Based on a T.R.U. Story – 2 Chainz

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2012	Based on a T.R.U. Story	2 Chainz	★★½	51	Hip-Hop	Trap

While he had been making music for years as Tity Boi and part of Playaz Circle, Based on a T.R.U. Story is 2 Chainz’s official major-label debut. Released in 2012 — at the tail end of the post blog-era boom and amid the rise of club-ready sad robot, trap and drill music — the record is carried heavily by the three singles that really bang when you let them take hold of you. 

2 Chainz is electric on “No Lie,” which also has one of Drake’s best hooks, a slow-build delivery that ramps up to an overflowing boil with Mike Will Made It’s dark production and eerie, glittering synths. It is top notch, and a sound that has been replicated by Mike Will Made It and others a thousand times since.

“I’m Different,” produced by DJ Mustard, is another iconic club hit with a simple, repeated piano melody and singable, get-hyped verses. 

“Birthday Song,” featuring Kanye West and produced by West and Mike Dean, has an over-the-top, booming beat that perfectly matches the song’s ridiculous premise: 

They ask me what I do and who I do it for (yeah)
And how I come up with this shit up in the studio (yeah)
All I want for my birthday is a big booty hoe 

There’s something about Chainz and Kanye both playing off each other’s dumb lines that just  works. 

That’s the beauty of 2 Chainz though, and what allowed him rise above a lot of other rappers of the era and to have more and more success down the line. Even when he’s off his game, one thing 2 Chainz has going for him is that he has always been one of the funniest guys around. Even on this record — which is full of what should be lame lines and kind of generic, cringe-worthy phrases — every few bars, he just says something so outlandish that you can’t help but laugh and appreciate the entirety of his craft. 

The rest of the album is kind of hit or miss, but 2 Chainz’ personality makes it all fun enough, even if he’s not fully where he’ll get potential-wise with his craft in the future. And the beats throughout — whether it’s the slightly soul overtones on “Extremely Blessed” featuring The Dream and  “Stop Me Now,” or the more club-oriented songs like “I Luv Dem Strippers” — pack more of a punch than most of the microwave-ready beats out there at the same time.