Based On A T.R.U. Story

2 Chainz has returned fun hip-hop with a razor sharp wit to the mainstream, and we’re all the better for it.

As it stands, it’s a fun play for 2 Chainz fans, but due to the redundancy for the first half of the LP (which could be due to its sequencing), it suffers.

The claim "Every line is so dope, you can snort it" is an oversell, but 2 Chainz over-promises and almost delivers on his official debut, putting him right in the punch-line rapper's sweet spot.

His commercial solo debut is packed with A-list cameos and producers, but 2 Chainz commands the spotlight – rapping about success and sex with the irrepressible enthusiasm of the upstart he isn’t.

2 Chainz is only truly comfortable with being a star, it seems, if there are other names on the marquee.

Based on a T.R.U. Story didn’t have much chance of living up to its hype, and for that I have to give it credit for coming so surprisingly close to most folks’ expectations.

T.R.U. Story ... contains few surprises, and one less once you realize that its own opening line — “Cut the top off, call it Amber Rose” — isn’t threatening decapitation.

With his debut album he's revealed himself as bare and buffoonish.

Based on a T.R.U. Story is not 2 Chainz's first solo project. Far from it. But its no strech to hope someone in his position has more to say on their introduction to a broader audience.

Mainly, it’s good for some frivolous fun.

The problem is that the hints of personality underneath the braggadocio overflowing on “Based on a T.R.U. Story” exist as faint flickers, pointing to a storytelling skill that has yet to be given the spotlight.

It's hard to avoid the feeling, particularly on his debut LP, that 2 Chainz is only able to fill those shoes by sheer force of will, rather than anything resembling artistic inspiration. 

The album perhaps best serves as a warning that not everyone can make the transition from pinch hitter to bona-fide star.

On his full-length debut, 2 Chainz embraces a popular, trunk-knocking, and Southern sound, but doesn't supply much in the way of lyrics, personality, or entertainment.