If you know me, you probably know about my love for Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz. I haven’t talked about it for a while on this blog(I do have a post from a couple of years ago about the massive influence of Lil Wayne. Go check that one out after reading this one if you’re a huge Weezy fan like me), but I think Lil Wayne is one of the GOATS of Hip Hop. His impact in every facet of the genre is undeniable; from his flow to his diversity in sound to even his fashion sense, Lil Wayne has been one of the most important people in Hip Hop for the last 25 years. 2 Chainz is an artist who I have always thought is massively underrated. He has been putting out underground and mainstream hits since the mid-2000s, yet he is never given the credit that he deserves as one of the biggest Trap rappers in the game. Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz have been making great music together for a very long time. Their first collaboration was on the song ‘Duffle Bag Boy’ in 2007; since then, they have appeared on each other’s projects frequently, demonstrating their awesome chemistry on a plethora of great tracks over the years. In 2016, the duo dropped their first collaborative album, Collegrove. To be honest, at the time, this album underwhelmed me. Although I have come to love a couple of the songs from this record in the time since it came out, I still think that it is not nearly as cohesive or fun as an album from these two should be considering their history. About seven years later, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz decided to drop the sequel to that record, Welcome To Collegrove. In my opinion. This project is a lot better than its predecessor. It does still feel bloated and there are way too many filler songs, but there is definitely a lot to love on this record that I know I will be bumping in the future. In this post, I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite songs from Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz’s Welcome To Collegrove. Please let me know in the comments below how you feel about this project as a whole, and also comment the names of your favorite tracks!

G6

Following the album’s opening skit, ‘G6’ is the first official song from Welcome to Collegrove. This song certainly starts the album off with a bang, and it sets the stage for the moments of greatness that are to come. This song has a simple yet intense instrumental that injects anyone with vigor when they hear it. The melody for this track has a foreboding quality that sounds like it is being provided by a mandolin. This melody is put on top of an audacious beat that is just as menacing as the melody. About halfway through the track, the instrumental gets highly distorted, taking on a crazy sound that makes me think of new artists like Ken Carson or Yeat. Lil Wayne both rap with a ferocity and vibrancy that I have not heard from either of them in a couple of years. They sound so invigorated on ‘G6,’ rapping with a level of zealousness and passion that makes me so excited as a massive fan of them. ‘G6’ is an excellent opener for this record that proves Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz can still rap as well as anyone.

BIG DIAMONDS FEAT. 21 SAVAGE

It seems like 21 Savage has been on an unbelievable run over the last couple of years when it comes to his features. Everything this guy touches turns to gold; when it comes to his feature performances, 21 Savage can do no wrong in recent history. As one would assume would be the case, this is also true of his contribution to the sound ‘Big Diamonds.’ When it comes to the instrumental for this track, nothing really stands out. This song has a pretty typical Trap melody and beat that does not sound too distinctive on any level; to be frank, it has as generic of an instrumental as it could have. This is okay, though, because the rap performances on this track make it pop. All three rappers sound so great on this track, with 21 Savage truly stealing the show. His flow and tone on this song are so addictive, providing an exceptional juxtaposition from the one-two punch we get from Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz. ‘Big Diamonds’ is a great track that once again proves 21 Savage is taking the torch as the best feature rapper in the game right now. 

TRANSPARENCY FEAT. USHER

‘Transparency’ provides a nice change in pace from the hard-hitting energy that most of this album has. Instead of going with a tough Trap instrumental like so many of the other tracks, this one has more of an old-school R&B feeling. I would say the influence from Usher is massive on this one. Due to its melody, this song has a wavy and classic R&B feeling that makes me think of the late 1990s I could see this instrumental being on one of Usher’s first couple of albums(especially if the Trap elements of the beat were substituted for a more traditional R&B beat). All of the vocal performances on this song enhance the sultry feeling of the instrumental, with Usher and Lil Wayne especially standing out. Usher sounds so natural on this instrumental, as his smooth vocals make the song so warm and balmy. Like he has so many times in the past, Lil Wayne provides a cool layer to the song with his rapping on this R&B instrumental that gives the song so much texture. ‘Transparency’ is a silky R&B song that totally switches things up from the sound the rest of the album has, giving the album a nice buffer that it benefits from. 

BARS

Now I am not going to lie, ‘Bars’ may not be a song for everyone. This song has a very old-school and almost dated feeling that fans of modern Trap music may not appreciate as much. ‘Bars’ is definitely a song for the people who have been fans of Lil Wayne(and 2 Chainz) since the late 1990s and early 2000s. This track has an instrumental that straight-up sounds like it could have been on The Block is Hot or The Carter. It has that kind of groovy and hard-hitting Southern Trap sound that he excelled at rapping on back in the day. Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz both bring the heat on this track. The song is called ‘Bars’ for a good reason because both of their performances are great. Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz rap with the kind of focus and intensity that made them so famous to begin with. ‘Bars’ is a blast to the pastthat provides a nice sense of nostalgia for those who have loved these two from the jump.

GODZILLA FEAT. VORY

‘Godzilla’ is probably the most quirky and ultramodern-sounding song on this record. It has the kind of futuristic sound that one would not necessarily expect to hear from Lil Wayne or 2 Chainz at this point in their careers; the instrumental for this one has the same kind of wild energy to it as the second half of ‘G6.’ This is a melodic and atmospheric buzzing Trap song with a ton of distortion and quirky sound effects that saturate the beat. ‘Godzilla’ has an instrumental that sounds like a crossover between Young Nudy and Playboi Carti. It has elements to its sound that make me think of both those artists, and it is just as unusual and tough as one would expect music from both of those artists to be. Though this instrumental sounds so out-of-sorts for 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, I have to say that they both kill it on this track(Vory mainly just contributes to the introduction of the track, providing a nice lead-up to the meat of the song). 2 Chainz raps with an addictive, rhythmic flow that rides this beat perfectly, and Lil Wayne sing-raps in a way that gives the song so much power and emphasis. ‘Godzilla’ is a song that was a bit of a risk for 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne in terms of its sound, and I am happy to say that they both murdered it on this track. 

CROWN SNATCHER

If ‘Godzilla’ is a song that sounds super fresh and a smidge unexpected for Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz to want to rap on as one of their own songs(I will say I could see them featured on any kind of track regardless of its sound or style), then the next song, ‘Crown Snatcher,’ is one I would expect to hear from them for sure.  Like ‘Bars,’ this is a song with a classic Trap sound that immediately makes me think of the early 2000s. If one were this was a track by them from that era that I had somehow not heard, I may have believed them if the song were not so short(this song is about 2:36, and most rap music from that time was 3:00+). Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz sound so awesome on ‘Crown Snatcher,’ as they bounce off of each other through their distinct tones and flow so well. 2 Chainz raps with a lower tone and easy-going flow, and Lil Wayne raps with a higher-toned and rambunctious flow. The way their rapping styles contrast sounds so great on this track. ‘Crown Snatcher’ is an additional song with a retro sound and style that older fans of both these artists will appreciate so much.