2 Chainz has had a long and lauded road to hip-hop stardom, a feat he's been enjoying for over a decade now. But despite the circumstances of his upbringing and what he was born into, he has a lot of maturity, clarity, and appreciation for what that context taught him.
As caught by Complex, the Georgia MC recently spoke to Shannon Sharpe on the sports personality's Club Shay Shay program. During their talk, Chainz recalled how he sold drugs for his mother and her boyfriend when he was just 12 years old.
"I actually started selling drugs at 12, but they were just nicks," 2 Chainz reflected. "But they were for my mom and her boyfriend, and it was almost like they gave me a little something to keep. Like, it was $40, $50." Back in 2022, he had told Matt Barnes that growing up among drug culture led to him experiencing four busts before adulthood, as his first was when he was only six years old.
"All I've ever known since I touched foot on this earth is drugs or drug dealing," the "Sista Wives" rapper said back then. "My father never got up and went to work. Ever. Never clocked in, clocked out. He never was late coming home because he was in traffic or did overtime... Me and my mom have a very transparent relationship. So she knew from the time that I got into the game, and she accepted me for what it was."
2 Chainz Club Shay Shay
Elsewhere, 2 Chainz reflected on a whole lot more on Club Shay Shay. For example, he revealed he missed out on a Jay-Z feature because he wasn't willing to leave a friend behind.
Also, the Drenchgod revealed that Eminem's team almost banned him from smoking weed around him one time, but Marshall Mathers wasn't actually pressed about it. Just an overcautious move from the long-sober legend's close circle.
With all this reminiscing in mind, you might think 2 Chainz is ready to bask in his own glory. But he keeps dropping great new material and tapping into hip-hop today, which we're very grateful for.
