Dope Don't Sell Itself

On July 17, 2021, 2 Chainz took to social media to announce that his next project would serve as his last trap album.{{cite web|url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2021-07-17/49005/2-chainz-says-his-next-release-will-be-his-last-trap-album/|title=2 Chainz says his next release will be his last trap album|website=Revolt|author=C.H.|date=July 17, 2021|access-date=February 1, 2022}} He revealed the release date on January 21, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/2-chainzs-new-album-dope-dont-sell-itself-gets-release-date/|title=2 Chainz's New Album Dope Don't Sell Itself Gets Release Date|website=Pitchfork|last=Bloom|first=Madison|date=January 21, 2022|access-date=February 1, 2022}} He then revealed the cover art through social media on January 25, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/j-rose/2-chainz-dope-dont-sell-itself-tracklist-features|title=2 Chainz Taps Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Lil Durk + More For 'Dope Don't Sell Itself' Tracklist Revealed, Rapper Talks Lil Wayne Collab Project 'ColleGrove 2'|website=HipHopDX|last=Walker|first=Joe|date=January 27, 2022|access-date=February 1, 2022}} The tracklist was revealed through the CD pre-order on his website two days later, on January 27, 2022. 2 Chainz explained that the cover art of the album refers to his "first bank account".{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/j-rose/2-chainz-dope-dont-sell-itself-tracklist-features|title=2 Chainz's 'Dope Don't Sell Itself' Tracklist Revealed, Rapper Talks Lil Wayne Collab Project 'ColleGrove 2'|website=Complex|last=Rose|first=Jordan|date=January 27, 2022|access-date=February 1, 2022}}

The album's lead single, "Million Dollars Worth of Game", which features American rapper 42 Dugg, was released on January 7, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/2-chainz-42-dugg-million-dollars-worth-of-game-video|title=2 Chainz Links With 42 Dugg in Video for New Song "Million Dollars Worth of Game"|website=Complex|last=Mahadevan|first=Tara C.|date=January 7, 2022|access-date=February 1, 2022}} The second single, "Pop Music", which features American rappers Moneybagg Yo and BeatKing, was released on January 21, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/abel-shifferaw/2-chainz-moneybagg-yo-beatking-pop-music-video|title=2 Chainz, Moneybagg Yo, and BeatKing Share Video for New Track "Pop Music"|website=Complex|last=Shifferaw|first=Abel|date=January 21, 2022|access-date=February 1, 2022}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 58/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/dope-dont-sell-itself/2-chainz|title=Dope Don't Sell Itself by 2 Chainz Reviews and Tracks|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=February 11, 2022}}

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dope-dont-sell-itself-mw0003657052|title=Dope Don't Sell Itself Review by Andy Kellman|date=3 March 2022|website=allmusic.com|access-date=3 March 2022}}

| rev2 = Clash

| rev2score = 6/10{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/2-chainz-dope-dont-sell-itself|title=2 Chainz – Dope Don't Sell Itself {{!}} Reviews|work=Clash|last=Murray|first=Robin|date=February 4, 2022|access-date=February 11, 2022}}

| rev3 = Exclaim!

| rev3score = 7/10{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/2_chainz_dope_dont_sell_itself_album_review|title='Dope Don't Sell Itself,' but 2 Chainz's Rapping Does|work=Exclaim!|last=Alavo|first=Antoine-Samuel Mauffette|date=February 10, 2022|access-date=February 11, 2022}}

| rev4 = HipHopDX

| rev4score = 2.6/5{{cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.3832/title.2-chainz-dope-dont-sell-itself-album-review|title=2 Chainz 'Dope Don't Sell Itself' Album Is Laced with Traphouse Fetishes That Lost Their Thrill|work=HipHopDX|last=Sadler|first=Armon|date=February 3, 2022|access-date=February 11, 2022}}

| rev5 = Pitchfork

| rev5score = 6.4/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/2-chainz-dope-dont-sell-itself/|title=2 Chainz: Dope Don't Sell Itself Album Review|website=Pitchfork|last=Howard|first=Jackson|date=February 4, 2022|access-date=February 6, 2022}}

| rev6 = Rolling Stone

| rev6score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/2-chainz-dope-dont-sell-itself-1295114/|title=The Trap Becomes a Retirement Home for 2 Chainz on 'Dope Don't Sell Itself'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Buford|first=Jayson|date=February 4, 2022|access-date=February 11, 2022}}

| noprose = yes

}}

Dope Don't Sell Itself received mixed reviews from critics.{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/dope-dont-sell-itself/2-chainz | title=Dope Don't Sell Itself by 2 Chainz | website=Metacritic }} Writing for Clash, Robin Murray felt that "seven albums deep, 2 Chainz has long perfected his brand" and "'Dope Don't Sell Itself' is, he says, his 'last trap album' and while it's a punchy farewell to that style, it's often slight, and occasionally shallow". Antoine-Samuel Mauffette Alavo of Exclaim! wrote that, with the album, "he proves that his relevance remains undeniable" and "his signature voice and raunchy style, matched with his expert-level beat selection, allow for his versatility to shine through, while his legend status nets him refreshing featured guests who never overshadow Chainz", adding, "loosely narrated with scripted hustler talk, the album's 12 tracks are held together by 2 Chainz's aura and voice more so than by melodic progression" and "while Dope Don't Sell Itself does not inspire immediate playback like Chainz's last outing, So Help Me God!, and doesn't contain the breakout hits of 2017's acclaimed Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, it is a testament to the rapper's longevity and his vital role in ATL's shifting scene as a gravitational figure for all to aspire to become."

