2 CHAINZ NEW ALBUM ‘RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE’, A&R’d BY LEBRON JAMES, ARRIVES TODAY VIA DEF JAM RECORDINGS!

2 CHAINZ

LISTEN TO ‘RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE’ HERE

SUPPORT FOR NEW ALBUM DRIVEN BY APPLE MUSIC, SPOTIFY, YOUTUBE MUSIC, TWITTER, ESPN, HBO SPORTS, TIDAL’s CRWN, AND MORE

WATCH 2 CHAINZ AND MARSHA AMBROSIUS’ EMOTIONAL PERFORMANCE OF “FORGIVEN” ON FALLON HERE

RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE, Chainz’ most personal, most lyrical, most soulful long player to date, challenges the notion that the only way out of the inner city is either to become a rapper or a ball player. The new album flips that trope on its head, celebrating themes of black excellence, the power of education, and entrepreneurship.  (In fact, 2 Chainz has done it all, earning a full ride to college for basketball, grad­uating at the top of his class, and becom­ing a successful rapper and businessman.)

As long time friends and fans of each other, 2 Chainz and LeBron represent the true inter­section of music and sports. They have collaborated for Apple Music on 2 Chainz x LeBron James RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE, an exclusive in-depth conversation between two reigning titans in their respective fields. Three trailers for the interview have already dropped, which have generated over 5 million views on social media, tens of thousands of comments and even more LIKES, while igniting a massive social conversation about the new album.

Spotify got into the game with a giant billboard reveal in New York City’s Times Square of the RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE album artwork. Twitter Music followed up with the launch of a custom emoji mirroring the yellow milkcrate on the album cover.

ESPN has stepped up bigtime in support of RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE.  In addition to an unprecedented series of music syncs in their NBA promotional spots, the sports network has integrated 2 Chainz across all of their flagship shows, including an interview on First Take this week.

RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE is 2 Chainz’ first new studio album since Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, his RIAA platinum #1 release of 2017.  That LP has netted over 2 billion streams after spinning off three consecutive RIAA multi-platinum hits: “4 AM” featuring Travis Scott; “It’s A Vibe” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz and Jhené Aiko; and “Good Drank”featuring Quavo and Gucci Mane. 

In addition to music, 2 Chainz’ cultural influence continues to grow. His wildly popular tv show Most Expensivest on VICELAND moves into its third season in 2019 with 20 new episodes (season premiere TBA); view the series trailer HERE.  Chainz’ sneaker collaboration with Versace called “Chain Reaction” hit stores in the spring 2018, and was their most popular shoe of the year.  In October, 2 Chainz launched his own cannabis brand, GAS Cannabis Co. available now throughout California HERE.  Most recently, he starred with Adam Scott in the Super Bowl LIII Expensify tv spot, “the world’s first Super Bowl commercial you can expense.”

ABOUT 2 CHAINZ:
Following his run as a founding member of Def Jam duo Playaz Circle from his native Atlanta, 2 Chainz’ name was on everyone’s lips in 2012, when he stole a verse on “Mercy,”fellow Def Jam artist Kanye West/G.O.O.D. Music’s RIAA triple-platinum #1 R&B/#1 Rap hit (from Cruel Summer).  In August 2012, Chainz arrived as a Def Jam solo artist with Based On A T.R.U. Story, his debut album.  B.O.A.T.S. entered Soundscan at #1 and was certified RIAA gold.  Its success was fueled by the RIAA platinum #1 “No Lie” featuring Drake, the double-platinum “Birthday Song” featuring Kanye West, and double-platinum “I’m Different.”  “Mercy” was subsequently a Grammy® nominee for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance, while B.O.A.T.S. was nominated for Best Rap Album.  Chainz’ dominance was extended when the sequel, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time entered the Soundscan hip-hop chart at #1 in September 2013, and spun off the RIAA gold single, “Feds Watching”featuring Pharrell.

In 2016, Chainz brought it back to his essence with a series of mixtapes that dominated the streets: Felt Like Cappin, Daniel Son; Necklace Don, and Hibachi For Lunch.  Also in 2016, he released the lauded collaborative album ColleGrove with New Orleans hip-hop luminary Lil Wayne.  Critics agreed that 2 Chainz conquered 2016, with the New York Timesproclaiming “all hail our greatest punch line rapper, 2 Chainz.”  The year was capped off with his first Grammy Award, Best Rap Performance for his verse on Chance The Rapper’s hit song “No Problem.”

With momentum on his side, 2 Chainz released his first solo album since 2013: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music (June 2017) was accompanied by a 35-city tour of North America through September.  Chainz’ TV appearances included visits with Jimmy Kimmel (HERE), Jimmy Fallon (HERE), and Trevor Noah (HERE).  2018 brought the EP releases The Play Don’t Care Who Makes It (February, with the RIAA gold “Proud” featuring YG and Offset), and Hot Wings Are A Girl’s Best Friend (November), pointing the way to the release of Chainz’ fourth solo album, RAP OR GO TO THE LEAGUE on March 1, 2019. Chainz’ impact on popular culture encompasses not only music but his Most Expensivest cable tv series on VICELAND, his “Chain Reaction” sneaker collaboration with Versace, his GAS Cannabis Co. brand, and his Super Bowl LIII Expensify tv spot with Adam Scott.  TheRinger.com was inspired to write: “Forget Mount Rush­more – 2 Chainz deserves his own national monument. This year dude is top five humans of all time.”