← The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club
INTERVIEW: 2 Chainz Opens Up About Purpose, His Father & The Voice In His Head
00:51:41
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- [00:00]
Podcast Announcer
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- [00:04]
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- [00:56]
2 Chainz
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- [00:59]
Nissan Advertiser
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- [02:22]
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- [02:53]
2 Chainz
Hold up.
- [02:54]
DJ Envy
Every day I wake up.
- [02:56]
2 Chainz
Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club. You all finished or y' all done?
- [02:59]
Charlamagne Tha God
Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lauren Rose is here as well. We got a special guest in the building.
- [03:08]
DJ Envy
Yes, indeed.
- [03:08]
Lauren Rose
2ch.
- [03:10]
2 Chainz
How you feeling? How are you? How y' all doing? Good morning.
- [03:13]
Interviewer/Host
You and the family came ready to be cold. Listen, I love you.
- [03:17]
2 Chainz
Was just waiting on your little. I'm just saying, cuz I watched the other interview. You couldn't get one in, right? He was so serious the whole time.
- [03:25]
Interviewer/Host
So, you know, it's hard, y'.
- [03:26]
2 Chainz
All. I rock with your foolishness.
- [03:28]
Interviewer/Host
Thank you.
- [03:29]
2 Chainz
Yeah, I mean, yeah. We. We were. We just left an AAU circuit with my son and we was in Cincinnati, and they said it was gonna be cold there, but it wasn't freezing. But when we came to New York, it was cold out.
- [03:40]
Charlamagne Tha God
Today's the only day, too. Cause the rest of the week we getting like 60, 70 degrees. So today is the only day you can wear that.
- [03:45]
2 Chainz
God bless you. Cause it's cold. It's cold. It's cold. It's cold in my room. It's cold.
- [03:50]
DJ Envy
New book. The voice in my head is God. I want to ask, what was the intention behind the outfit this morning? Because in the Bury Me Inside the Louis Store chapter, you say every outfit has an intention. So what's. What's the energy other than it was cold?
- [04:02]
2 Chainz
That's the energy today.
- [04:03]
Lauren Rose
Okay.
- [04:04]
DJ Envy
Okay.
- [04:04]
2 Chainz
Okay. And it's like, where else can you wear, like, the hat? And. And, you know, I can't get this off in Atlanta, so this would be the place. And I don't live in Canada, so this would be the place.
- [04:12]
Interviewer/Host
The voice in your head said, get that off.
- [04:14]
2 Chainz
So you go on and rock this shit right here. Telling you, man, what's happening.
- [04:19]
Charlamagne Tha God
The voice in my head is God. New book that's out today. Make sure you go get it. If you haven't got it yet, why was it the time to write this book?
- [04:27]
2 Chainz
I just think that success without reflection is just noise. You know what I'm saying? Success without giving back is noise. So I'm feeling successful. I think when you live long enough to experience scars, when You've won enough to have the wisdom, you know, then it's time to write a book, in my personal opinion. So, you know, growth, maturation. Me, you know, talking about. Are you talking about God in this book? Through my personal experiences, you know, So I just felt like after you do. For me, I've done the album, so I shot my short film, and I'm just ready to take more creative risks. And so this doesn't feel like a risk, because I feel like this could. This could motivate someone. This could help someone. It's not generic. It's not cliche. I hadn't seen any other artists talk about, you know, intuition in the book space. So just some.
- [05:38]
Charlamagne Tha God
You know, I wanted to say one thing. The biggest thing. Everybody takes a different part of what they feel that they get out of the book.
- [05:45]
2 Chainz
Right.
- [05:46]
Charlamagne Tha God
For myself, is your relationship with your dad. And the reason I say that is I have six kids, and I'm always very intentional what I say to my kids. Right. Cause there's a line between being a dad and then there's a line with being a human being.
- [06:02]
2 Chainz
Right.
- [06:02]
Charlamagne Tha God
And I'll explain. So with that relationship with your dad, was there. I know your dad moved in with you. Was those tough conversations to have from the start, him being incarcerated, to even that one time when, you know, when you got into that incident in Alabama and your dad said, well, go get a gun and go handle it yourself, you know, how were those conversations had? Because I'm sure you wouldn't tell your kids that same thing. Or would you?
- [06:28]
2 Chainz
That's a good question. You know, we. I think everybody in here have lived through different eras. And, you know, I'm from the boys Don't Cry era. You know what I'm saying? I'm from the. That's weak, that's soft. My dad would say numerous amount of times that he don't think a woman could raise a man, but he wouldn't be there, you know what I'm saying? And I turned out to be. I mean, I can't change oil, change tires, and stuff like that. You know what I'm saying? Like, somebody might consider some man stuff, but I've cut the grass and done stuff like that, as y' all know, recently. So, I mean, when I think about it, it's like he wasn't there to teach me certain things that a man should know. And I learned a lot of things on my own. And, you know, he was my first hero. He's my first somebody you look up to. Whether he was incarcerated or just me hearing stories about him and me just realizing that that DNA is inside of me. So when I passed that on, I think I broke that. That way of thinking. I think it stopped with me. You know, I'm very, you know, I'm not lenient to. Why I'm like, man, you can cry anytime you want. But if my son needs to cry about something that's bothering him or hurting, I'm not, like, getting all over him about it. So I think it's just timing and where we are in life right now. I don't know how you are with your kids, but I'm a little bit more sensitive to my kids than my father was to me because he wanted me to be tough. He didn't. I hear stories, my aunts tell me, like, if I would cry, he didn't want nobody to pick me up. I don't have, like, it's some baby pictures, but, like, all my baby pictures, I'm sitting somewhere, my mama beside me. She not, like, holding me, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, one of the pictures I remember is, like, at a beach. I'm sitting on the hood of a car. I'm a ba. I'm like, not even one. And my mom got on a bathing suit. She right beside me. But it's not really like a picture of someone coddling me or anything, but, I mean, I'm okay with that.
- [08:28]
Interviewer/Host
What did you learn about your own feelings throughout the whole experience with your dad? So being able to spend time with him and him moving in with you to his passing, because you talk about it very stoically at first, and then you talk up, and then you've. We actually get to hear you talk about finally being able to cry and being able to, like, kind of get in tune with yourself a bit.
