'I'm Very Transparent'

“Mainstream Ratchet is music that I made. Being black and being good enough to come from the underground has allowed me to go to places like Australia. And that’s because of that mainstream interest,” Tauheed Epps, who now travels as 2 Chainz, explains. “That’s kinda like the idea for how mainstream ratchet music is geared, where we talk about the hair weaves, skrippers and skrilla. It’s music that’s localised and talks about the lifestyle that I come from that’s loved all over the world.”

2 Chainz was formerly known as Tity Boi, one-half of Playaz Circle with Earl “Dolla Boy” Conyers, and released an independent album in 2007 featuring lead single turned local hit, Duffle Bag Boy, adding to a growing demand for Atlanta-based trap music. After breaking up, Epps signed with Ludacris’ Disturbing Tha Peace imprint delivering two LPs and a slew of mixtapes, most recently 2014’s Freebase EP, which is a sharp shot of regression to his duffle-bag soundscape.

With the chains and matching shining ego, there is no ego as big as a rapper’s and Epps is no different. On On So Can We Live (featuring T-Pain) he raps; “If you ain’t arrogant then you’re out of your element.” But, as to how different Epps is from 2 Chainz, the Southern MC proclaims to be the same off-camera, so to speak.

“That’s kinda like the idea for how mainstream ratchet music is geared, where we talk about the hair weaves, skrippers and skrilla"

“Pretty much what you see is what you get with me. I’m very transparent. I love my family. I love my fans. I love myself. I’m not a facade. The cameras don’t have to be off for me to act a certain way.”

Recently on Jay Z’s Life + Times with Elliott Wilson, Epps summarised his first album as being about strippers and cocaine, which made his music very relatable to his crowd. However, after touring internationally, Epps likened his second LP, B.O.A.T.S II, to a passport; dog-eared and well-travelled.

“I just did it like I had to. Basically, it’s my diary that I was reading aloud. I had to show people what I’ve learned the past year or so. It’s like a seasoned passport that has a lot of stamps all through it and I’ll get even more as I go to Australia.”

The night prior to this interview, Epps was on a flight from San Diego sitting first class, next to Hulk Hogan. Two days later he was in Kenya for a concert. In March, Epps joins Canadian rap-crooner Drake here and promises to give his all for the love of that trap music. “I want it to be an experience, man. For me, I put everything I have out there on the stage, you know? I try to be excellent and give people they money’s worth.”