Based on a T.R.U. Story

Untitled

Based on a T.R.U. Story is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist 2 Chainz, released through Def Jam Recordings (Universal Music Group) on August 14, 2012.

The album features guest appearances from fellow rappers Lil Wayne, Drake, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Playaz Circle cohort Dolla Boy along with singer-songwriters The-Dream, Mike Posner, The Weeknd and Chris Brown. The album's production was handled by Brick Squad Monopoly's Joshua "Southsie" Luellen, Mike Will, Sonny Digital, Kanye West, Hit-Boy, Drumma Boy, DJ Mustard, Mr. Bangladesh, DJ Spinz, among others.

Background

2 Chainz began releasing solo material in 2007, while still in Playaz Circle with Dolla Boy, liberating a mixtape that year titled Me Against the World!, during the time, under his former stage name Tity Boi. It wasn't until early 2011, when he changed his moniker to 2 Chainz, as he perceived it to be more "family friendly", that his career began to take off. Following his name change, 2 Chainz released a mixtape titled T.R.U. REALigon (2011), the mixtape became his first solo full-length project to appear on a music chart, peaking at number 58 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. He has also made numerous guest appearances on songs by acclaimed recording artists since the name change, including the commercially successful singles "Mercy" by Kanye West and "Beez in the Trap" by Nicki Minaj.

The album was originally set to be titled T.R.U. 2 My REALigion, as he revealed to AllHipHop at his sold-out show in New York City's live music venue SOB's, on January 30, 2012. On March 15, 2012, it was revealed while in Austin, Texas for SXSW, 2 Chainz announced that his Def Jam debut would no longer be titled T.R.U. 2 My REALigion. Instead, during an interview with FUSE, the Playaz Circle member announced a new title for his LP: "I recently changed the album and the new title of my album is Based on a T.R.U. Story."

Release and promotion

2 Chainz announced on March 24, via his Twitter feed, that the album would be released on August 14, 2012. On July 17, 2012, the album's deluxe edition cover art was unveiled. On July 24, 2 Chainz announced a that he would embark on a tour following the album's release, that would begin August 30 at Norfolk, Virginia's The Norva and concludes on September 27 at Austin, Texas' La Zona Rosa. The album was leaked on August 8, 2012.

Singles

The album's lead single, "No Lie" premiered on May 1, and was released to iTunes on May 8, 2012. The song features vocals from Canadian recording artist Drake and was produced by Mike Will. It was sent to Urban radio on May 15, 2012. The single's music video, directed by Director X, was released June 21, 2012. The album's second single, "Birthday Song" featuring Kanye West, was released on July 24, 2012. It officially impacted Urban radio on August 7, 2012. The album's third single will be, "I Luv Dem Strippers" featuring Nicki Minaj. The single's music video was released on August 12, 2012 on MTV Jams. The album's next single will be "Crack", produced by Brick Squad's Southside, brother of producer Lex Luger.

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Pitchfork	4.5/10
Rolling Stone

The album was met with mixed reviews, earning a score of 55 on metacritic.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 147,000 copies in its first week. As of September 2, 2012, the album has sold 224,000 copies.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Yuck!" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Tauheed Epps, Dwayne Carter, Jr., Nicholas Warwar, Matthew Burnett	StreetRunner, Matthew Burnett	4:47
2.	"Crack"	Epps, Joshua Luellen	Southside	4:32
3.	"Dope Peddler"	Epps, Shondrae Crawford	Bangladesh	3:28
4.	"No Lie" (featuring Drake)	Epps, Aubrey Graham, Noah Shebib	Mike Will, Marz (co.), Noah "40" Shebib (Drake vocals)	3:57
5.	"Birthday Song" (featuring Kanye West)	Epps, Kanye West, Mike Dean	Sonny Digital, Kanye West (co.), B Wheezy (co.), Anthony Kilhoffer (add.), Lifted (add.), Mike Dean (add.)	5:06
6.	"I’m Different"	Epps, Dijon McFarlane	DJ Mustard	3:27
7.	"Extremely Blessed" (featuring The-Dream)	Epps, Terius Nash	The-Dream	4:05
8.	"I Luv Dem Strippers" (featuring Nicki Minaj)	Tauheed Epps, Onika Maraj, Brandon Henshaw, Ray Parker Jr., Rico Brooks, Travis McFetridge	YoungStarr Beatz, Marvel Hitz, Megatron Holdings	3:59
9.	"Stop Me Now" (featuring Dolla Boy)	Epps, Earl Coyners, Maurice Jordan	Kenoe, Got Koke	4:37
10.	"Money Machine"	Epps, Christopher Gholson	Drumma Boy	4:43
11.	"In Town" (featuring Mike Posner)	Epps, Michael Posner, Ronnie Jackson	Mike Posner, Lil' Ronnie	3:26
12.	"Ghetto Dreams" (featuring Scarface & John Legend)	Epps, Brad Jordan, John Stephens, Carlos Broady	Carlos "6 July" Broady	3:43
13.	"Wut We Doin?" (featuring Cap1)	Epps	Mike Will, Marz (co.)	4:25
Total length:				54:21

Deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Countdown" (featuring Chris Brown)	Epps, Christopher Brown	AC Burrell & G'harah "PK" Degeddingseze	3:51
15.	"Like Me" (featuring The Weeknd)	Epps, Abel Tesfaye	Million $ Mano	3:49
16.	"I Feel Good"	Epps	Don Cannon	2:21
17.	"Riot"	Epps	DJ Spinz	2:47
Total length:				1:07:12

Like Me contains samples of "The Birds (Part 1) song from the "Thursday" mixtape by The Weeknd

Charts

Chart (2012)	Peak position
UK R&B Albums	31
Canadian Albums Chart	7
US Billboard 200	1
US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	1
US Billboard Rap Albums	1

Release history

Regions	Dates	Format(s)	Label(s)	Edition(s)
Germany	August 13, 2012	CD, digital download	Universal Music	Standard
United Kingdom			Mercury	Standard, deluxe
Canada	August 14, 2012		Def Jam
United States
Japan	August 22, 2012		Universal Music
Philippines	August 27, 2012		MCA Music	Standard
Italy	August 28, 2012	CD	Def Jam	Standard, deluxe
France
Hungary	September 5, 2012	Digital download		Standard