- [08:47]
2 Chainz
Yeah, well, his last. His last few years, like, I. Like, I talk about. Talk about in the book. Excuse me. We. We. He's getting out of prison and, you know, he's in his late 60s, you know what I'm saying? Like, I don't know, he might have been 70 something. So when I go get him, you know, that's when I had a conversation about, man, you ought to move with me. Like, this is just crazy at this point, you know what I'm saying? And the last time he did time, he was prob. Two or three years. But I just felt like it was time I had my first child and I had a house. And so, you know, I remember stopping and getting him. He wanted a suit. And then I remember stopping at Verizon. He wanted a phone, and he had some money. He had a little money put up, you know, somewhere. And we just talked. And he said that he, you know, he would, you know, think about it. And he end up eventually just, you know, staying with me, which was really cool. It was like we. We started building that relationship, you know, I was so fond of him from a distance because, you know, when I was young, we got separated. So just being in the same house, me learning his little crazy ways and his sarcasm and everything. And so, you know, after he started getting sick, I was going. I was starting it like, this was like, 2012. My dad died in 2012. My first album came out in 2012. I was just so hot at the time. And so Kesha would tell me, like, man, you know, your dad didn't eat today, or you can even do something. She just tell me, you know what I mean? And he was somebody that didn't want nobody know he was sick. He, like, such a man. He don't want you to know he going through nothing, which is ridiculous. And he went to the hospital one night, you know what I'm saying? I end up going up there with him. I end up staying with him. I gotta, like. I just stay with him for, like, a week or two, you know what I mean? And I have shows that I end up counseling. But I had this one particular show in Savannah which is, like, I don't know, a couple hours from Atlanta. And I'm talking to him and I'm like, I got this show in Atlanta. You gonna be cool tonight? Like, yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna be cool. And then he says, you know, dope man, my role model. I had a song called Dope Man, My Role Model on my mixtape. So he's so sarcastic. I'm like, bro, you straight? You know what I'm saying? He gives me a fist bump and says, do it, Big Epps. That's our last name. I said, okay, cool. I go to Savannah. I don't even get the room. I come back. When I come back here on this breathing thing, I see him, like, boom. But I see him. He, like, looking at me. I feel like he looking at me, you know what I mean? While he on this breathing thing, and he keeps trying to take the tube out his throat, and they keep saying, like, if he takes that out, he could die. That part was crazy, you know what I'm saying? So if he take that out, he can die. Now rewind this. I just got my part from prison, so they saying the only way that he cannot take it out is if they handcuff him to the bed. You know what I'm saying? So I say, okay, handcuff him. And then I get to thinking, like, something is telling me, like, he don't want to be handcuffed no more. You know what I'm saying? So he handcuffed to the bed. He looking at me and his. You know, he's breathing, and I. I say, all right, man, you know, take the handcuffs out. Take that. Take it off, man. He don't want to be a handcuff, but as soon as the handcuff come out, he come to try to take the. And they. They telling me if he take it out, it could scratch his.
- [11:55]
Interviewer/Host
Yeah.
- [11:57]
2 Chainz
And so I swear to you, I do that four times. Okay, put the handcuffs back on. Take the handcuffs back off. Put the handcuffs back on. And it's like he just. He not looking straight home, looking to the side like this. You know what I mean? So I try to hold his hands myself, personally, like, you know what I'm saying? No, chill. You know what I'm saying? Just chill. He keeps, you know, a couple days after that, or not even a day after that, you know what I'm saying? The beep started going off, you know what I'm saying? And by me staying with them and the nurses, I'm able to run, go get the nurse. You know what I'm saying? Check it out. And they same thing four times. Boom, boom, boom. They hit them, bring them back. Thank y', all. Nurse. They walk out the room, man, look, man, don't you be doing. Run out again. Boom, boom. Do that the fourth time. Now they put me out the room. So I'm looking through the little. The little window. And so the fourth time, the lady come out and she says, you know, I lost my father, too. If he come back now, he'll be brain dead. We already broke two ribs. You just gotta let it go. And I was like, that's easier said than done because he just told me. Not only did he tell me, do it big, he told me before I went to Savannah, I'm not gonna die no time soon. It came out his mouth. And he never told me no lie. So I'm like, what happened from the time I went to Savannah and came back? But anyway, that's something that I wouldn't say haunted or traumatized me. I know you're big on therapy or whatever, and, like, this book is my therapy. Like, certain things I do as my therapy. I hadn't actually sat down with someone, and I'm not against people who. Who do or who have, but is it traumatic seeing your father pass? It could be, yeah. But then, like, a few years later, I had a son who reminds me so much of, like, how he moves and his sarcasm as well.
- [13:51]
DJ Envy
So I got two questions based on what you just said. Did reliving that for the book make you cry again? Cause you said that was the first time you remember crying when you.
- [13:58]
2 Chainz
Man, I cried so hard when that happened. I was listening. I think I even. I'm trying to think what song I might listen to. It was a song, but not when I was doing it in the book, because I'm just. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't cry while. While writing the book, I think, because I relived that so many times. It wasn't like I buried it and then just brought it back up. Like, I relive my pops passing in front of me. You know, I've done that a few times. So I think when you. And then also. I see now me talking about. It just becomes easier to talk about, you know, when you keep stuff bottled in or whatever.
- [14:33]
DJ Envy
And when you said when Halo was born in the book, you. I got to see the picture. That's. I just got to see the picture. You said there was.
- [14:40]
2 Chainz
I got it.
- [14:41]
DJ Envy
You got the picture.
- [14:42]
2 Chainz
Yeah, but I'm gonna be showing it. I can show you, though.
- [14:43]
DJ Envy
I want to see the picture. You said it was a picture of your. Your father. The alarm went off.
- [14:48]
2 Chainz
All right, so don't even tell the story. All right.
- [14:52]
Charlamagne Tha God
It's hard to discuss this book because there's so much that you want people to read and see for themselves.
- [14:56]
DJ Envy
Oh, he just gave away a whole chapter.
- [14:58]
2 Chainz
Yeah, but it was worth it. So this. This picture.
- [15:02]
Charlamagne Tha God
All right, well, explain what.
- [15:03]
2 Chainz
What's.
- [15:04]
Charlamagne Tha God
What's.
- [15:04]
2 Chainz
All right, so. All right, so let's talk about it. So my son halo, was born 10, 14, 15, right? Me and Keisha was in the hospital, and my mom and my two daughters was at home, and they were in our room in the master bedroom. The alarm went off at home while Halo was coming. Alarm went off, same time.
- [15:32]
Interviewer/Host
Boom.
