SOUNDTRACK: 2 CHAINZ-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #170 (February 17, 2021).
I’ve never heard of 2 Chainz, but I love that his Tiny Desk comes from Pamper Atlanta–his nail salon!
He’s a pretty fascinating dude
Colored in royalty, neon hues of lavender, fuchsia and violet, in his high-end nail studio Pamper (yes, he owns it, and he’s not shy about letting you know), 2 Chainz is feeling himself throughout his five-song set. Getting a champagne-soaked pedicure, rolling one and periodically shouting out his sixth and latest studio album, So Help Me God!, the rapper exudes Black excellence in the way of luxurious comfortability.
“Southside HOV” is a fascinating brag track with lines like
I’m from the gutter, diamonds studded, I am too for real
Name another rapper that got a Versace shoe deal
His unbridled braggadocio so clearly comes from the freedom of security after being denied opportunities, not just individually but generationally.
He ends the song with a statement to the little ones: “Listen carefully, this is a grown man speaking to you … pedicure in this bitch. too.”
“Vampire” is another new song that he casually raps while getting his legs massaged.
Then the set jumps to another room with 2 Chainz sitting in the spotlight as his partially obscured band plays.
He rewinds the clock and samples [his] stacked discography (“Good Drank,” “I’m Different”)
“Good Drank” has a grooving bass line from Tyler Sherard with some cool soloing from Josh Sneed. “I’m Different” opens with a quiet piano melody from Mark Polynice–it’s almost like a horror movie. Most of the songs have a chill rap style, but in the middle of this one he really lets it fly for a verse–rather impressive. There’s some great drumming from Alex Turner on this track too.
The set ends with “Grey Area” and good grief with these lyrics, so much for inspirational).
All this sh- that I have done, I can not believe in karma (yeah)
Old enough to be your Daddy
Young enough to f- your Mama (boom, boom, boom!)
Young enough to f- your sister, young enough to f- your auntie
I ain’t messing with your Grannie, I just juuged her out them Xannies (true!)
It’s surprising then, that he gets all thoughtful at the end of the set. As Polynice plays some backing chords, 2 Chainz says “Let me inspire.”
“There are a lot of people who have been moving the needle forward for Black people. And they have been for some time,” says an earnest, almost plaintive 2 Chainz. In a heart-filled sermon, he cites Martin Luther King Jr., Tyler Perry and Puffy as trailblazers, practicing gratitude for Black leaders who inspire him and the world at large. It’s a sober moment of euphoria — and a drastic shift from the first 17 minutes of the Grammy winner’s flashy Tiny Desk.
When thinking of inspirations he thinks of Martin Luther King, Jr. “I played from M.L.K.” he says (this must be metaphorical since King died almost ten years before Chainz was born). Then when asked to name names of black people “who are currently like breathing and accessible in entertainment and tech” he says there’s so many who have inspired him he really can’t think of any names, even though there are so many black billionaires … “their names logged in my phone.”
The jump from M.L.K. to Tyler Perry may be the only time that connection was ever made. But at the end he admits
I wasn’t specific when answering the question. I just said what my heart told me to say.
But damn, if Pamper Atlanta doesn’t look really nice.
[READ: March 31, 2021] Klawde: Evil Alien Cat 3
While I enjoyed Book 2, I thought that Book 3 was a bit more fun.
Because it has dogs!
Raj’s parents are heading to Hawaii for a dental conference (Raj’s dad is a dentist, which you know because he is wearing a “plaque is wack” shirt. Dad said it was work, but Raj was pretty jealous. He wasn’t allowed to go because he was in school. And that could mean only one thing: his ajji (grandma) was going to come stay with him. Ajji was old-school Indian and brought three suitcases worth of cooking supplies. And a dog.
Ajji doesn’t have a dog, but she was foster sitting this fluffy creature named Wuffles and brought it with her. Since Wuffles needed a seat, Raj’s appi (grandfather) had to stay home!
Obviously Klawde is not happy to see that the “mortal enemy of all felines” was going to stay with them (the drawing of Wuffles on the “mortal enemies” page is hilariously adorable. As Klawde sneaked up to get a better look, Wuffles exploded, snarling and barking right in Klawde’s face.
Klawde surveys the creature from atop the fridge: It has the good sense to walk on four legs and has proper anatomical parts: fur, tail, whiskers and claws. But the whiskers were short (and couldn’t possibly be intergalactic sensors) and the ears were flopped over–clearly broken. (more…)
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SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
