7 Thoughts From This Randomly Fascinating 2 Chainz Interview (Bonus Twitter Debate) Posted by Nathan S. on 07/24/13 | Filed under Videos, 2 Chainz, Peter Rosenberg

Listen, I don't expect you to listen to 50 minute interviews with 2 Chainz hoping they're randomly interesting. That's my job. (Yep, that's actually my job.) So having done my due diligence, let me tell you, his new interview with Hot 97's Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg is worth the listen, especially if you're not particularly a Chainz fan.

But even if you don't want to spend the time, that's cool. I'll go ahead and break down some of the more important points:

10:00 - Like Lil B, Juicy J, or perhaps most notably R. Kelly, half of listening to them is trying to figure out how self-aware they are of the crazy shit they're saying. Call it meta-ignorance; it takes a certain level of intelligence to write something like "Got a big booty, so I call her big booty," just like it takes a certain level of intelligence for a comedian like Jim Carrey to make "Dumb & Dumber". Chainz knows that's a ridiculous line, that's what makes it funny.

2 Chainz, rap game Jim Carrey.

15:45 - Meet 2 Chainz, rap's leading advocate for healthy eating. Jokes aside, this is exactly why I have to respect Chainz on some level. Getting back to the last point though, it'd be good if any of that ever made it into his music. I'm not saying the man needs to transform into dead prez, but it'd be good to at least get a, "Pyrex chef, all up in the kitchen bakin / Got that coke on a diet like turkey bacon."

18:30 - Similarly, hearing Chainz talk about how profoundly the death of his father affected him is the most humanizing thing I've ever heard from him, and by extension it really humanizes rappers. No matter how famous you may be, how swagged out you are, how outlandish your persona is, things like the death of a parent can still almost cripple you. It's one thing to hear, "I don't ever sleep cause I'm on my grind," it's quite another to hear, "I don't ever sleep as a way of coping with my father's death and possible depression."

21:20 - Listen, I love Peter Rosenberg, he's legitimately my favorite "mainstream" radio host. But that "2 Chainz is as big as Ludacris ever was in music" thing was balls crazy talk. It was so balls crazy even the not-exactly-humble Chainz was uncomfortable. Ignoring Luda's extra-curricular career (movies, liquor, etc.) and focusing only on music, Luda helped establish Atlanta as the new center of hip-hop, won three Grammys, went platinum with ALL SIX OF HIS ALBUMS and has four number one albums. Even adjusting sales numbers down for 2013, Chainz hasn't even begun to touch Luda's power at his peak.

As I already wrote, Ludacris is a Big Mac with fries 2 Chainz is a McFlurry. McFlurrys can be delicious if you're in the mood, they can be a great addition to a meal, but they're not a meal.

25:00 - Speaking of which, it's good to hear Chainz validate my "What the Hell Happened to DTP Records?". Luda just got to the point where it didn't make sense to put work into building up another artist when he was still so popular. According the Luda though, he's still getting paid off Chainz sales. Nothing like those mailbox checks; you don't have to do anything but check your mailbox to get them.

25:45 - "I really sold dope before, but I don't really try to press it into your head." Oh really 2 Chainz? You don't press the fact that you used to sell dope? REALLY?

30:30 - Every time Ebro jumps on the mic I get Suge Knight at the Source Awards flashbacks: "To all you radio hosts out there, who don't wanna be on a radio station where the director of programming is...all up in the videos, all on the interviews, dancin'..."

He got a little taste of personally publicity after the "minor leagues" fiasco and now the dude can't stop himself from crow barring his way into every interview.

31:15 - Last but not least, it's good to hear Chainz delve a little deeper into the "Does a Chainz guest verse really cost $100K?" question. The answer, as we all thought, is "it depends". If you're a major pop artist who's got plenty of room in your budget, then fuck yeah he's charging you. If you're a close friend, probably not. Although he also touches on how quickly things can get murky when you're leveraging friendships to get free verses.

Obviously a lot to get into here, I promise I wouldn't be writing this if it wasn't worth at least a casual listen. Enjoy...

UPDATE: And...Rosenberg and I are debating this on Twitter now:

Listen @refinedhype .. In no way has tit matched ludas success but his name had crossed over and become huge and he has monster songs

— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) July 24, 2013

@Rosenbergradio Totally agree, not doing the typical hate on Chainz thing, Tity is huge. But I think you're forgetting how huge Luda was.

— Refined Hype (@refinedhype) July 24, 2013

@Rosenbergradio Guest verse game? Luda on "Yeah" - 12 straight weeks at #1. Chainz hasn't been on a song even half that popular.

— Refined Hype (@refinedhype) July 24, 2013

See Also:  Is a 2 Chainz Guest Verse Really Worth $100K?
See Also:  I Love Lamp: Tim Westwood Thoroughly Enjoyed 2 Chainz’ Atrocious Freestyle (Video)