- [15:33]
2 Chainz
So while Keisha having Halo, the alarm going off, and my mom is asking me, what's the password to tell the alarm people? Cause it's saying motion in the house or whatever. Now, my mom was on the phone saying, I swear. And I'm looking at the cameras, and I don't see anything coming into the house. I don't see the doors. I'm looking at all the doors. My mom said I hadn't left the room, so I don't know why the motion going off. I tell her the code. It goes off. We have Halo. We come home. All right? We're getting our alarm updated. And then Keisha looks at her email. And when you have motion, it takes pictures. It takes snapshots of what the motion is, okay? When we looked at the motion, you can see. You can see somebody. You know what I'm saying? And it was my. It was my father. Now, my father left in 2012. This was 2015. You can see an image. So, wow. People that I'm close to. A couple of my friends I'm close to. I showing a picture. I'm like, who are they? Like, man, that's part right there. I'm like, look at the date. And, like, my friends begin. Big old chill goosebumps or whatever. You know what I'm saying? My father used to walk around the house, like, with his shirt off. He was in good shape to be 70. Like, he wasn't, like, fat and sloppy. He was in the army, so he had something. But I'm gonna find. And so another thing about this, and this is my personal opinion, he's so sarcastic that when I used to try to show people, I could not find a picture. So I gave the picture to Keisha. I said, keisha, when I try to show people, it makes me sound like I'm crazy. I don't have a picture, Keisha. So we go to Florida one time. I'm not even looking back there. I know she know what I'm talking about. I go to Florida one time. I don't got to pitch no more. I can't find it. What happened in Florida, Keisha? You remember?
- [17:19]
State Farm Advertiser
Whatever.
- [17:23]
2 Chainz
Anyway. Anyway, your phone. Her phone fell in. We was.
- [17:26]
State Farm Advertiser
We was.
- [17:27]
2 Chainz
She probably don't remember this, but she does remember this when I say this. But we was on a boat. We got off a boat, and then her phone down there fell in the water. And when her phone fell in the water, I said, damn. That's all. I don't think about the context. I'm like, this is my proof. This is my proof that ghosts are real or whatever. You know what I mean? Boom. Okay. So I get to looking because I know exactly when the date was, because I know when Halo was born. I pull up the picture again. So now I got it. So I give it to my cousin. I'm always with. Yeah, outside cat. I gave it a cat, like, Cat, you keep this picture. Boom. So it's. This is crazy. So this is. I go over to back in the day, I go over to ye house, right? And I'm telling him the same story. I'm like, bro, this has happened to me. I'm trying to tell him what happened. And this is, man, you know, I'm the coolest player in the world, man. It's like fooled around. It's like lemonade, you know what I'm saying? So I can't find a picture. So I say, cat, cat with my toes. Come here, man. Give me the picture of Pops, man, so I can show why he giving me the picture. Bro, I would knock over a big thing of lemonade everywhere on everybody, like, you know what I'm saying? I'm such a player. I ain't never done nothing like that, you know what I'm saying? So in my mind, I'm like, bro, this how my dad is. He like, be on some joking. So you got me looking crazy here. I don't waste lemonade on everybody at the table. This ain't even nothing I do, you know what I mean? But anyway, that's enough of the story. Let me find the picture. All right, here we go right here. Let me see. I email myself. So I won, Lou. Okay, this is not what Cat at.
- [18:56]
Charlamagne Tha God
And why he's looking at the picture.
- [18:57]
2 Chainz
Why he's looking at the picture.
- [18:59]
Charlamagne Tha God
If you order the book on two chains dot com, you have a chance to win court size.
- [19:04]
2 Chainz
Two chains book. Two chains book dot com.
- [19:06]
Charlamagne Tha God
Two chains book.
- [19:06]
2 Chainz
Go to two changebook dot com. I do got a sweepstakes for people. They can sit next to me at a Hawks game. That's right. Oh, dog. Yeah. You know, I'm courtside, I'm very close. I come in through the owner's lounge. It's a whole experience. I do have this little side note, this disclaimer. Women, I'm gonna be smelling good. I'm gonna be looking good. If you have a crazy man at home, articulate that to him. Men, I'm not gonna be talking through the whole game, right? We can talk, but I'm gonna really be watching the game.
- [19:41]
DJ Envy
I hope a rapper win. I hope somebody trying to make it
- [19:43]
Interviewer/Host
listen and trying to like, you got
- [19:46]
2 Chainz
a picture of that? I want somebody that's sitting next to
- [19:48]
Interviewer/Host
you, sing all your songs the whole time.
- [19:50]
2 Chainz
Say, can you get that picture? Cuz, you know, I'm trying to show them, and you know what's going on? Pop up. See if you see anything in that Picture.
- [20:05]
DJ Envy
Oh yeah, I see something in the picture.
- [20:07]
Interviewer/Host
Can I see?
- [20:08]
Nissan Advertiser
Oh, wait.
- [20:08]
Interviewer/Host
Only he has Charlemagne.
- [20:10]
2 Chainz
Oh, probably. Yeah, he got it. Yeah.
- [20:13]
Interviewer/Host
So question for you, right?
- [20:14]
Charlamagne Tha God
See Charlemagne believe you, by the way,
- [20:16]
2 Chainz
you can see Charlemagne face. He know I ain't capping, but the reason that.
- [20:19]
Charlamagne Tha God
Cause that happened to him and Prince, he took a picture.
- [20:23]
DJ Envy
This is a spirit.
- [20:24]
2 Chainz
I know, but he said you saw a Prince, he took a picture, depicted this.
- [20:28]
Interviewer/Host
Are you okay with us? Okay. Oh, wow. That's a whole person.
- [20:33]
2 Chainz
Yes.
- [20:34]
Interviewer/Host
I thought it was going to be like, not. It's so clear.
- [20:36]
2 Chainz
That's how he used to walk around his shirt. That's him walking through the kitchen.
- [20:40]
Interviewer/Host
Wow. I know you say in the book too that you feel like until you had your son, your dad hadn't like crossed over to the other side.
- [20:47]
2 Chainz
That's my assumption. Right. Well, this is my mom. My mom is super, super spiritual. Right. So she was probably like, you know her. Like he probably come to with me before he. You know what I mean? Probably come over there to with me. Just, you know, I mean, that's how she kicked it like before he left.
- [20:59]
Interviewer/Host
But so the voices that you were hearing then. Cuz I know you have been hearing voices in your head and hearing God for a long time. Do you, do you know which ones might have been your dad because he was there with you, or it was the God connection that you have and you hearing God during that time.
