It's kind of a shame that the only thing carried over from the opening track to the rest of the tape is "more gold than a pirate"-style punchlines and a tendency for elegantly simplistic, earworming hooks ("Datmydawg" x12), but if there's any pair that's going to turn that into a winning formula, it's these two. For a rapper whose gift for exuberance and luxurious overstatement usually overshadows his autobiographical honesty, it's a crystal-clear snapshot of the pre-fame era when he took cues from Gucci Mane, Ludacris and most importantly, Wayne. The aptly-named "Dedication" kicks things off with as project's most topically-focused song, with 2 Chainz giving us rose-tinted background information of his come up and how Wayne related to it. Nothing, save for a few too-blunt lyrics, seems forced, and both rappers' enjoyment is audible. Whereas much of No Ceilings 2 had Wayne sounding like he was having much more fun than the listener, this project brings us back on the same page as him for the most part. For Wayne, ColleGrove is revitalizing and stakes-lowering- with Carter V still nowhere in sight, everyone expects the most from each ensuing solo project, so a light-hearted collab tape doesn't hold nearly as much weight.
#Bounce 2 chainz album cover free#
For 2 Chainz, it's one part status-symbol collaboration with one of his idols, one part extension of his post- Trapavelli hot streak, and one part convenient way to get the biggest and best songs from his last two free releases on a commercial project. The album (listed as a Chainz solo joint but featuring Wayne on 8/13 tracks) winds up being just what the doctor ordered for both parties involved. It's at these points in their respective paths that both of them meet up for ColleGrove. Wayne, on the other hand, has been desperately trying to get something to stick, but has really floundered in the last five years.
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Unable as of yet to break out of his "singles artist" reputation following two promising-but-ill-executed albums, Chainz seemed briefly in danger of fading away until rebounding with last year's Trapavelli Tre and the even more promising bite-sized January release Felt Like Cappin. He may have never been as dazzling as Wayne in his mixtape-era prime, but throughout his career, 2 Chainz has integrated Weezy's brand of humor and scatterbrained non-sequiturs into the modern traposphere, perhaps more so than anyone this side of Young Thug. Wayne has (depending how hard you stan for him) fallen off to some considerable degree since his mid-to-late 2000s peak, and since the aforementioned Playaz Circle song, Chainz has had a decidedly upward trajectory. Why do you think the former only gave the latter a hook, and no verse, on 2007's " Duffle Bag Boy"? But times have changed. Once upon a time, Wayne would've run circles around Tity Boi. Anyone other than Drizzy and Nicki on Young Money? Please. Curren$y? Too low-key for Wayne's tastes, although we might get better bars out of it. Drake? Don't get me wrong, they've had great songs together, but Drake attempting an album's worth of hyped up "HYFR"s and "Believe Me"s seems unlikely, especially after What A Time To Be Alive. Juelz Santana is one that the fans keep pulling for, and though "You Ain't Got Nuthin" and (to a considerably lesser extent) Blow make the case for chemistry, the Dipset member hasn't done enough in recent years to justify Wayne's participation in any sort of reamped version of I Can't Feel My Face.
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Who else fits so effortlessly alongside him? Like Father Like Son is certainly an underrated relic of the past, but you'd be hard-pressed to convince anyone that Birdman could ever hang with Weezy lyrically, at any point in either of their careers.
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Of all of Lil Wayne's post-Hot Boys frequent collaborators, 2 Chainz was the best choice to tap for a joint album. 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne prove that they're the perfect duo to execute a fun, low-stakes joint album.