ColleGrove

ColleGrove is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist 2 Chainz. It was released on March 4, 2016, by Def Jam Recordings. The album is a collaborative effort between him and fellow American rapper Lil Wayne, but due to the latter's record label issues, only 2 Chainz was credited as the primary artist.

ColleGrove
Studio album by 2 Chainz
Released	March 4, 2016 (2016-03-04)
Recorded	2015–2016
Studio	TRU Motivation Studio (Davie, Florida) Deuce Station (Atlanta, Georgia) Hit Factory Criteria (Miami, Florida) KY's Bedroom (Atlanta, Georgia) Street Execs Studios (Atlanta, Georgia) Just Us Studios (Los Angeles, California) 2-17 Studios (Atlanta, Georgia) NightBird Recording Studios (West Hollywood, California)
Genre	Hip hop trap^[1]
Length	47:32
Label	Def Jam
Producer	Ben Billions Bobby Kritical FKi Honorable C.N.O.T.E. Mike Dean Frank Dukes Infamous Mike Will Made It The Mad Violinist TM88 Zaytoven Lil' C Metro Boomin T@ London on da Track Southside Reignman Rich Mannie Fresh Mr. 2-17
2 Chainz chronology
Trap-A-Velli Tre (2015) ColleGrove (2016) Daniel Son; Necklace Don (2016)
Lil Wayne chronology
No Ceilings 2 (2015) ColleGrove (2016) T-Wayne (2017)

The album includes production from several high-profile record producers; such as Southside, Mike Will Made It, TM88, Infamous, Zaytoven, Lil' C, Metro Boomin, Ben Billions and London on da Track, among others. ColleGrove received generally positive reviews from critics and it debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart. A sequel, Welcome 2 ColleGrove was announced and was released on November 17, 2023.^[2][3]

Background

ColleGrove was initially a duet album between Southern hip hop recording artists 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, however, because of Wayne's label issues, which had prevented him from releasing collaborative efforts in the past, such as I Can't Feel My Face with Juelz Santana, Best of Young Worlds with Lloyd, He Rap, He Sing with T-Pain and more, this album does not credit Wayne as a primary artist.^[4] Although it could not be released in conjunction with their respective record labels, 2 Chainz took it upon himself to release the album as his latest solo project through Def Jam Recordings. Instead, Wayne appeared as a "featured artist", courtesy of Cash Money Records, which meant that the project would not count towards Wayne's contractual obligation with Cash Money Records.^[5] 2 Chainz would later refer to this album in several interviews as a "tribute" to Lil Wayne.

The album's title is a portmanteau of 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne's respective hometowns. 2 Chainz is from College Park, Georgia, while Wayne hails from Hollygrove, a neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[6] On December 28, 2015, in an interview with Forbes, 2 Chainz spoke on album, saying "As far as the ColleGrove project, I really feel like the music is tight and accessible. Wayne has always been one of my favorite rappers. We’re just doing some mixing and trying to grind up. Just know that ColleGrove is coming very soon, and it’s going to be filled with entertainment bars, great sounds, great vibes."^[7]

Release and promotion

In 2013, it was first rumored that both Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz released their single, titled "Twerk Season".^[8] In November 2015, 2 Chainz revealed that he was working on a collaborative album with New Orleans-bred rapper Lil Wayne, on the Rap Radar podcast. "I've got ColleGrove, that I'm working on", he said at the time. "That's the me and Wayne project. That will be out, probably sooner than people think."^[9][10] In December 2015, 2 Chainz and the Street Execs were hosting their sixth annual Street Execs Charity Concert, to give back to the community, where 2 Chainz previewed one of the songs from the album.^[7] On February 21, 2016, there was some indication about Mannie Fresh played a role for this album. On his Instagram account, he posted a mock cover and some pictures with himself and Lil Wayne over the few weeks preceding the album's release.^[11] On February 15, 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne performed the first song, "Rolls Royce Weather Everyday" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.^[9] The preview for the music video, which was shot in Los Angeles, California, was released via YouTube.^[12] On February 20, according to Complex, Mack Maine said that the CDQ version on the song was going to be released soon.^[13]