- [21:12]
2 Chainz
So this experience right here when this happened, this would have been 2015. I'm not even sure if I was fully committed to just giving the voice its credit for my success now. That's why I say when you ask me when it's time to write the book, it's like I've lived and had enough experience in trial and error with listening, not listening, Moving through fear, moving through ego, to let you know, like this voice, it gotta be God. The reason I call it the voice of God. Cause the voice would be like my intuition. It'll be my, my, my, my alignment, you know what I'm saying? That's what the voice. But when I say God, I know everybody's not into God, but I had to give the credit to somebody higher than myself, you know what I'm saying, For this superpower, whatever the hell. Like for me, I got a real picture of my dad three years after he passed. Like this is not something. And I don't. It's my first time ever, ever talking about it, feeling comfortable talking about it. Showing somebody that I feel like, understands like a deeper meaning of, like, spirits and everything, like, because I don't fully understand my father. You know, you see, they be like, people come to you in dreams. People, you know, do stuff like that. I can't say that he did that. You know what I'm saying? But I can tell you that I do have a divine guidance in me that helps me make decisions, whether it's business decisions, relationship decisions, whatever it is. And it's a voice that could probably be too noisy to certain people, but I welcome that voice. So this book is. I put this book together to help somebody and to motivate somebody to shut down the outside noise. And this is also for anybody who's ever said, like, something told me. Like, something told me to get this job or wear this hat or whatever. Whatever it is. It's like, is that something told me thing, you know what I'm saying, is that. Or something told me, don't go to this place and this happens. Something told me, don't whatever it is, you know, and we've all said when we missed the flight, well, that's God trying to. Maybe I wasn't supposed to get on it. You know what I mean? So why can't that inner dialogue be that? Why? Why? If they say God is inside of you, and why can't your blessings come from within on how you are on the surface, you a positive person on the surface, then your blessings come from within. This is my experience. This is my opinion.
- [23:41]
Charlamagne Tha God
When do you trust that voice, though? Because you talk about in the book many times when you didn't trust that voice. You heard it and you were like,
- [23:47]
2 Chainz
nah, you got to be. You got to go through the experience, right? To see, like, what was that moment
- [23:53]
Charlamagne Tha God
for you that said, I need to start trusting this voice?
- [23:58]
2 Chainz
I don't want to use, like, a tragic experience experience, But, like, the voice comes before something happens, right? So it's hard to, like, pay it attention because you don't know what's about to happen. Alabama. You know what I'm saying? Alabama? My Cali experience, these different experiences that I had. I felt something, I did. I put this on everything. I felt something. Something told me, you know what I'm saying? But you don't have a crystal ball in order to see it. So that's why I'm using all these experiences in the book to tell you how I listen and maybe didn't fully, you know what I mean, Digest what was going on or when I did and the positive outcomes that came from them. I woke up sometimes to be like, I Need to do this today. You know what I mean? I do that a lot, actually. You know what I mean? It's just a message I'm just trying to bring to people.
- [24:52]
DJ Envy
The book is about God and you first recognizing that voice. But to me, it's also a love letter to your mom and your pops. So when did you first recognize God in them?
- [25:03]
2 Chainz
Mom. Church. Going. Still go. Just went yesterday. Mom went yesterday. I checked on her. My pop, when he was in prison, he wrote. Which helped me come up with the title, too. He used to write God is love on the back of his prison letters. And one day I took the ears out, and I put an equal sign, like, God is love. So I was like. It just made so much sense to me, because if it's love there, then it's God there. That's what I think. You know what I'm saying? And if it's hate there, then I can't be God. And that's how I decipher what that voice was. So, yeah, I've had that kind of spiritual upbringing. Like, I'm from a praying family, you know what I'm saying? I encourage my kids to pray, so it's something I believe in. And I talk. I pray before my show. I pray before I rap at night, bro. I just. You know what I'm saying? I just be praying. Sometimes I be praying on stage. When I'm killing it, I look up, man, thank. You know. Thank you, man. You know, ain't nobody. You know what I mean? Cause it just. Certain aura you get when you. When you tapped in, you know what I mean? For real now.
- [26:03]
Interviewer/Host
You said you always wanted to write a book. Did you think that it would be this?
- [26:07]
2 Chainz
No. When you thought about it? No. But, you know, most artists, they do an autobiography, and. And then they talk about how they had nothing to eat, you know what I'm saying? Artists are the poorest, you know what I'm saying? We have nothing. No education, no nothing. No. I finished high school. I have a college degree. I don't be on none of that, you know what I'm saying? And I still have my struggles that I deal with. And so when it was time for me to do the book, I wanted to be in my own lane like I do with anything else. If y' all notice I'm falling over. Really? No trends. I'm so comfortable in my skin.
- [26:43]
Charlamagne Tha God
It's.
- [26:43]
2 Chainz
It's. It's scary sometimes.
- [26:49]
DJ Envy
I. I know you said you don't need therapy, but you've been in some real life Traumatic situations. Like, you just named two of them. Alabama, the Cali one. I didn't even know it went to that. Yeah, where he was standing over you and all of that. I don't know why I never heard that part of the story, but does any. How did that impact the way you move, like, now,
- [27:07]
2 Chainz
you know, Now I'm gonna say something cliche that means I'm here for a reason. You know what I'm saying? That's something. But it really does, though. Like, I'm in my 40s. Just got my physical a couple weeks ago. No cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure. I work out three times a week at AAU games. I rep at night. I eat healthy, drink a lot of water, don't get enough sleep. But that's, like, something I can work on. But, you know, I'm just. You know, I'm in a. I'm gonna get. I'm gonna. I'm in a good place.
- [27:48]
Interviewer/Host
You happy?
- [27:49]
2 Chainz
Yeah, I'm happy, man.
- [27:50]
DJ Envy
No ptsd, no stress? No. No nothing?
- [27:53]
2 Chainz
Not that I know of. Like, I don't have any. Like, I did take psychology in college, so. And I loved it. Like, when I got into psychology, it wasn't even my major. I remember changing to the major. Like, maybe, like, I remember finding out something about myself studying the actual course. You know what I'm saying? And so with me, the therapy aspect, you know, I do have, like, some little triggers. I do have triggers, but I want to say I'm kind of conscious of them, and I'll probably be. I'm probably doing some self evaluation. You know what I mean? I hadn't sat down and really, like, kicked it off. I don't know. I'm not against therapy, though. I'm not against therapy, but I have went through things, and I've gotten over them, and I've moved on. And I went through some dramatic stuff, too, but I just feel like, God, when you. I feel. I believe so much in God that I just didn't let that hold me back. I didn't let it bring me ptsd. I ain't like, man, you know what happened to me? I'm crazy. Like, I ain't want to be on. People be needing excuses to be thrown. You know what I mean, man, you don't even know, man. I was. You know, And I. I ain't on that.
- [29:01]
Interviewer/Host
You know, I know that you. You see that you deeply grounded in family, came here with your family. How did you know that your wife, Kesha was the person that God intended for you?
- [29:10]
2 Chainz
Something told me. Something told me she was the one Keisha used to write. She still does, but she, you know, I said this all the time. She used to go to church and she used to write notes, and I was like, okay. And like, real, like they PowerPoints type stuff or like. Or what they was talking about in church. So I like that she was God fearing. I like that she was just a natural, beautiful woman inside and out. And, you know, having somebody like that in the industry is like. Or being in the industry and having, you know, somebody that you care about is, like, not the easiest thing to navigate. So you got to just, you know, for me, just keep on the pedestal and let her know that she. She is mine. She the one for me.
