Key Takeaways:
- 2 Chainz appeared on the latest episode of Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast.
- During the episode, he told a humorous story about Eminem and his team’s no-smoking policy.
- Their chemistry still shone through on “Kyrie & Luka,” taken from The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce): Expanded Mourner's Edition.
2 Chainz recently gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at his time working with Eminem, and the story involves a surprising studio rule: No smoking weed around Slim Shady. During an episode of “Club Shay Shay,” the Atlanta rapper recalled a humorous moment when the Detroit legend’s team enforced the strict policy while the two were collaborating. “When I did work with Eminem, I couldn’t smoke in there. It was kinda funny. It was his people, not [him],” 2 Chainz said, noting that Em was off writing while his team was being overly protective. “They put the speakers outside so I could listen to the beat.”
Eminem’s team tried to block 2 Chainz from smoking in the studio
The moment reached peak awkwardness when 2 Chainz returned from a smoke break in Malibu to record his verse. He noticed Eminem outside the booth and was excited to see him walk in — until the team stepped in again.
“He’s about to come in and say something, but his people are like ‘No, don’t go in there, he’s smoking.’ Em looks like, ‘Sit the f*ck down, what do you think I’m about to do?’ I remember them tripping on him, and he was not tripping at all.” The interaction highlighted just how chill Eminem really was, despite his team's best efforts to maintain a substance-free environment in support of his sobriety.
How “Kyrie & Luka” showed the chemistry between Eminem and 2 Chainz
That relaxed energy carried over into their most recent collaboration, “Kyrie & Luka,” which was included on Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce): Expanded Mourner's Edition. The beat sampled Eric B. & Rakim’s “Move the Crowd,” and 2 Chainz flexed his basketball knowledge with lines like, “While things are going left like Julius Randle... just like Kyrie, I got this s**t handled.”
As revealed to Complex, The Alchemist had this to say about Eminem’s amazing work on the track: “He lost his mind on that.” 2 Chainz also acknowledged how some rappers might hear Em’s verse and then try to level up what they had originally laid down, but he stood firm on knowing he got it perfect the first time, “Do you, Mr. Eminem, because I already know how you get down. And still ain’t going to change my verse.”
Beyond the Eminem collab, 2 Chainz has been busy elsewhere. He recently dropped Life is Beautiful, a joint album with The Alchemist and Larry June, and revealed plans to release another project with Statik Selektah before the year ends. He also opened up during his “Club Shay Shay” sit-down about marriage and loyalty, explaining how staying grounded in his relationship with wife Kesha Ward keeps him centered amid industry chaos. “I’ve seen what outside looks like. [But there’s] just something about having that stability and that loyalty... You can’t find that everywhere,” he said. “People would probably just assume that I was just going to throw it all away. I just couldn’t wait to prove people wrong. I got control over Deebo,” he continued, referencing his ability to resist temptation despite his fame.