Grammy-award winning artist 2 Chainz is a rapper and songwriter from College Park, Georgia. Best known for his hit singles “I’m Different” and “The Birthday Song,” as well as other chart-topping collaborations, he’s produced seven studio albums and worked with artists like Lil Wayne, Chance the Rapper, Ye, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar.
In March, he became a New York Times bestselling author with the release of his autobiography, The Voice in My Head is God. The book reflects on defining moments in 2 Chainz’s life when he learned to listen to his intuition and lean on his faith.
His co-author was none other than UWM English Professor Derrick Harriell.
For two years, Harriell, himself an award-winning writer and musician with a background in hip-hop, flew to 2 Chainz’s Atlanta studio twice a month to assist with the book. Harriell sat down with the UWM College of Letters & Science to reflect on his experience working with the famous rapper.
Congratulations on becoming a New York Times bestselling co-author! Can you give us an overview of the book?
The first chapter is called “Shoot Them in the Stomach and Let God Decide.” I like (media) that jumps it off, and I like the fact that we did it like that. … That’s one of the things that we talked about and one of things that was important to him. “Okay, we’re going to start (where) I’m in college, I’m in a bad situation, and this is how I’m going to relate to the reader. This is one of the first times my intuition really was kicking in, trying to tell me how to navigate this bad situation.” Then every chapter from there is … more of an emotional experience. The stories are connected, but the chapters are very, very distinct stories. Each chapter can almost be like a mini memoir in themselves.
How did you come to work with 2 Chainz to write this book?
It was summer 2023, and I received an email from Dupree Miller & Associates (literary agency), saying, “Hey, we’re working with a pretty famous southern rapper. You came highly recommended and we’re wondering if you’d like to help him with this book.”
I thought it was spam! I’m thinking this has to be a joke. Then I thought at some point – what if it isn’t spam? They left a number to call back. They said, “We are working with a rapper. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. His name is 2 Chainz. Would you be interested?”
Ironically, I had just been listening to his new album that week. I said, “Are you kidding me? 2 Chainz?”
What made you decide you were a good fit to work with each other?
For me, it was the vision of the project … that this was not going to be your stereotypical rags-to-riches story. One of the things Chainz always says is, “I’m not trying to out-trauma anyone. We all have our traumas and our struggles.” He was like, “I don’t want a chronology that talks about a linear narrative. I want to jump around a little bit, and I want to talk about the ways in which my spirituality and my faith and my intuition have been the underpinnings of what’s guided me to live the life that I want to live.”
The way I read it through Chainz’s lens, that I could be a good fit for him, I think was my engagement in our conversation. Also, I think (it was) us coming from comparable environments, right? I was born on the northside of Milwaukee, between 45th and 46th on Center. I experienced a lot of the metropolitan, inner-city, marginalized, traumatic experiences growing up. I think him and I could relate on many levels.
Be honest – were you a little starstruck when you met him?
I was, absolutely. … The first time I flew out, it was super late. I’m in the studio in College Park, and it’s like neon lights and the vibes are high, and he’s sitting there, and yeah, I was a little struck. But it took about all of an hour to understand that we got work to do.
What does it take to be a successful co-author?
The first thing that I wanted to make sure that I understood is that it’s 2 Chainz’s book. These are his words; these are his stories. I’m just bringing my creative talents to the situation. What makes a good co-author is when you’re really invested in the person, when you’re not seeing it as a job but a collaborative artistic endeavor. I’m super proud of having played that (co-author) role.
Sometimes I would have visits, and we wouldn’t talk a lot about the project. We would just talk as men, about families or about sports. By the time we were really into the guts of the project, I felt like I had a firm understanding of who 2 Chainz is as a man and what’s important to him, and that made the writing process much easier.
What was your reaction to finding out the book was on the NYT bestseller list?
When it hit the New York Times bestsellers website, my kid was at tutoring and I was having a glass of wine at a little restaurant right down the street from where he goes to tutor. Once it became official, my wine tasted much better.
I think the thing that I’ve been relaying when I talk about my participation in the book is that it wasn’t an easy journey. … I was reminding (people) that this was a labor of love. This was a lot of plane rides. I almost missed my flight too many times to name. There were hard writing moments where we’re trying to figure out how to do this chapter, how to connect this, how to make sure this is a uniquely 2 Chainz project. When it hit the New York Times bestseller list, it’s like, man, everything came together and it paid off, and it’s a beautiful project, and it’s being celebrated as such.
Is there a part of the book really stands out to you?
The chapter is called “God is Love,” and it’s the chapter about his father and his father’s passing. That was a very emotional chapter to work on, to experience. Something that emotionally heavy and weighty moves beyond mere storytelling. I don’t want to give too much away … but if you read it closely, there’s a lot of beauty in the way that story unfolded and the way that it’s rendered in the book.
Now that you have one collaboration with a famous rapper to your name, who would you want to work with in the future?
It seems easy to go rapper again, but I’m going to go rapper again. I would love to work with the rapper T.I. I think he has an interesting narrative that I just hear through his interviews. I think he’s an incredible actor, and if you really listen to his music, he has a lot of stories to tell.
By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science