- [29:51]
DJ Envy
How do you separate divine guidance from just wanting something really bad?
- [29:56]
2 Chainz
That's a good one.
- [30:01]
Interviewer/Host
See, my questions be easier than that.
- [30:03]
2 Chainz
See, yeah, you ain't you. You working, though. You getting. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, but. But it's. They good. The divine guidance. Keep going, keep working. You know what people do you like that? Just keep. Keep trying. Keep trying. Look at your. Look at your paper. Just keep going. You almost. You almost finished, right? Right. The divine guidance aspect, or if you just want something. So if you just want something really bad, is that. Are you saying, like, manifesting something?
- [30:31]
DJ Envy
You know, you have a. You have something in your mind that you want, right? Like, I. I want this goal. I want to accomplishment, accomplish it. But that don't mean that's what God wants you to be doing.
- [30:46]
2 Chainz
I believe in speaking things into existence. I believe in manifestation. Now, if you want to do something that don't got love in it, I believe, like, he don't got nothing to do with it. I say God is love. God equals love. So you might want to be on something that ain't got nothing to do with love. And he not going to answer the phone for that. But if you want something and they got love attached to it, too, I think he'll answer and listen. I mean, he already know what's going on. So that's my personal. Because I have wanted something. Another thing is we have to teach some of the youth the difference between knees and wants. I think they got it, like, some of it confused, you know what I'm saying? And it's a difference.
- [31:21]
Interviewer/Host
So how have you always. Because every interview I watch with you, and I know we talked about CultureCon before, too.
- [31:26]
2 Chainz
I feel like that was good. Thank you.
- [31:28]
Interviewer/Host
No, thank you. I feel like every time I listen to you speak, even when you Were younger, it seems like you always understood the difference between your needs and your wants and separated the two. How did you have that so young, like, doing so many different things from college to being in the streets. Rap, like.
- [31:44]
2 Chainz
So I'm tell you another pop story. So, pop, my pop used to go in the store and he used to steal. And then he used to get mad at me because he would just stop abruptly. And then I would hit him in the back of his Achilles with, like, the buggy. When I hit him in the back of the leg with the buggy, he'd get mad as hell. He'd be like. And so then I'd get like 30ft away from him, and then we'd get in the car and he'll start taking stuff like out his sock he wore, you know, the long sock. And he put stuff on his jean. And then he told me. He said. He told me, Kids, don't listen to me or my pops on this because now I listen to it don't make sense. But he said, steal. Steal what you need, not what you want. And so he would go in the store and steal, like, things that he felt like we need for the house, Whether it was toiletries or whatever it was, you know what I'm saying? It'd be that. It wouldn't be like snacks or gum or nothing like that.
- [32:44]
DJ Envy
And that make perfect sense to me.
- [32:47]
2 Chainz
Yeah, but you don't want people to think, man, I need this watch, you know what I'm saying? Because that's why I say they don't know what needs and wants are. But my pop. So for a long time, I used to steal stuff, you know? But I would stand in line with a pack of gum on everything I love. I'd just be like. I'd just be waiting to pay for the gum, you know what I'm saying? But if it was something I needed, I already had it on me. Like, I really need this. I'd take that and couldn't afford it. I would take it.
- [33:09]
Charlamagne Tha God
So you think reading the book, right? Do you think God gave you those plugs?
- [33:17]
2 Chainz
Yeah. Honestly not. God bless you.
- [33:21]
DJ Envy
Been thought God was blessing the trap long time ago.
- [33:24]
Charlamagne Tha God
You think God gave you. I read. He was like, it was a blessing that got the plug. God gave me this plug.
- [33:28]
2 Chainz
I'm like, the plug could be however you got this job, whatever, you know,
- [33:33]
Charlamagne Tha God
I ain't talking about that plug. I'm talking about the plug.
- [33:35]
2 Chainz
The plug I got opened up so many doors for me. But, yes, how I got it and so many People that do what I do never had a plug and they'll tell you how miserable their hustling experience was once you get somebody that you can call. And this is just. Once again, this is my. These are my theories, right?
- [33:51]
Charlamagne Tha God
Okay.
- [33:51]
2 Chainz
You know what I'm saying? But I'm not looking for a plug. I find this guy that essentially helped change the way I was moving and living up to now.
- [34:00]
DJ Envy
Well, there was a little finesse in one of your plugs now.
- [34:03]
2 Chainz
Yeah, it was a little finesse.
- [34:04]
DJ Envy
A little finesse. When you put homie for him.
- [34:06]
2 Chainz
Yeah, that was finesse. Yes, that was finesse. But it was a sign of intelligence too. It was a sign of intelligence. It was a sign. It was a sign of intelligence, right? Because I'm able to. I'm hearing what's going on and I know how important it is to have one. Cause at this point, I already had a plug. So I'm hearing like. So I'm like, so. I didn't even take buddy plug that's just kind of like would come in the street. I never was like a person that robbed anybody, you know, I ain't robbed. So. Yeah.
- [34:37]
DJ Envy
I will say this, though. The reason I do agree with him when he said for him, for him, because he was the weed man.
- [34:43]
2 Chainz
Yeah, I was a weed we man.
- [34:44]
DJ Envy
Different than like the other guys that's selling the hardship. The weed, man, the weed brings you love,
- [34:51]
2 Chainz
man. And you know how it is. You, I mean, you, you, you, you get a feature. I was smoking weed with an artist when you coming up and you smoke weed, like, man, it's pretty good. Let's rap. You know, things can happen, man. You know, so it helped me out tremendously, man. I got some of my stuff may sound really, really off, but if you just. If I have charlamagne with me, he'll help you dial.
- [35:16]
Charlamagne Tha God
I read up like, God gave me the plug.
- [35:18]
DJ Envy
I'm like, but he was the weed man. That's the difference.
- [35:21]
2 Chainz
Like the weed man. Different when you got that.
- [35:24]
Interviewer/Host
I think everybody has those experiences though, where you're like, yo, if I had to talk about this again, nobody would be. But I think that's favor too. Like, I was watching a sermon yesterday and pastor Mike, Mike Jr. He was saying, you're yes to God breaks cycles. And then that comes with a whole level of divine favor that like you couldn't even explain it to people in the feeling of it if you tried to. And a lot of your story is that it's like you have this personal one on one that, like, we would never really get. It's funny to hear, but the story
- [35:50]
2 Chainz
about my dad crossing over is something I never knew how to even tell nobody. You had to be like, I probably told eight people my whole life, and this happened in 2015. I just showed my kids recently because I thought that they would be ready, so. Yeah.
- [36:09]
DJ Envy
Yeah, but you even named all your kids something spiritual.