HipHopDX{{-'}}s Armon Sandler wrote that the album "finds the Drenchgod at an identity-bound impasse" as "he mostly abandons his message-driven endeavor and tries desperately to revert back to why he's beloved: booming production, humorous bars galore and an affinity for connecting with younger stars no matter how much the sound of rap has changed", adding that "in attempting to recreate his peak, he offers some familiar flows but mostly unimpressive lyrics that lean more toward grown-up nursery rhymes than his catchy, skillful couplets of days past", "but this album probably won't get a re-evaluation like his past work; his attempt to dial it back displays the colorful and zany bars that once captured ears are long gone".

Writing for Pitchfork, Jackson Howard felt that Dope Don't Sell Itself is 2 Chainz's first album that "feels predictable" and as "a brisk 12 songs, it plays more like a mixtape of throwaways, a collection of forgettable, though occasionally great, bangers with of-the-moment features and total disregard for cohesion or risk", adding that "the songs here are serviceable, thanks to 2 Chainz's ear and charisma. But they're more like templates than novel creations, far from his days of sampling Hall & Oates or trading verses with Kendrick Lamar over a Pharrell beat seemingly constructed from cutlery and trash cans". Jayson Buford of Rolling Stone opined that the album is "actually an attempt at a return to form" rather than being declared as 2 Chainz's last trap album and "this record isn't the return to form that it aims to be, but Chainz is back in his element here".

{{Track listing

| headline = Dope Don't Sell Itself track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 32:32

| title1 = Bet It Back

| writer1 = {{hlist|Tauheed Epps|Corey Swimmer|Lamar Womack}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Swimmer|WomaticTracks}}

| length1 = 2:57

| title2 = Pop Music

| note2 = featuring Moneybagg Yo and BeatKing

| writer2 = {{hlist|Epps|Demario White, Jr.|Justin Riley|Johnny McGowan|Nathaniel Orange}}

| extra2 = BeatKing

| length2 = 2:06

| title3 = Kingpen Ghostwriter

| note3 = featuring Lil Baby

| writer3 = {{hlist|Epps|Dominique Jones|Tyron Douglas, Jr.}}

| extra3 = Buddah Bless

| length3 = 2:22

| title4 = Outstanding

| note4 = featuring Roddy Ricch

| writer4 = {{hlist|Epps|Rodrick Moore, Jr.|Chauncey Hollis, Jr.|Dustin Corbett|Ryan Martinez}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Hit-Boy|Corbett|G. Ry}}

| length4 = 2:55

| title5 = Neighbors Know My Name

| writer5 = {{hlist|Epps|Trocon Roberts, Jr.|Nolan Presley|Michael Johnson|Larry Johnson|Broderick Smith|Richard Sims|Dennis Butler|Adrian Parks|Cory Way|Lefabian Williams}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|FKi 1st|Presley}}

| length5 = 1:44

| title6 = Million Dollars Worth of Game

| note6 = featuring 42 Dugg

| writer6 = {{hlist|Epps|Dion Hayes|Majrooh Sultanpuri|Onkar Nayyar|Julian Mason}}

| extra6 = LilJuMadeDaBeat

| length6 = 2:40

| title7 = Free B.G.

| writer7 = {{hlist|Epps|Byron Thomas|Armond Kendrick}}

| extra7 = {{hlist|Mannie Fresh|Mondo}}

| length7 = 1:44

| title8 = 10 Bracelets

| note8 = featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again

| writer8 = {{hlist|Epps|Kentrell Gaulden|Douglas}}

| extra8 = Buddah Bless

| length8 = 3:09

| title9 = Lost Kings

| note9 = featuring Lil Durk and Sleepy Rose

| writer9 = {{hlist|Epps|Durk Banks|Daniel Stodghill|Samuel Jimenez|Joshua Samuel|Jaucquez Lowe}}

| extra9 = {{hlist|Smash David|TurnMeUpJosh|London Jae}}

| length9 = 2:37

| title10 = Caymans

| note10 = featuring Swae Lee

| writer10 = {{hlist|Epps|Khalif Brown|Papa Fall|Michael Hepburn}}

| extra10 = {{hlist|Big Papito|Krispy Hendrixx}}

| length10 = 3:13

| title11 = Vlad TV

| note11 = featuring Stove God Cooks, Symba, and Major Myjah

| writer11 = {{hlist|Epps|Aaron Scott|Demario Driver|Myjah Veira|Jeffrey Nuamah|Caston Grigsby|Douglas Ingle|Donald Meadows|Curtis Washington II|Avery Earls}}

| extra11 = {{hlist|LordQuest|Grigsby}}

| length11 = 4:27

| title12 = If You Want Me To

| note12 = featuring Jacquees

| writer12 = {{hlist|Epps|Rodriquez Broadnax|Darwin Quinn|Luke Crowder|Kitwan McCoy}}

| extra12 = {{hlist|C-Gutta|Crowder|McCoy}}

| length12 = 2:38

}}

{{Reflist}}

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Category:2022 albums

Category:2 Chainz albums