During a sit-down with Club Shay Shay, the Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz offered a glimpse into how he got his big come-up getting a Lil Wayne hook without forking over the steep $100,000 gatekeeping fee that the dome cap-wearing boss Birdman was reportedly known to demand.
“Wayne was so fucking hot,” 2 Chainz said. “If anyone wanted Wayne, he would be like, ‘I need 100 too,’ and people would obviously do it.”
Check out this article: Afrika Bambaataa Loses Sex Abuse Lawsuit by Default
Here’s the rub: that hundred grand wasn’t even about the verse. The price of entry was steeper, and Birdman was the self-delegated gatekeeper. But Chainz, never one to follow the script, did it his way.
Rather than a check, he gave Wayne a pair of red Gucci sneakers and a CD of Beats. Simple, real, from the heart or the mall.
“We’re leaving the airport going to the mall because he tries to I guess bless me for the most expensive shoes that I bought him,” 2 Chainz said with a chuckle. It was then, out of nowhere, that Wayne smacked him with, “You liked the hook I did for you?”
Chainz was dumbfounded, but he hadn’t been given a peep. Wayne sent it to the wrong email; that’s what happened. As soon as they realized it, they recorded straight away, and Chainz was ultimately hearing the verse.
“I was like, ‘Come on, you did that for me? He like, ‘Yeah boy,’” Chainz chuckled.
That surprise feature? It became “Duffle Bag Boy,” Playaz Circle’s breakout single in 2007, and the song that more or less put 2 Chainz in the mainstream spotlight.
“When Wayne did that, he didn’t charge me,” Chainz said. “Baby still wanted his 100.” Eventually, Birdman let it go. “I’m fine,” he said to him.
And just that quickly, a major co-sign was had, not with bags of money, but with style, hustle, and a little bit of serendipity.
And the beauty of it all is that it only gets better. 2 Chainz once said that he might not have ever even linked with Wayne in the first place if it weren’t for, you guessed it, a $900 weed debt.
So, yes, unfortunately, a missed email, a pair of designer shoes, and a past-due weed tab conspired to align the stars for one of the most significant moments of 2 Chainz’s early career. The lesson? In hip-hop, it isn’t always about the money but about the moves.
0 Comments