Dope Don't Sell Itself
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''Dope Don't Sell Itself'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper
2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (formerly Tity Boi), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Ci ...
. It was released through
Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...
on February 4, 2022. The album features guest appearances from
Moneybagg Yo DeMario DeWayne White Jr. (born September 22, 1991), known professionally as Moneybagg Yo, is an American rapper known for his melodic trap and Southern hip hop music style. White signed with fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label, ...
, BeatKing,
Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...
,
Roddy Ricch Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr. (born October 22, 1998), known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Compton, California, Moore rose to fame in 2018 following the release of his song "Die Young ...
,
42 Dugg Dion Marquise Hayes (born November 25, 1994), known professionally as 42 Dugg, is an American rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He signed with Yo Gotti and Lil Baby's respective labels, Collective Music Group (CMG) and Glass Windo ...
,
YoungBoy Never Broke Again Kentrell DeSean Gaulden (born October 20, 1999), known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, is an American rapper. From Louisiana, United States, Gaulden released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional foll ...
,
Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...
, Sleepy Rose,
Swae Lee Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown (born June 7, 1993), known professionally as Swae Lee, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Known for his wide vocal range and genre-bending, Lee first saw mainstream recognition as one half of the Mississ ...
, Stove God Cooks, Symba, Major Myjah, and Jacquees.


Background and promotion

On July 17, 2021, 2 Chainz took to social media to announce that his next project would serve as his last trap album. He revealed the release date on January 21, 2022. He then revealed the cover art through social media on January 25, 2022. The tracklist was revealed through the CD pre-order on his website two days later, on January 27, 2022. 2 Chainz explained that the cover art of the album refers to his "first bank account".


Singles

The album's lead single, "Million Dollars Worth of Game", which features American rapper
42 Dugg Dion Marquise Hayes (born November 25, 1994), known professionally as 42 Dugg, is an American rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He signed with Yo Gotti and Lil Baby's respective labels, Collective Music Group (CMG) and Glass Windo ...
, was released on January 7, 2022. The second single, "Pop Music", which features American rappers
Moneybagg Yo DeMario DeWayne White Jr. (born September 22, 1991), known professionally as Moneybagg Yo, is an American rapper known for his melodic trap and Southern hip hop music style. White signed with fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label, ...
and BeatKing, was released on January 21, 2022.


Critical reception

''Dope Don't Sell Itself'' received mixed reviews from critics. Writing for '' Clash'', Robin Murray felt that "seven albums deep, 2 Chainz has long perfected his brand" and "'Dope Don't Sell Itself' is, he says, his 'last trap album' and while it's a punchy farewell to that style, it's often slight, and occasionally shallow". Antoine-Samuel Mauffette Alavo of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' wrote that, with the album, "he proves that his relevance remains undeniable" and "his signature voice and raunchy style, matched with his expert-level beat selection, allow for his versatility to shine through, while his legend status nets him refreshing featured guests who never overshadow Chainz", adding, "loosely narrated with scripted hustler talk, the album's 12 tracks are held together by 2 Chainz's aura and voice more so than by melodic progression" and "while ''Dope Don't Sell Itself'' does not inspire immediate playback like Chainz's last outing, ''
So Help Me God! ''So Help Me God!'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper 2 Chainz. It was released on November 13, 2020, through T.R.U and Def Jam Recordings. It features guest appearances from Brent Faiyaz, Chief Keef, Kanye West, Kevin Gates, Lil Duv ...
'', and doesn't contain the breakout hits of 2017's acclaimed '' Pretty Girls Like Trap Music'', it is a testament to the rapper's longevity and his vital role in ATL's shifting scene as a gravitational figure for all to aspire to become." ''
HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of Hip hop music, hip hop music criticism and news. ''HipHopDX'' has over 3.5M monthly readers, the website encompassing hip hop news, interviews, music, and reviews. The website's founder and CEO is Sharath C ...
''s Armon Sandler wrote that the album "finds the Drenchgod at an identity-bound impasse" as "he mostly abandons his message-driven endeavor and tries desperately to revert back to why he's beloved: booming production, humorous bars galore and an affinity for connecting with younger stars no matter how much the sound of rap has changed", adding that "in attempting to recreate his peak, he offers some familiar flows but mostly unimpressive lyrics that lean more toward grown-up nursery rhymes than his catchy, skillful couplets of days past", "but this album probably won't get a re-evaluation like his past work; his attempt to dial it back displays the colorful and zany bars that once captured ears are long gone". Writing for ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'', Jackson Howard felt that ''Dope Don't Sell Itself'' is 2 Chainz's first album that "feels predictable" and as "a brisk 12 songs, it plays more like a mixtape of throwaways, a collection of forgettable, though occasionally great, bangers with of-the-moment features and total disregard for cohesion or risk", adding that "the songs here are serviceable, thanks to 2 Chainz's ear and charisma. But they're more like templates than novel creations, far from his days of sampling
Hall & Oates Daryl Hall & John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1970. Daryl Hall was generally the lead vocalist, while John Oates primarily supplied electric guitar and ba ...
or trading verses with
Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...
over a
Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
beat seemingly constructed from cutlery and trash cans". Jayson Buford of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' opined that the album is "actually an attempt at a return to form" rather than being declared as 2 Chainz's last trap album and "this record isn't the return to form that it aims to be, but Chainz is back in his element here".


Track listing


Charts


References

{{Authority control 2022 albums 2 Chainz albums