2 Chainz has compared himself to NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant after departing Def Jam Records.
The Atlanta rap legend took to Instagram on Monday (October 14) to announce his departure from the storied rap label after more than a decade on its roster.
His post was accompanied by a video of him playing basketball in Abu Dhabi, where reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, recently faced off against previous champs, the Denver Nuggets, in two preseason games.
“I wanna make a huge announcement. Starting last week, I am now an independent artist,” Tity Boi said while dribbling a basketball inside an empty arena.
“That’s right, I’m not re-signing with Def Jam. So think of it like KD or like LeBron — the biggest free agent in the game.”
The 6-foot-5 spitter capped off the clip by swishing a corner three-point shot.
2 Chainz’s departure from Def Jam ends one of rap’s most successful partnerships.
The 47-year-old joined the label back in 2012 and released his debut album Based on a T.R.U. Story, which topped the Billboard 200 and spawned hits such as “Birthday Song” featuring Kanye West, the Drake-assisted “No Lie” and “I’m Different.”