- [36:12]
2 Chainz
Well, Keisha started off. She named our first baby Heaven. She named the first two Heaven Harmony. And then I came with the halo. I sprinkled that south side. How.
- [36:25]
DJ Envy
How has emotional maturity changed the way you hear that inner voice, that emotional
- [36:30]
2 Chainz
mature to change how I hear the inner voice? My emotional maturity changed how I hear my inner voice. Oh, yeah, I can answer that. So my emotional maturity changed how I hear the inner voice because I'm able to one decipher if it's love or hate, because we all do. We all got a fuck it voice too. We all got a voice that we've all said fuck it and done and done some things, and sometimes it came back to bite us in the butt, and sometimes it happened. But right now, I think with the emotional intelligence, it comes with growth, it comes with age, and it comes with experience, right? And it just comes with life. It comes with life situations. It comes with life choices. And so for some of the things that I touch on in this book, you literally have to live long enough. Like, this book can't be written by a teenager or somebody in their 20s. This is my personal opinion. This book is, like, experience based. At the same time, I'm just not running off some ideas and stuff like this. This is. This is stuff that, you know, I've been through or someone has been through or, you know, something, and. And there was a voice there. It was a voice there. During all of these situations, has there
- [37:44]
DJ Envy
ever been a time where that voice led you somewhere painful but you. But you realized it was necessary? And I don't mean by not listening to it like you actually listened to it, and it still led you somewhere where you was like, this is. This is not what I thought was gonna happen.
- [37:58]
2 Chainz
When I listen to my voice, I have. Listen, bro, this is how. This is how insane it is. I listen to it. It'll tell me what time to go to the gym, tell me what time to leave to go get my son. They'll tell me what. Right? What route to take him. It'll tell me what we. Tell me what we need to eat, what he needs to eat. It'll tell me what route to go Home. I can go home three or four different ways. It tell me, don't go that way, man. Go this way, man. And. And. And this has been happening for a long time, but I ain't used to paying no attention until I ran into a roadblock, and you'd be like, oh, man, I know I shouldn't have came this way. You know what I'm saying? But this was early on when I was maneuvering. But. But the voice is something that I hear a lot, that it was hard for me to really articulate without saying I had an imaginary friend or something like that when I'm sitting in the corner and I'm going back and forth and I'm ideating between me and my voice. But I think it was very important at this time for me to write this literature, because I feel like it's going to help if it helps one person, which. Which. I've already received multiple text messages from people who got advanced copies on the voice in their head and the something told me and them listening more closely. So that's what this is for. That's why the timing is for. You know, I've been in front of you guys many a times, talking about many different projects, but I just keep going into my creative bag, coming up with something that I think can help my community. This is like a community outreach project. This is for my community, bro. It's like this, for my community. People give away turkeys. People do all kinds of stuff. This book is for my community. I feel like I've been just holding on, hoarding, like, this secret sauce. This secret, like, man, Tony, how you keep? I got a partner, man. How you keep, Man, I'm telling you, man, Try it, Enlightenment. Try it. Try. Try. Just try it. Just try it. Try it. Two weeks. Like, just try it.
- [39:59]
Charlamagne Tha God
Did you really think you were Michael Jackson?
- [40:01]
2 Chainz
Mm. Mm. I was just messing with my mama.
- [40:03]
DJ Envy
Okay?
- [40:04]
2 Chainz
My mama got. She. She. She been with my daddy this whole time, so she knows sarcasm, right? Mm. So I had. You know, I broke my. I broke my elbow and my knee. But they had put my. They had just put me to sleep to pop my elbow back in place. Boom. And this on her birthday, she done left her birthday party to be in the hospital with me. So I'm coming up out of the anesthesia, and they like, Mr. Epps, you okay? Mr. Epps, you okay, I'm like, yeah, yeah, Mr. Epps. And I kind of look over. I look over there. I see you, my mama. I see my mama like, you okay, I'm like, yeah, like, what's your name? Say your whole name. I said, michael Jackson. She said, oh, man, I'm getting the fuck up out of here. She got up and left. I don't know. I don't know, man. I'm an optimistic person, man. I'm just optimistic. If something bad happened to me, I just. I turn it over. I just try to find the good. And it's some good in here somewhere. It got to be. You know what I mean?
- [40:59]
DJ Envy
You talk about rebranding and reinvention a lot in the book. Like, do you ever worry that when you. That constantly evolving can disconnect you from your. From your core?
- [41:08]
2 Chainz
No. You have to do that. You have to. I have to. I'm showing people. But I'm not, like, being preachy when I'm showing people how to move and how businesses move. If you look up McDonald's sprites, everybody rebrand. They don't exactly change their name, but they rebrand. They change the arts. They do something. They. You know what I mean? And so for me, I'm a business. Two chains is a brand. And I have a new logo. I got a new logo. I'm about to launch, you know, this week or next week. So for me, you know, I've been two chains. Titty Boy Beat, Tony Jameson. I'm hell weave Killer. But, I mean, I'm looking at other successful people that have pulled this stuff before me. I know Jay has a couple names, a couple people I know have a couple names. And it's just, like, a part of me. I'm also giving that knowledge. I was like, man, I got some game. And sometimes this book is a way to spread it to the masses instead of just talking to one individual. So I think it's important that, you know, a lot of people be like, man, you know, I've had artists ask me, should they change their name? You know what I'm saying? Should I change my name? Like, I know you did it, bro. You know what I mean? And stuff like that. So it's whatever works for you. But I think it's important that you revisit your brand every three to five years. Three to five years. That's mine. I go in there and I see what I can tweak, turn, do whatever.
- [42:17]
DJ Envy
I love the book, man, because you make. You make ambition. You look at it as something spiritual. Like, I think sometimes people have this hunger and they dress it up as faith. But to me, you actually approach ambition as something spiritual.
- [42:36]
2 Chainz
You can't buy ambition. You can't Go to Amazon. You lazy. You need some. Take something to give you. You taking something to give you energy. But that ain't the ambition, you know what I'm saying? I got that. I got the self motivation, you know what I'm saying? I, I, I, I, I. The boy starts there ain't. But get your ass up. You ain't got no big home. You ain't got nobody that's gonna do this for you. Ain't got no friend you can call on. You ain't got nobody. So like it all falls on me. So yeah, I'm operating and definitely in that space.
- [43:06]
DJ Envy
Yeah. One thing I wanted you to talk about in the book is why you chose Alabama. Because over South Carolina State.
- [43:13]
Charlamagne Tha God
He talks about it in the book.
- [43:14]
DJ Envy
No, not, not. He don't talk about it.
