However, things close out with вЂњ55 TimesвЂќ, which, with its whimsical flutes and вЂњGod keep on blessinвЂ™ meвЂќ refrain, sets a much warmer tone. Had So Help Me God! ended with вЂњWait For You to DieвЂќ, 2 Chainz would have left things off on a harsh, if quite strong, note. David Banner and Swiff D provide an absolute vibe of a beat on вЂњWait For You to DieвЂќ, in which 2 Chainz conveys his pain and ultimately provides a cold revelation: вЂњThey wait for you to die so they can sit and talk shit about you.вЂќ Even the upbeat вЂњYRBвЂќ has an interlude from resident Dungeon Family sage Big Rube, adding the kind of beauty and introspection that isnвЂ™t always found in a big budget rap album. вЂњSouthside HovвЂќ references Reasonable DoubtвЂ™s вЂњFeelinвЂ™ ItвЂќ, and finds some tight couplets like вЂњIвЂ™m sick for real ever since Enfamil / Tiffany-colored blicker shells the size of Zinfandels.вЂќ Granted, 2 Chainz will never make a Reasonable Doubt, but if heвЂ™s looking to attain JayвЂ™s veteran status, So Help Me God! brings him one step closer.ДЄn absolutely gorgeous Cool & Dre beat on вЂњVampireвЂќ allows Chainz the space to open up about his younger years in ways both defensive (вЂњIf your lights and water never been cut off, donвЂ™t judge meвЂќ) and regretful (вЂњI should be ashamed for what I said to my mamaвЂќ).

He clearly worships Jay-Z, but whereas on last yearвЂ™s Rap or Go to the League (yes, that came out last year) Chainz was making convoluted songs about tax payments, in the back half of So Help Me God! he finally finds his stride making songs as a Grown Man Rapper. Put simply, this is the most beautiful music 2 Chainz has made in his career. The run of these two tracks and the TM88 joint вЂњToniвЂќ form a kind of trapperвЂ™s hat-trick, three hits in a row that find 2 Chainz doing what he does best.ДЄfter вЂњToniвЂќ, we enter the final five-track stretch of the album, and this is where the truly special stuff lies. As a general rule Kevin Gates is always consistent, and the same goes for Chief Keef and Lil Uzi Vert, who delight on the Sosa-produced (yes!) вЂњFree LighterвЂќ. вЂњZiplocвЂќ could be seven years old (itвЂ™s not), but it wouldnвЂ™t matter. HeвЂ™s lucid and in the pocket, trading bars with Chainz and making this an excellent collaboration. For better or for worse, this must be the best Kanye verse in at least two years. I trimmed the record.вЂќ As intriguing as it would be to hear an eight-minute version with Kanye going off-the-rails, I thank 2 Chainz for this decision. 2 Chainz told Ebro that there вЂњwas way more than that on the record. At a chill three-and-a-half minutes, itвЂ™s a smooth track that finds a pleasantly surprising Kanye in his hip-hop bag. In case you forgot, So Help Me God was the original title of Kanye WestвЂ™s follow-up to Yeezus, and although weвЂ™ll probably never know exactly what that album sounded like, the worldвЂ™s (least) favorite rap star makes an appearance here on вЂњFeel a WayвЂќ. 2 Chainz told Apple Music that the track вЂњis an articulation of the Black experience, the HBCU experience, band culture, halftime, all of those things rolled into one.вЂќ The HBCU shoutouts at the end of the track in particular are a nice touch into what promised to be a college anthem, if only college parties and packed football stadiums were a reality in 2020. First single вЂњMoney MakerвЂќ takes a marching band cover of GuyвЂ™s вЂњPiece of My LoveвЂќ and throws Lil Wayne into the mix with fun results. On the former, co-produced by Mike Will and Chainz himself, BJ the Chicago Kid sings a lovely intro and LouisianaвЂ™s YoungBoy provides a verse and chorus with emotional heft. The first half of the album is a mixed-bag: the вЂњyoung enough to fuck yoвЂ™ auntieвЂќ shit-talk of вЂњGrey AreaвЂќ or the Hall & Oates-sampling (huh?) вЂњCanвЂ™t Go For ThatвЂќ are fairly unimpressive.Д«ut Deuce is a skilled curator, and вЂњSave MeвЂќ and вЂњMoney MakerвЂќ are really nice songs. And given that the one song with this theme is the goofy вЂњQuarantine ThickвЂќ, thatвЂ™s a good thing. So Help Me God! is a self-described вЂњtime capsule of quarantine,вЂќ but it mostly strays from any mention of the pandemic. With his sixth album, So Help Me God!, he finds strength in staying composed and reflective. With his own roster of young artists, heвЂ™s reached a point in his career where he can invest in others and not worry about increasing his own popularity. HeвЂ™s 43, and has a boom bap album with Statik Selektah in the works. His Nardwuar interview from a few years ago makes this extremely apparent ( вЂњYes, I enjoy real estate,вЂќ he says calmly). The public may underestimate how relaxed 2 Chainz is.

Rule the world 2 chainz album cover