On March 2, 2016, Kanye West revealed the album's artwork and the release date, via Twitter.^[14] On March 3, the song, titled "Gotta Lotta" was premiered by Zane Lowe on Beats 1.^[15] On the same day, 2 Chainz tweeted that the album would be released on midnight. Earlier that day, DJ Khaled played some snippets of one of the songs on the album on Snapchat, but only played Wayne's verse.^[16] Later that night, 2 Chainz streamed the album on "ColleGrove Radio" on Beats 1 with DJ Drama, DJ E-Sudd, DJ Self and Mannie Fresh.^[17] He and Lil Wayne revealed a teaser for the music video of "Bounce" that same day^[18] and the official video was released the next day.^[19] Shooting for two songs, "Gotta Lotta" and "MFN Right" have been shot and produced by Street Execs' new production company #WeHardProductions.^[20]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	66/100^[21]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Exclaim!	6/10^[22]
HipHopDX	3.8/5^[23]
Pretty Much Amazing	C^[24]
Pitchfork	6.8/10^[25]
Rolling Stone	^[26]
Spin	7/10^[27]
XXL	3/5 (L)^[28]

ColleGrove has received generally positive reviews from music critics. The New York Times spoke on Wayne's involvement on the project "His best verses here are his most spirited rapping in at least two years. Consider the context, though. "Collegrove" isn't even a full collaborative album, but a 2 Chainz album on which he plays sidekick. (There it is in the credits: "Lil Wayne appears courtesy of Cash Money Records Inc.") 2 Chainz is an ornery rapper, occasionally stumbling into vivid word clouds. Every time he heads in an unexpected direction here, Lil Wayne seems eager to step up to the challenge. Even his throwaway lines — "Asinine/ I get blow like dandelions" — have the eyebrow-arching zing of his prime. Maybe some time away from the spotlight has calmed him. Maybe the seeming détente in his relationship with Baby has freed him. Or maybe appearing on someone else's album, rather than his own, has allowed him to be loose once more."^[29]

Patrick Lyons of HotNewHipHop described it as 'A trap buddy comedy' and Trevor Smith said, "Throughout his many memorable features, 2 Chainz has generally been recruited as the wild card, but on "Collegrove," he's the straight man, keeping the project together with his reliable ear for beats and earworm-driven songwriting. Meanwhile, Wayne plays the Ghostface to Chainz' Raekwon, bringing an unpredictable and unmatched energy to each of his appearances, but with just enough restraint to keep him on the same page as his collaborator. Not every punch lands directly, but when the two rappers find the sweet spot of their compatibility (the punchline one-upmanship of "Bounce" or the perfect ad-lib dynamic of "Blue C-Note") it brings out the best of both artists. Both Wayne and Chainz have been known to giggle at their own wordplay, and anytime the pure unfiltered joy they find in rapping is audible on the album, everyone wins." awarding the album 79/100.^[1]

Stereogum awarded the album Album of the Week.^[30]

Commercial performance

ColleGrove debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200, earning 53,000 album-equivalent units (including 34,000 copies as pure album sales) in its first week.^[31] This became 2 Chainz's third US top-ten debut.^[31]

Track listing

Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Dedication"	Tauheed Epps Joshua Luellen Michael Dean	Southside Dean^[a]	4:59
2.	"Smell Like Money" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Epps Dwayne Carter, Jr. Carlton Mays, Jr.	Honorable C.N.O.T.E.	4:50
3.	"Bounce" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Epps Carter, Jr. Marco Rodriguez-Diaz Terry Bourgeois	Infamous T@	4:16
4.	"Gotta Lotta" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Epps Carter, Jr. Byron Thomas John Larkin Antonio Catania	Mannie Fresh	3:36
5.	"MFN Right"	Epps Michael Williams Xavier Dotson	Mike Will Made It Zaytoven	3:25
6.	"Blue C-Note" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Epps Carter, Jr. Nosakhere Andrews	Mr. 2-17	2:51
7.	"Not Invited"	Epps Bryan Simmons Richaud Daughtry Robert Walker	TM88 Reignman Rich	3:17
8.	"Bentley Truck" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Epps Carter, Jr. Leland Wayne Adam Feeney	Metro Boomin Frank Dukes	4:39
9.	"100 Joints"	Epps Bobby Turner	Bobby Kritical	3:39
10.	"Rolls Royce Weather Everyday" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Epps Carter, Jr. Darwin Quinn Ashanti Floyd Earl Conyers Gabriel Arillo	Lil' C The Mad Violinist^[a]	3:07
11.	"What Happened" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Epps Carter, Jr. Benjamin Diehl Khaled Khaled Angus McDonald	Ben Billions	4:58
12.	"Section" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Epps Carter, Jr. London Holmes	London on da Track	3:55
Total length:				47:32

iTunes deluxe edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Watch Out"	Epps Trocon Roberts	FKi	3:27
Total length:				50:59

