to. And then this right here. Oh, man, this right here, this real merch. Can land merch. A couple T shirts, and I think we got a bottle of Halo cologne in There.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[2 Chainz]

Halo has sold 1000 bottles of cologne already called Halo by Halo. And you can go to me andhalo.com to purchase it, but the man doing so good with the. We having a few meetings about taking up another level.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[2 Chainz]

And, yeah, you just. I'm telling you, man, the man can sell. I'm talking about.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He got that from his daddy.

[2 Chainz]

Huh?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[2 Chainz]

That is true, huh?

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's the cologne. Halo by Halo.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah. Try to see what it smell like right there. Cause see, we sell it in the club, too. We sell it here at Candleland.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damn.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, the house momma and the dancers and all that. Got some of this stuff around Christmas. Great. Kerrygrave McGill. See, he watching. He think it's something. Yeah, yeah. He ain't know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, see, that's a real. See, I know he thought it was gonna. Nuh. I thought he gonna have like some like, smell like a little kid. Nah, that don't stuff right. The grownups around here squirting that on emoji. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Trying to be hit upside my head.

[2 Chainz]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I appreciate. Hey. Two chains.

[2 Chainz]

All my life been grinding all my life Sacrifice, hustle, paid the price, wanna slice got to roll a dice that's why all my life I be grinding all my life all my life Been grinding all my life Sacrifice hustle, paid the price, wanna slice, got the roll a dice to swap all my life I've been grinding all my life.

[Silenia]

Listen, as Silenia tells us why she chose to vaccinate her daughter.

[2 Chainz]

Right after my daughter was born, my husband and I are having to decide whether or not to get her vaccinated. I definitely felt like the pros far outweighed the cons. The diseases that I am protecting my child against, they're still here.

[Silenia]

Talk to your child's doctor and learn [e-mail] brought to you by Merck.

[Degree Advertiser]

Okay. Have you heard about this? Last year, Degree changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant. The fans rebelled and wanted the old scent back. And Degree listened. And that doesn't happen often. They admitted they effed up and are bringing the original Cool Rush scent back. And it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. There's a reason why it's the number one man's antiperspirant. And it's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under $4. So try it and see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart, Target and try the OG Cool Rush for yourself.

[Trey Farrow]

When it's tip off time at my house. There are a few things that are must haves on my checklist. My fellow friends and fans. Check my favorite jersey.

[2 Chainz]

It is good luck.

[Trey Farrow]

Check an iconic drink that's a fan favorite.

[2 Chainz]

Check.

[Trey Farrow]

Hypnotic can turn any cocktail into an iconic creation. With its game changing color and tropical flavor, Hypnotic should be in everyone's starting five. I consider Hypnotic the point guard of my game day roster because not only is it versatile, like having it on the rocks or as a base for cocktails, it also finishes smooth. So grab a bottle of Hypnotic and make your next basketball watch party Iconic. Enjoy the vibrant taste with friends and turn every game into a memorable celebration. Hypnotic where every sip is a slam dunk. Hypnotic Liqueur Bardstown, Kentucky 17 alcohol by volume Hypnotic reminds you to think wisely, drink wisely. You're listening to an I Heart podcast.