2 Chainz

Born: 12 September 1977

Age:

Years Active: 1997–present

Genre/s: Southern hip-hop, trap

Label/s: Gamebread, T.R.U., Empire, Def Jam

Tauheed Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz, is an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Circle, alongside hometown rapper Earl "Dolla Boy" Conyers. The duo signed with fellow Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace label and became best known for their 2007 debut single "Duffle Bag Boy" (featuring Lil Wayne).

In February 2012, Epps signed a solo recording contract with Def Jam Recordings, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. In April of that year, his guest performance on Kanye West's single, "Mercy" marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo act, peaking at number 13. His debut studio album, Based on a T.R.U. Story (2012), was preceded by the double platinum-certified singles "No Lie" (featuring Drake) and "Birthday Song" (featuring Kanye West), peaked atop the Billboard 200, and spawned the top 40 single "I'm Different", although critical reception was mixed. His second album, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time (2013), was led by the single "Feds Watching" (featuring Pharrell Williams) and saw improved critical reception despite a slight commercial decline. His subsequent albums— ColleGrove (2016), Pretty Girls Like Trap Music (2017), Rap or Go to the League (2019), So Help Me God! (2020), and Dope Don't Sell Itself (2022)—were released to moderate commercial success. After the release of his collaborative album with Lil Wayne, Welcome 2 Collegrove (2023), he parted ways with Def Jam in 2024.

Epps has won a Grammy Award from six nominations; his guest appearance on Chance the Rapper's 2016 single "No Problem" won Best Rap Performance. His other accolades include three BET Awards from 11 nominations, and five BET Hip Hop Awards from 19 nominations. He has also hosted Vice TV's 2017 reality series Most Expensivest, in which he reviews luxury consumer goods; it aired for four seasons.