2 Chainz

2 Chainz's debut album is a triumph on so many levels. For one, six months ago, Mike Will complained that he couldn't land another "Tupac Back." "No Lie," featuring Drake, proves that statement false. On the same front, "Birthday Song" is the long-awaited collaboration between trap producer Sonny Digital ("Racks," "Same Damn Time") and Kanye West, while "Crack" only confirms the notion that Southside has replaced Lex Luger (who's since diversified his sound) as the go-to trap producer in the ATL. All this is to say that 2 Chainz holds more clout in the biz than most hip-hoppers would like to believe. Hell, he exec-produced his debut album for Def Jam and was given the freedom to put on whomever he liked (who is Dolla Boy?). That's how commercially viable the dude is. And the crazy part is, he does it all for pussy. "Yuck," the curtain opener, includes the lines, "my girl came through and brought an extra body, now that's an afterparty for the afterparty," and features a menstrual-themed verse by Lil Wayne. "Birthday Song," the clear-cut champ of the 17-record deluxe disc, begs the question, "How does 2 Chainz come up with this shit in the studio?" To which he answers, "All I want for my birthday is a big booty hoe," plain and simple. After (allegedly) sipping syrup, smoking blunts and throwing ratchet soirees by the pool for the past half-a-decade, 2 Chainz at last brings his pseudo-pop act to the main stage. And we're more than eager to eat it up.