- [43:15]
2 Chainz
No. So I got recruited by South Carolina, South Carolina State. I was going to Memphis. When I got, I was going to Memphis, that's what I was going to commit to. I like Memphis because Penny Hardaway had went there. I was like this little skinny, scrawny point guard and I just wanted to just follow no steps. So when I got locked up in high school, Alabama State was the first school they called me, they got in touch with me, they called me. They were very like, you know, compassionate about what I went through and they offered me a full ride scholarship. I already had the grades. They offered me a full ride scholarship and they also. I had peers that went down there from my school, like, so I knew some, knew some kids down there. It was two hours from the house. And you know, in the book, first chapter I took, I went down there playing. I went down there playing. When I first went down to them, you know, them Alabama boys, they show you they serious business. And I ended up going down there. And then I lost my love for basketball. The same year I went down there because the coaches that called me and they were so excited about having the opportunity to work with me, they got fired. New coaches came in, new coaches came in, they brought players in. And then I just remember my passion for hooping starting to diminish because at this point I still wasn't like rapping or anything. I was just like trapping and hooping.
- [44:34]
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah. Cause in the book, I thought he said that in the book. Cause you said it was somebody you knew down there and it was close to the crib and you said you started playing ball. And then what really turned you on, you said, was when the flood happened.
- [44:46]
2 Chainz
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My darn. Well, my dorm plotted but that just made me get a spot off campus. You know, I still was dealing in the parameters of a student athlete. I still was. I was going to class, you know, I was going to class. I was doing everything. I just. I'm already living a certain lifestyle. I'm already got a little hustle going. I go down there, I got three cars already. I'm literally driving a different car Monday, Wednesday and Friday, just. Cause I can. I'm on that type of time and so. But I'm. I'm a. I'm a learning junkie too. I love to learn. Even now, I love. I mean, learning is so fast right now is insane. You know what I'm saying? Like, trying to learn what's going on in the world. But, you know, originally, man, I enjoyed learning new information. I just. You know what I mean? I loved it. So it was never a situation where I. If I wasn't on campus, I wasn't gonna go to school. I still was gonna handle my responsibilities. So I just talk about that in the book as. As one. And that's. That's one of the things that pushed me into being independent too. You go to college, you know, you stay on campus, then when you get your crib off this your first home, this your crib, you know, you start becoming like a grownup.
- [45:50]
DJ Envy
Yeah, you wouldn't have met your queen either if you didn't go to Alabama.
- [45:52]
2 Chainz
Yeah, yeah, yeah, true.
- [45:54]
DJ Envy
My last question. If that voice in your head told you to walk away from rap tomorrow, would you listen?
- [46:00]
2 Chainz
That's a great question. Because I love rap music so much, and I figured, like, if he know I love it, he wouldn't do. He wouldn't do that. You know what I'm saying? I love it. And one of the things I love about it is that I still have good ideas, whether for me or anybody else, when I say ideas, not just in rap, but after the rap, the marketing, the title, the fonts, shades, like, I'm into all, like, even this right here, this is a black artist named dereese. He's dope, man. He's just like. He's not with a gallery or anything. Deris Walker, I found him online. He does this little, like, pastel dope. This is art. It's like he drew. He drew this of me. This is not a picture. He drew this whole thing. And I just like. I just like. I don't know, curating dope stuff.
- [46:48]
DJ Envy
So you can still do that without rap. If God said two, chance, I want you to put them.
- [46:52]
2 Chainz
If I heard him as clear as you saying it. Yeah, I probably would, because I feel like he got something bigger for me. And so he wants me to probably start going to sleep at night, getting up early or something like that, which I haven't done. And since my father passed, I sleep in the daytime. I don't even sleep at night.
- [47:05]
DJ Envy
So you writing books now? You got the podcast.
- [47:07]
Charlamagne Tha God
You.
- [47:07]
2 Chainz
You know, Halo. Me and Halo. Me and Halo podcast. Make sure y' all check that out.
- [47:12]
Interviewer/Host
What do you do? My.
- [47:13]
Charlamagne Tha God
My man.
- [47:13]
Interviewer/Host
Real quick.
- [47:14]
What do you do at night then? If you, like, what are you doing?
- [47:16]
2 Chainz
You just said, like, what are you
- [47:18]
Interviewer/Host
doing if you're not sleeping?
- [47:20]
2 Chainz
You know, you just do I sleep at night, y'. All.
- [47:23]
Interviewer/Host
No.
- [47:24]
State Farm Advertiser
Damn.
- [47:24]
2 Chainz
What time I go to sleep? Six, seven.
- [47:31]
DJ Envy
I go to Halo like this cornball.
- [47:37]
2 Chainz
He was annoyed.
- [47:41]
Charlamagne Tha God
I got kids when they say they
- [47:43]
DJ Envy
just yell it out.
- [47:43]
Charlamagne Tha God
It is what it is.
- [47:44]
2 Chainz
Halo told me we was retiring it this year. I think he said on the podcast, like, we had to let it go or something. For some reason, he moved on, man. Yeah. Yeah. But I go to sleep around six, six or seven, and then I get up around what time? I get up? 12. 1.
- [47:59]
Interviewer/Host
Is that cause of your music artist life? Cause a lot of artists are like that too, where they're up on.
- [48:04]
2 Chainz
I've been doing that ever since the kids known me.
- [48:06]
Interviewer/Host
Okay.
- [48:08]
2 Chainz
Harmony 13.
- [48:10]
Interviewer/Host
But what are you doing? Are you thinking, like, are you writing? Are you in a studio?
- [48:14]
2 Chainz
I'm in a studio space, and I'm doing something ambitious to help my career go further. And that is the time when all the noise is shut off for me. All the people that I love should be in the bed. Sleep. I don't receive phone calls that late. Nobody calling me saying they need it. I can actually concentrate on the task at hand, whatever that is. And those are my hours that I can just lock in from probably 12 to 6 or something like that. I started working at night around 11 to 12. From 12 to 6 is really just really, really my time. Really me time. I don't have to worry about. You know what I'm saying? I mean, of course I worry about people, but it's just really my time. I don't have anything else on my mind but me and the task at hand.
- [48:55]
Interviewer/Host
And that's therapeutic for you?
