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In his new cover story with The Source, my play uncle 2 Chainz opens up about the notion that he changed his name from “Tity Boi” to “2 Chainz” in order to gain broader appeal in music. Besides that, he talks about his ever-busy 2012, his work ethic, plus his working relationships with Lil’ Wayne and Kanye West.

You can check this excerpt below:

“I never just changed my name,” he explains, citing references to shouting “2 Chainz!” on early mixtapes. “It was a natural progression.” While he regards 2 Chainz as more “family-friendly” compared to Tity Boi, he doesn’t credit his success to the switch. “It wasn’t like my name made me rap better,” he says, “I worked my ass off.”

By the time this year hit its stride, 2 Chainz was featured on Nicki Minaj’s racy “Beez in the Trap,” released his own torch single “No Lie” with Drake, “Birthday Song” with Kanye West, and gave the colossal assist as part of G.O.O.D. Music’s “Mercy.” He became a chart fixture. “It felt good to outdo myself and just be omnipresent and be a part of everything,” he says proudly, explaining that he’s clocked in over 100 features and over 230 shows to date.

His work ethic is comparable to good friend Lil Wayne’s, who 2 Chainz says he never had to turn to for advice; he only had to learn by example. One of his greatest mentors, he explains, is Bryan “Birdman” Williams, and while he didn’t opt to join Young Money, they’re all still family. “Me and Wayne are such good friends it didn’t matter,” he says. “It’s like that too with me and Kanye. It’s not even about the paperwork or the money. When you get so much money, it’s not even about the game, it’s about the chemistry.”

The rumors flip-flopped as to whether or not 2 Chainz was an official member of G.O.O.D. Music, but his presence on Cruel Summer spoke for itself. “It was just something different that I didn’t have in my campaign,” he explains of aligning with Kanye West & Co. “‘Ye kinda took to me and noticed things that other people didn’t notice. It dated back to when I didn’t even know that I was on people’s radars. It just felt like everything I did wasn’t in vain.”

You can read the piece in full over at The Source.

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