2 Chainz recently shared a behind-the-scenes story about working with Eminem, revealing a surprising studio rule during their collaboration—no smoking allowed. In a new interview on Club Shay Shay, the Atlanta rapper discussed his time recording with the Detroit legend on tracks like “Chloraseptic” and their latest collab, “Kyrie & Luka.”
“When I did work with Eminem, I couldn’t smoke in there. It was kinda funny,” 2 Chainz said. “It wasn’t Eminem himself—it was his people. Em was writing somewhere else, but they were really protective of him. They even put the speakers outside so I could listen to the beat.”
Studio Rules and a Chill Em
Chainz recalled working in Malibu, soaking up the sun while smoking outside the studio before heading in to record. But once inside the booth, things got awkward.
“I come back in to do my verse, I’m in the booth smoking, and I see Em out there like, ‘He’s here while I’m recording—that’s hard,’” Chainz said. “He’s about to come in and say something, but his people are like, ‘No, don’t go in there, he’s smoking.’ Em was just like, ‘Sit the fuck down, what do you think I’m about to do?’”
Despite the strict rules, 2 Chainz made it clear that Eminem wasn’t bothered at all—it was just his team being overly cautious.
Latest Collab: “Kyrie & Luka”
The pair recently reunited on “Kyrie & Luka”, produced by DJ Premier. The song pays tribute to NBA stars Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, and features a classic sample from Eric B. & Rakim’s “Move the Crowd.” The basketball-inspired lyrics include:
“Things are going left like Julius Randle… Just like Kyrie, I got this shit handled.”
What’s Next for 2 Chainz?
In addition to his Eminem collab, 2 Chainz has been keeping busy. He recently teamed up with Larry June and The Alchemist for their joint project “Life is Beautiful” and has also announced a collaborative album with Statik Selektah coming later this year.