- [48:56]
2 Chainz
That's so therapeutic for me. I wouldn't know what to do. Like. Like, Keisha hates when I'm at home that in those times, because she trying to sleep. Yeah. And I'm moving around up and, man, Just the other day, I was just doing the most craziest stuff, man. Cause I had to be up at 7. So I'm like, man, do I go to sleep or do I just stay up to seven? So I'm trying to figure it out. She like, what you doing home? Next thing you know, she look at me. I'm staring out the window like Malcolm X. I'm just looking out the window and I'm saying stuff like this. I really need some asphalt so I can. I'm just looking at stuff at the house. I'm just looking at the driveway. I need to do this roundabout over. I'm looking at the tennis court. We got the light out there on the court. I'm looking. I'm like, man, we should use this more often. We just. But my mind and my. Like, I'm not sleepy. I'm not tired. I'm not yawning because my body trained. I'm almost like a newborn. I'm trained to sleep from like seven to five. I mean, I'm sorry. Five hours. Seven to 12. I'm trying to sleep, like that long for the longest, like, literally since 2012, since my pop died. I hadn't really slept at night type stuff. Yeah,
- [50:10]
Charlamagne Tha God
well, the book is out today. Make sure you pick it out.
- [50:15]
2 Chainz
Are you looking at this? This is dope. It's a handsome picture on the back as well. And then look, if you open this up, this is something too. I know y' all know. Something told me so I'm gonna challenge y'. All. Look. Go to 2cordsbook.com Enter the sweepstakes to sit next to me at the Halls game. You have to March 11th to do that. But this right here. Tell me, what does something tell you before I get out? Something told you. Give me something. Give me an example. Something told you. Give me an example.
- [50:41]
DJ Envy
To wear that hat.
- [50:41]
Charlamagne Tha God
To wear that hat.
- [50:42]
Interviewer/Host
Something told me to wear the hat.
- [50:44]
2 Chainz
Yeah, so what I'm saying, what. So you was putting your stuff. Tell me how that. Tell me how that went.
- [50:48]
Interviewer/Host
So I woke up under. This is crazy, though.
- [50:50]
2 Chainz
So that.
- [50:51]
Interviewer/Host
Yeah, because I. I was gonna wake up early and do my little. You know, my little curling joint. But I ain't have enough time, cuz I was. I was going over questions for my book, you know what I'm saying? Because I start press this week.
- [51:00]
2 Chainz
So I got up.
- [51:01]
Interviewer/Host
I ain't have enough time for that. So I was like, you know what? I'm. I'm gonna wear my hat to go
- [51:06]
2 Chainz
with my something told you to put I mean, you got other hats, though. Hell, yeah. What made you get. Put that one on? I don't know.
- [51:12]
Interviewer/Host
I like the bunny ears. Y' all want to go with the little suit and go with the, you know, the bodysuit? I just got these new Nikes. I know they call you.
- [51:19]
2 Chainz
You coordinate. It's part of your coordination. Okay. My dog. My dog. Give me an example. Something told you.
- [51:25]
Charlamagne Tha God
I told him that today I'm learn how to ski today.
- [51:29]
2 Chainz
Something told you. Like, you just sitting there like, man, I do know what is.
- [51:31]
Charlamagne Tha God
My son snowboards. And I took him on the mountain the other day, and I felt bad because I couldn't go with him on the mountain because I don't know how to snowboard or ski. So I was like, you know what? I'm gonna learn how to ski so next time we go, I can get
- [51:42]
2 Chainz
on that mountain some good father son time to get.
- [51:44]
Charlamagne Tha God
Absolutely.
- [51:45]
2 Chainz
Yeah.
- [51:46]
Interviewer/Host
Something told me I need to go back home this weekend, spend more time with my family.
- [51:50]
2 Chainz
I love that.
- [51:52]
DJ Envy
Something told me that 2 Chainz had an amazing book that he needed to
- [51:55]
2 Chainz
get published, and that's why you in on.
- [51:58]
DJ Envy
That's right.
- [52:00]
2 Chainz
Black Effects.
- [52:01]
Interviewer/Host
Hold on. You knew you wanted to write a book, but did you go to him and say, hey, it's time, or did. How did that happen?
- [52:06]
2 Chainz
No, he just knew I'm a successful black dude, so he tried to cap in on my success. He know I'm a winner. Why else would you.
- [52:11]
State Farm Advertiser
No.
- [52:12]
Interviewer/Host
Cause he be having his little thing.
- [52:14]
DJ Envy
Two chains is the plug. I wouldn't have crystal franchises if it
- [52:17]
Interviewer/Host
wasn't for that up here.
- [52:19]
And people don't talk enough about you and your involvement in the Crystal Frame franchises.
- [52:23]
2 Chainz
Man, my involvement in. My involvement in the culture is crazy. You know what I'm saying? I am the Pinterest. I am the mood board for a lot of stuff going on. I'm humble and quiet sometimes, a lot of the times. But I can see how what my influence has done for even my whole city, like, man, listen. Esco and the Esco franchise. Ten years I owned the dirt. Five years before I started running the business on it vertically. Candyland. There's no other person my age, my demographic that owns. My demographic that owns adult entertainment to get a permit to be nude and have alcohol is. They stopped issuing those in 1993. You have to buy those for an extremely high price from somebody who sets it. A lot of the. Even the G League team being connected to the Atlanta Hawks, you know what I'm saying? Even having an association with that. It's just a lot of things that I see that I try to open up like in this book and let my peers know, like this is what's going on and this is how I'm even making these business decisions based off like, of course I have a lawyer, I have management, but I got this voice going on with me too. But I do have, you know, the crystal situation. Shout out to Jonathan. Just shout out to everybody that I became partners with. I think collaborating, collaborating is a good thing, not only in music, but in business too. And my secret to that is finding someone that's passionate in whatever you're trying to do and collaborate with and then you can have success in the field. So I said to say that the person I'm collaborating with at Esco, they're, they're passionate about the hospitality space. They don't have a special seasoning or sauce. It's bigger than that. You got to know this space. The person that I'm in the strip club business is passionate about that business. So it just. And Jonathan is passionate about crystals and this man is passionate about giving back to our community. So that's how a lot of things lines up.
- [54:21]
Charlamagne Tha God
Well, there you have it. It's two chains, ladies and gentlemen. Get the book today.
- [54:24]
2 Chainz
Thank y'.
- [54:25]
Nissan Advertiser
All.
- [54:25]
Charlamagne Tha God
And it's the Breakfast Club. Good morning True.
- [54:27]
2 Chainz
Hold up.
- [54:28]
DJ Envy
Every day I wake up.
- [54:30]
2 Chainz
Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club. We are finished or y'. All.
- [54:34]
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- [56:05]
Lauren Rose
This is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea after the Big Game like most people, I kept thinking about the commercials, and there was one that stayed with me. It was from the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, and it wasn't loud or flashy. It showed a Jewish kid being targeted at school and another student who chose not to ignore it. As someone who was Jewish, that moment felt very real to me. Not dramatic, just familiar. And what struck me was how clearly it showed that hate doesn't always announce itself, but the impact is still huge. If you saw the Blue Square spot during the Big Game, it's worth thinking about. And if you want to show support, sharing the Blue Square is one small way to do that.
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Nissan Advertiser
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Podcast Announcer
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