2 Chainz exceeded expectations with his best work to date, “Rap or Go to the League.” The artist’s fifth studio album was released on March 1, marking his first release since his mediocre 2017 album, “Pretty Girls Like Trap Music.”
Much of the album touches on the theme of having to choose rap or playing professional basketball to get out of poverty. Songs like “NCAA” discuss how basketball players don’t get anything from playing for schools and how they are treated.
This album drew much interest after it was announced that LeBron James was involved in making the album as an artist and repertoire. An all-star list of features from artists including Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, Travis Scott and Chance the Rapper also created a lot of hype around the album. No singles were dropped before the album’s release, so it was unclear how it would sound or what to expect.
“Rap or Go to the League” opens with “Forgiven,” a good intro that sets the tone for the project. 2 Chainz has some good verses on this track, and there is a soulful outro that leads into track two, “Threat 2 Society.”
“Rap or Go to the League” can be listened to on Apple Music and Spotify.
The features add to the album by breaking up 2 Chainz’s deep voice. On the track “Rule the World,” Ariana Grande sings an extremely catchy chorus, making it a song.
Unfortunately, not every song on “Rap or Go To The League” hit the mark. “Momma I Hit a Lick,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, is one of the worst songs of 2019 in my opinion. The beat is messy and sounds like it was just thrown together in 10 minutes. Lamar’s guest verse is whispered and takes away from the entire song.
The song “I’m Not Crazy, Life Is” is one of the strongest on the album. It features Chance the Rapper and Kodak Black, both of which provide well-crafted verses that perfectly match the beat.
Upon first listen, it sounded as if “I’m Not Crazy, Life Is” was the final track, but the album ended with “Sam,” a song that perfectly wraps everything up with a relaxed beat. 2 Chainz raps about how he is getting taxed and how it affects everything around him.
“Rap or Go to the League” is a nearly perfect album and is probably 2 Chainz’s best work. If a few of the lower quality songs were removed, it would be hard to top this project. Overall, it’s a great project and 2 Chainz proves why he is still popular in the rap game.
Dominic Brazeau can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @DomBrazeau.
