2 Chainz has uncovered yet another layer to the unique backstory of his connection to his frequent collaborator Lil Wayne.
In an interview with The Breakfast Club 2 Chainz appeared in with The Alchemist and Larry June in promotion of their latest collaborative album Life Is Beautiful, the Atlanta native shared an interesting story about how he first met Lil Wayne, In the process, he ended up revealing that it all started because Birdman owed him money. In his initial remarks on the story he reflected on his early days hustling to afford studio time at Patchwerk Studios in Atlanta, which was a hotspot for artists and industry figures.
“The way I met Wayne was just like this,” 2 Chainz said in part.
“I was obviously selling weed, but I was using the money to book studio time at Patchwerk, which is like a renowned studio in Atlanta that’s owned by one of the ex-Falcons players. Everybody would be in there, you know, that’s where people went. And so I was in like a little B room and Baby (Birdman) and them from Cash Money were in the A room—30 Cash Money dudes, whatever, whatever. So somebody came to me and said, ‘Hey, them boys next door need some weed.’”
2 Chainz explained that things got sticky when he agreed to provide them with weed but wasn’t immediately paid for it.
“They take my weed,” he recalled. “I’m telling them, I think the zips was like $450 at the time, you know what I’m saying? I take, I give them the zips. Don’t no money come.”
As he continued, 2 Chainz revealed that he opted to take a road trip with Cash Money to ensure his temporary loss wouldn’t turn permanent.
“I ain’t in that position to give no weed away,” he said. “So I ended up going to New Orleans with them, following them about this $900.”
His trip to New Orleans led to an unforgettable experience staying in a mansion full of Cash Money affiliates, which eventually led to his first encounter with Lil Wayne.
“They had a mansion for everybody. Then everybody had their own mansion, right? And I’m staying in the mansion for everybody. They got a big jacuzzi as a living room sofa. This is many years ago. And at this point, I’m not a full rapper. I’m a trapper. And one day Wayne comes over and we go out in like the indoor pool and we smoked some gas together. You know what I’m saying? And that’s how I met Wayne, following Baby to New Orleans about these $900 that he eventually did pay back.”
Elsewhere in the interview, 2 Chainz also addressed Kendrick Lamar name-dropping him on “Not Like Us” where Kendrick referenced him in a line about Drake conning Atlanta rap artists. The “Mercy” rapper downplayed the mention, revealing he’s under the belief it was more about wordplay than a direct shot at him.
“I just think it was kind of like some wordplay cause Drake and I got a song called ‘No Lie’,” he said. “And so when he said he lied, I just felt like, I don’t know, but I didn’t take it as no kind of way. I don’t think he was taking a shot at me.”
Check out the clip of 2 Chainz detailing his reaction to Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” in the post below.
