(AllHipHop News) Def Jam recording artist 2 Chainz spoke with MTV’s Sway Calloway about some serious issues related to Hip Hop. The Georgia native addressed his choice to use dark-skinned models in his latest video for “Feds Watching” and the recent rash of apologies by rappers over lyrics some critics have considered offensive.
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Chainz admits that “Feds Watching” drew concern from executives at the label and Pharrell Williams, who is featured on the track, about certain lyrics on the song.
“Pharrell brought it up, and then the label brought it up,” said 2 Chainz. “Basically I said the word prosecutor. It’s almost a cuss word. You almost can’t say it, because this is a government official.”
He also says there are other lyrics on his new album B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time that he has had to question if they may be going too far. Particularly, one line where he says, “I blew myself up like a Unabomber.”
Chainz also makes the point that rappers have to constantly find a balance between their rights as an artist to free speech and possibly harming their connections to corporate interests with their controversial rhymes.
“One end, you want to talk about the first amendment, you want to talk about freedom of speech, but on the other end, everything is so delicate, you cannot say anything,” he added.
“When you’re just trying to be slightly creative and just try to use a metaphor in a different way that people can appreciate, maybe laugh about, it’s taken out of context the wrong way and you find yourself losing millions dollars out of the kind of deals that you have set-up.”
One area of free expression 2 Chainz has fully embraced is highlighting women of different complexions in his video. He says he purposely used dark skin women in the visuals for”Feds Watching.”
“We always get battered, us rappers, because we always talk about red girls, light-skinned girls,” said Chainz. “We’ve been brainwashed like little girls with baby dolls.”
Watch the full MTV interview and the video for “Feds Watching” below.
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