In 2007, 2 Chainz began releasing solo material, while he still was in the group Playaz Circle with Dolla Boy. During the year, he released a mixtape titled Me Against the World!, while he still was under his former stage name Tity Boi. In 2011, he changed his moniker to 2 Chainz, as he perceived it to be more "family friendly", before his career began to take off.[3] Following his name change, 2 Chainz released a mixtape titled T.R.U. REALigion (2011), which became his first solo full-length project to appear on a music chart, peaking at number 58 on the US BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[4] He has also made guest appearances on songs by recording artists since the name change, including the singles "Mercy" by Kanye West and "Beez in the Trap" by Nicki Minaj.[5]
The album was originally set to be titled T.R.U. 2 My REALigion, as he revealed to AllHipHop at his sold-out show in New York City's live music venue SOB's, on January 30, 2012.[6] On March 15, 2012, it was revealed, while in Austin, Texas for SXSW, 2 Chainz announced his Def Jam debut, which would no longer be titled T.R.U. 2 My REALigion. Instead, during an interview with FUSE, the former member of Playaz Circle announced a new title for his LP: "I recently changed the album and the new title of my album is Based on a T.R.U. Story."[7]
Release and promotion
On March 24, 2 Chainz announced, via his Twitter feed, the album would be released on August 14, 2012.[8] On July 17, 2012, the album's deluxe editioncover art was unveiled.[9] Designed by Kanye West's creative agency DONDA, the album cover was ranked the second best of 2012 by Complex Magazine.[10][11] On July 24, 2 Chainz announced he would embark on a tour following the album's release, which would begin August 30 in Norfolk, Virginia at The Norva and concludes on September 27 in Austin, Texas at La Zona Rosa.[12] On February 12, 2013, the album's chopnotslop version by OG Ron C was released on iTunes.[13]
Singles
The album's lead single, "No Lie" premiered on May 1, 2012, and was released to iTunes on May 8, 2012.[14] The song features guest vocals from Canadian recording artist Drake, while it was produced by Mike WiLL Made It.[15] It was sent to urban radio on May 15, 2012.[15] The music video (directed by Director X) was released June 21, 2012.[15]
The album's second single, "Birthday Song" featuring Kanye West, was released on July 24, 2012.[16] It officially impacted urban radio on August 7, 2012.[17]
The album's third single, "I'm Different" was released on November 8, 2012.[18] The music video for "I'm Different" premiered December 23, 2012 on MTV Jams.[19]
Other songs
On August 12, 2012, the music video for "I Luv Dem Strippers" featuring Nicki Minaj, was released.[20] On March 17, 2013, the music video for "Crack" was released.[21] On April 15, 2013, the music video for "Yuck!" featuring Lil Wayne, was released.[22] On April 24, 2013, the music video for "Like Me" was released.[23]
Based on a T.R.U. Story received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 55, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[30] David Jeffries of AllMusic praised the high-powered production on the lead track "Yuck" and felt that overall 2 Chainz "almost delivers on his official debut."[24] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone felt 2 Chainz has "irrepressible enthusiasm" and also praised the guest artists and producers.[29]
Phillip Mlynar of HipHopDX affirmed 2 Chainz' enthusiasm but disliked his lyrics, stating "throughout the album, Chainz kicks a series of amazingly flimsy rhymes" and concluded "2 Chainz has revealed himself as the weakest guest on his own album."[25] In a very negative review, Jesal Padania of RapReviews.com panned 2 Chainz' lyrics with the lowest possible score 1 out of 10 points, commenting "Can 2 Chainz rap? Yes, of course. But is he saying anything? No, not even once... Albums like Based On a T.R.U. Story really make you wonder just how they even come about to existence."[28]Los Angeles Times reviewer Randall Roberts also disliked Chainz' lyrics, and while he praised the guest verses on the album, he felt that "2 Chainz drags them down."[26] In a lengthy review, Pitchfork's David Drake felt the album offers "nothing beyond the one-dimensional caricature [2 Chainz]'s crafted on countless other verses" and called it "a cynical example of the bare minimum of creativity required for that level of success."[27]
The track Dope Peddler samples Tom Lehrer's song "The Old Dope Peddler". In 2013, Lehrer said he was "very proud" to have his song sampled "literally sixty years after I recorded it". Lehrer went on to describe his official response to the request to use his song: "As sole copyright owner of 'The Old Dope Peddler', I grant you motherfuckers permission to do this. Please give my regards to Mr. Chainz, or may I call him 2?"[31]
Accolades
Despite being met with mixed reviews from critics, Based on a T.R.U. Story was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Grammy Awards. The album was named the 25th best Hip Hop album of 2012 by Spin.[32]
