About me and who I’m looking for: I like psychological thrillers, things that make you think. I’m not a shy person when it comes to introducing myself. I don’t mind being out—it’s a part of my job description—but I don’t want to be out with my date drinking and shit. I want my girl to go to work so she won’t be bored, but I’ll still be a provider because that’s what I’m here for. I’m very vigilant in the bedroom. Dudes want their toes curled as well as females. I’m a very spiritual person. I believe in nature vs. nurture—being raised by my parents and being raised by the ‘hood. I have money, but I’m not flashy, so women seem to get that vibe right away. It talks, but it doesn’t talk for me. I have my own voice.
With his song-stealing presence, A-Town trap star 2 Chainz has experienced an unusual career renaissance, and charmed his way into the winner’s circle. Now, can he find a little computer love?
Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz admits to a sex résumé that could rival a gigolo’s. He lost his virginity at age 12 (to a ninth grader named Veronica) and scored his first threesome two weeks later after a game of spin the bottle. “It’s hard to arouse me now because I’ve seen a lot,” says the 30-something bachelor. Naturally, he’s skeptical about soliciting single ladies today by creating a Match.com* profile. He hasn’t dated in years. “Confident women wouldn’t get someone off the Internet,” he gripes. “Usually, the dudes who were lame in high school are going wild as adults. I played basketball, got all the cheerleaders. I’m comfortable telling girls, ‘No.’”
Nowadays when the long-limbed shit-talker capers onstage, he could care less about scrapbooking groupies’ drawers. It’s a focused formula for a rapper who’s seen how easily opportunities can fizzle. High-octane passion raps about ’hood schemes and self-worth have earned 2 Chainz daps from the likes of Kanye West, T.I. (“Spend It Remix”) and Nicki Minaj (“Beez in the Trap”). And Drake snagged him for this summer’s Club Paradise tour. But before balling in the video for his sinister, trap-happy anthem “Spend It,” the artist once called Tity Boy was the star baller of North Clayton High School, where every test score was over a C. A juvie stint for selling cocaine and marijuana killed off his pro dreams. “Every time you get money it’s a rush,” he remembers. “I wouldn’t let my phone ring more than once. I was afraid the person would call another dealer.”
Despite his Devil-knocking past, when 2 Chainz fills out Match.com’s religion section, his halo fl ashes. “I want somebody with some type of faith, so she can pray with me,” he says of his preferred mate. “I had to invest in a lot straight out of my pocket. The only way you can do that is by having faith. Back then, I was praying for another chance.” Before his 2011 mixtape T.R.U. REALigion rebirthed his career, Tauheed Epps was on a seesaw as one-half of Playaz Circle, signed to Ludacris’ Disturbing tha Peace imprint. After a post-prison standstill, Chainz hit the jackpot with the Weezy-assisted “Duffle Bag Boys,” but struggled to connect a complementary single. Four years and nine solo mixtapes later, the sunglass junkie, whose Def Jam debut, Based on a T.R.U. Story, dropped August 14, has found love in a hopeful place. Digital romance, however, he’ll skip that. “We’re at a time where people only text how they feel. They’re too scared to be themselves in person,” says 2 Chainz. “That’s what makes people content with Match.com—we’re only showing what we want to show. It’s a little bit creepy.” —Tracy Garraud (@trayhova)