2 Chainz Announces Departure from Def Jam, Goes Independent

2 Chainz used an interesting reference nodding to his NBA BFF LeBron James while announcing his latest career move.

On Monday (October 14), the Atlanta rap veteran took to his Instagram and dropped the bombshell, revealing he’s officially leaving Def Jam and going independent. Filming from Abu Dhabi while getting a few shots up on the NBA court where a few pre-season games have been played, 2 Chainz revealed that he’s ready to take on the music industry as a free agent.

“What up Trap check?,” 2 Chainz said in part. “Check. One, two. It’s your hostess with the most right now. Starting last week, I’m now an independent artist. That’s right. I’m not re-signing with Def Jam.”

2 Chainz then compared his status as an independent artist to the high-stakes free agency deals seen in the NBA by likening his situation to that of NBA superstars such as James and Kevin Durant.

“So think of it like KD or like LeBron, the biggest free agent in the game,” he said.

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Seemingly making his desire to field the most lucrative offers available, Big Toni confidently teased his willingness to hear out record labels who might have interest in signing him to the rap game equivalent of a “supermax” contract.

“Better come on to these folks talking about that good oil money down here,” he said. “You better come on with your bag, Jake.”

When looking at the big picture, this is a major development in 2 Chainz career, and is certainly a moment in the industry, given his illustrious run thus far. 2 Chainz was signed to Def Jam for over a decade, beginning his solo career with the label in 2012. During his time there, he released six studio albums, starting with Based On A T.R.U. Story (BOATS) in 2012 and ending with Dope Don’t Sell Itself in 2022. It’s also worth noting that he and Lil Wayne’s collaborative project Welcome 2 Collegrove was released under Def Jam last year, as well.

It makes sense 2 Chainz referenced the NBA world in his announcement that he’s now an independent artist. For starters, he has maintained a close friendship with James over the years, even enlisting the NBA legend as an executive producer for his 2019 album Rap or Go to the League. On top of that, when Durant and James last hit free agency, they both signed lucrative supermax contracts, but the terms and financial impacts of their deals differed due to timing and team strategies.

Bron’s most recent supermax contract came in 2018 when he signed a four-year, $153.3 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. On the other hand, Kevin Durant’s most recent supermax signing occurred in 2019 when he joined the Brooklyn Nets on a four-year, $164.3 million deal as part of a sign-and-trade agreement with the Golden State Warriors.