The TRU art of grinding: 2 Chainz tells us why he’ll sleep when he’s dead

By: Olivia Hancock

As Netflix continues to expand its programming, rap music has been of the fundamental themes of the new exclusive content that is housed on the digital streaming platform. March saw the release of Roxanne, Roxanne, a film chronicling the life of one of the first female Hip-Hop artists Roxanne Shante, and Rapture.

Rapture, an eight-part documentary produced by Mass Appeal and rap documentarian Sacha Jenkins, has quickly gained buzz in the Hip-Hop community for allowing fans to get a raw look at the lives of some of their favorite emcees including Nas, T.I., and G-Eazy. It provides an opportunity for the voices behind some of the hottest urban hits to tell people directly who they are and what they stand for.

Episode five of the series dove into the background of 2 Chainz. The hour-long segment chronicled the “It’s A Vibe” rapper’s rough beginnings in the streets of Atlanta, Georgia to his current position as a platinum-selling artist and multi-millionaire. The documentary captured candid conversations with 2 Chainz along with the members of his inner circle as he navigated his multi-city 'Pretty Girls Like Trap Musi'c tour bound to a wheelchair due to a broken leg.

We see a scene in the documentary where 2 Chainz speaks to a packed crowd during his Arizona tour stop,

“Listen, there’s no such thing as being a quitter.”

After watching the docu-series, it is clear that no statement rings truer when looking at the life of the artist formerly known as Tity Boi. His determined spirit and hustler mentality is something that has followed him his entire life. One of the most memorable moments of the film was when music video clips from 2011--when 2 Chainz went by the stage name Tity Boi and was yet to be a household name-- were shown. Those clips were then followed up with him performing two sold-out shows in his hometown of ATL in 2017. This instance was a clear illustration as to why 2 Chainz continued to preach about never quitting over the course of 60 minutes.

The episode is one that is guaranteed to make viewers walk away with a newfound respect and understanding for 2 Chainz. What makes this portion of the Rapture collection stand out is not only the glimpses we get into 2 Chainz’s studio recording process and life as a husband and father but the real and unfiltered commentary he provides. His words dripped in honesty as he talked about his life in trap houses, stints in juvenile detention, and his gratitude to be able to make music for a living now.

This episode provided a clearer picture of the man who we can all hear yelling his favorite ad-lib

“Tru.”

Rapture is engrossing because it allowed several artists to freely express their thoughts and stories in a medium different than their usual rap bars. Hip-hop fanatics interesting in learning the personal stories and the motivating forces behind staple artists in the industry like 2 Chainz will walk away feeling inspired and cultured after watching the music mini-series.

Stream 2 Chainz’s Rapture episode as well as the rest of the series on Netflix today.