It might be a surprise for some to discover that rapper 2 Chainz has decided to release a cookbook with his next album. But as any of his Instagram followers will know, 2 Chainz loves food more than anything, with the exception of hip-hop. And possibly images of stick figures performing sex acts on each other.
As he revealed in an interview with US radio station Power 105.1 , the book will accompany his new album B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time (Based On A TRU Story 2), and will contain "Probably about 14 to 15 meals, [based on how] many songs [the album has], that's gonna tell you what was used to make these as far as ingredients, and cooking time and all of that stuff, and probably the pros and the cons of eating it".
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But if the cookbook is a sign that 2 Chainz wants to stand out from the crowd by defining himself as the most food-obsessed rapper of all-time, he's got a hell of a fight on his hands. Ever since its genesis in the late 1970s, hip-hop's enthusiasm for foodstuffs has been unshakable. Even Rapper's Delight was part culinary criticism, dedicating an entire verse about a substandard meal at a friend's house that consisted of soggy macaroni, excessively mushed peas and chicken that has somehow acquired the unmistakeable taste and texture of wood.
Then there were The Fat Boys, rap's original proponents of excessive overeating, who released singles like Chillin With The Refrigerator and greatest hits compilations called All Meat, No Filler (possibly reflecting their preferred choice of artisanal sausage production). The Wu-Tang Clan had a chef in its ranks in the shape of Raekwon, who apparently possesses actual cookery skills, Coolio released a cookbook of his own and Snoop Dogg even appeared on Martha Stewart's TV show ostensibly to demonstrate how people mash potatoes in the hood.
Lately though, this foray into food has got serious. Rick Ross has taken hip-hop's food appreciation to an entirely new level by allowing himself to be interviewed by Bon Appetit magazine about cheese, while unsurpassable foodie and former trained chef Action Bronson has littered many of his tracks with food-based references, even rapping about the best way to serve roasted bone marrow during Steve Wynn. These days, if you want to show off about your food knowledge in a verse, you really have to know your onions.
2 Chainz might have his work cut out if he wants to become the rap game's Gordon Ramsay. Maybe next time he should go ultra-specific with his promotional materials and take a leaf out of best mate Gwyneth's book; packaging his next album with a series of macrobiotic recipes, perhaps ? After all, what does B.O.A.T.S stand for if not 'brown rice, organic sauerkraut, acorn squash, tofu and steamed kale'? Yum.
