ColleGrove is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist 2 Chainz. It was released on March 4, 2016, by Def Jam Recordings. The album was originally a collaborative effort between 2 Chainz and fellow American rapper Lil Wayne, but due to his record label issues, only 2 Chainz was credited as the primary artist.

The album includes production from several high-profile record producers; such as Southside, Mike Will Made It, TM88, Infamous, Zaytoven, Lil’ C, Metro Boomin, Ben Billions and London on da Track, among others. ColleGrove received generally positive reviews from critics and it debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart. A sequel, ColleGrove 2 is set for release in 2021.

Background

ColleGrove was initially a duet album between Southern hip hop recording artists 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, however, because of Wayne’s label issues, which had prevented him from releasing collaborative efforts in the past, such as I Can’t Feel My Face with Juelz Santana, Best of Young Worlds with Lloyd, He Rap, He Sing with T-Pain and more, this album does not credit Wayne as a primary artist. Although it could not be released in conjunction with their respective record labels, 2 Chainz took it upon himself to release the album as his latest solo project through Def Jam Recordings. Instead, Wayne appeared as a “featured artist”, courtesy of Cash Money Records, which meant that the project would not count towards Wayne’s contractual obligation with Cash Money Records. 2 Chainz would later refer to this album in several interviews as a “tribute” to Lil Wayne.

The album’s title is a portmanteau of 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne’s respective hometowns. 2 Chainz is from College Park, Georgia, while Wayne hails from Hollygrove, a neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana. On December 28, 2015, in an interview with Forbes, 2 Chainz spoke on album, saying “As far as the ColleGrove project, I really feel like the music is tight and accessible. Wayne has always been one of my favorite rappers. We’re just doing some mixing and trying to grind up. Just know that ColleGrove is coming very soon, and it’s going to be filled with entertainment bars, great sounds, great vibes.”

Top Comments in Release Thread

It’s listed as 2 Chainz and only Def Jam, not Cash Money. Wayne is listed as a feature artist on each song. Looks like Wayne is still having trouble getting clearance from Cash Money/Birdman and this is a work around. I guess he’s allowed to do features.

“Call me trill cosby, I’ll spike my own beverage.”

I missed you Chainz

New Kendrick and this? What the fuck is going on tonight

What the fuck right now?

Inb4 Views drops and we all die

thought it was gonna be a collab album like what drake and future did? ain’t mad tho this is flames.

damn this sub really loves kendrick , fucking 2000 comments while this is at 200+ ,

Damn Wayne is sounding good so far

Top Comments in Pitchfork Review Thread

I didn’t think wayne was that bad on this at all. in fact, i thought this was the best wayne sounded in a long time. 2 Chainz brought it out in him, the beats were good to great, and 2 Chainz was entertaining as always. I agree though, about a 7/10. Nice contrast to the rest of the music that’s come out recently, and just in time for the weather to get warmer.

A couple things about this review.

1. Not sure reviewer knows that the hook to “Gotta Lotta” is basically an interpolation of “Scat Man”. If they did, wouldn’t have called it a “nursery rhyme hook” – would have referenced the actual source.

2. What the hell does “2 Chainz’s enviable respect for Wayne” mean? How is the respect one holds for somebody else enviable? That was just weird, and not sure the author really knows the meaning of the word “enviable”.

3. This Pitchfork review, imo, suffers from what a lot of rap reviews on the site do: the fact that the author doesn’t seem to know much about rap, or to actually like rap in general, other than the hot new thing. At least three times the author implies that saying kind of off the wall things is what is important. An example of phrases used to positively describe a rapper or their lines in the review:

“head scratching non sequitors” “freaky one liners” “zinger king” “outlandishness” “delirious”

I think it’s a pretty accurate score, still a bit inflated imo. It was an ok project, nothing interesting or memorable for me

Underrated Tity Boi/Wayne track: Real as They Come. Just got thrown on some mixtapes and out there as an internet loosie with no proper release.

you can predict these p4k scores before even clicking the link based on who they are reviewing.

RYM Review

Underrated Collab Album
A budding 2 Chainz mixed with a solid Wayne results in a pretty good collab project that is scarcely mentioned. The production is good but the real highlight is the rapping. While Chainz would release his magnum opus only a year later, he still raps pretty well on here, bringing the goofiness and bigger-than-life caricature that I very much love from him. Both talents shine on Bounce as it encapsulates the unpredictable and free-flowing nature of both, especially Wayne. The solo 2 Chainz tracks are weaker than the ones when both are present (except for Watch Out). A feature or two would have been nice but the two manage to keep the listener’s attention for most of the project. Collegrove is a collab project done right, playing into the strong suits of both rappers without being overly long.

Final Verdict: Definitely a sleeper in both artists’s discographies. Not the most essential, but hard to look past