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• "MFN Right" and "Not Invited" were initially included on 2 Chainz' mixtape Felt Like Cappin^[32]
• "Watch Out" was initially included on 2 Chainz' mixtape Trapavelli Tre^[33]

Sample credits^[34]

• "Gotta Lotta" contains interpolations from "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)", written by John Larkin and Antonio Catania.
• "Rolls Royce Weather Everyday" contains interpolations from the "Big Dawg", written by Earl Conyers, Tauheed Epps, Gabriel Arillo and Dwayne Carter, Jr.
• "What Happened" contains a sample of "I Love It (Acoustic Version)" performed by Sneaky Sound System.

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for ColleGrove Chart (2016) Peak position Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[35] 20 US Billboard 200^[36] 4 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[37] 2

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for ColleGrove Chart (2016) Position US Billboard 200^[38] 174 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[39] 39

Release history

Release history for ColleGrove

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	March 4, 2016	Digital download	Def Jam	^[40]
	March 25, 2016	CD		^[41]

References

1. Lyons, Patrick (8 March 2016). "Review: 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne's "ColleGrove"". HotNewHipHop.
2. "2 Chainz Says 'ColleGrove 2' with Lil Wayne Is Dropping This Year". Rap-Up. March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
3. Lindert, Hattie (October 20, 2023). "2 Chainz and Lil Wayne Announce Album Welcome 2 ColleGrove, Share New Song "Presha": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
4. HipHopDX (9 December 2015). "No Ceilings: 5 Lil Wayne Collaborative Albums We'll Never See". HipHopDX.
5. "2 Chainz & Lil Wayne "Collegrove" Album Stream / Download". DDotOmen. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
6. Hernandez, Victoria (2016-02-16). "2 Chainz & Lil Wayne To Preview "ColleGrove" On "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
7. Langhorne, Cyrus (2015-12-28). "2 CHAINZ PROMISES LIL WAYNE "COLLIGROVE" ALBUM'l'S "COMING VERY SOON"". SOHH. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
8. Mousdell, Daniel (2015-11-12). "2 Chainz Says He Got The "Double Cup" Trend From Lil Wayne, Announces "Collegrove" Joint Project With Wayne". LilWayneHQ.com. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
9. Platon, Adelle (2016-02-16). "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Debut 'Collegrove' Cut 'Rolls Royce Weather Everyday' on Tonight Show". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
10. Goddard, Kevin (2015-11-12). "2 Chainz Announces Next Solo Album & Joint Project With Lil Wayne". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
11. Smith, Trevor (2016-02-21). "Mannie Fresh Has Been Dropping Hints About Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz' "ColleGrove" Project". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
12. Goddard, Kevin (2016-02-11). "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz To Perform First Single Off "Collegrove" Next Week On Jimmy Fallon". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
13. Diep, Eric (2016-02-20). "Is This the Artwork to Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz' 'ColleGrove' Project?". Complex.com. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
14. Low, Carver (2016-03-02). "Kanye Tweets Album Art & Release Date For 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne's "ColleGrove"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
15. Walker, Angus (2016-03-03). "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz - Gotta Lotta [New Song]". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
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19. "Video: 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne – 'Bounce'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
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22. "2 Chainz & Lil Wayne Collegrove". exclaim.ca.
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24. "Review: 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne's ColleGrove".
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26. Weingarten, Christopher R. (4 March 2016). "2 Chainz & Lil Wayne 'Collegrove' Album Review". Rolling Stone.
27. "Review: 2 Chainz, 'ColleGrove'". 11 March 2016.
28. "2 Chainz and Lil Wayne Both Dazzle and Disappoint on 'ColleGrove' - XXL". XXL Mag.
29. "Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne Each Sidestep the Traditional Album Cycle". The New York Times. 7 March 2016.
30. "Album Of The Week: 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne ColleGrove". Stereogum.
31. Caulfield, Keith (March 13, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar's Surprise 'Untitled' Album Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
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34. "Collegrove credits - 2 Chainz".
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39. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
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