
2 Chainz | BASED ON A T.R.U(EX) | CD
Photographers: Kristen Yiengst; Tai Linzie; Fabien Montique.If there's a reason to cheer for 2 Chainz, it's that the limited but now loveable rapper lifted himself out of a dead-end group (the Sporty Thievz-like Playaz Circle), dropped his awful name (who wants to say they're the world's biggest Tity Boy fan?), and reinvented himself as a welcome character somewhere between the syrup-sipping Pluto and the slang-slinging Pootie Tang, all while rocking True Religion everything (and if the clothing company didn't pay for all this album's product placement, they should send Chainz a box of swag immediately). This devil-may-care style that's right in line with the flash-flavoring landscape of 2012, was refined over mixtapes, street releases, and guest spots, all of it smart preparation for this official debut. Based on a T.R.U. Story is a fine payoff, coming off as trendy as those jeans Chainz keeps repping, but still quirky enough to stick to the ribs. Prime example is the opening "Yuck!,"