Atlanta, Ga. is a musical mecca. There is something about the way we find the extended idea of culture in every corner of the southern Bible Belt. A melting pot at the mouth, the Black Hollywood comes alive in more ways than one.
Pride is growing at the roots. For artists like Migos, Future and 2 Chainz, the relentless dedication to keep their home at the forefront of their work has brought us that much closer to a city that continually produces a stellar line-up of successful artists. 2 Chainz returns with a College Park caution on “It’s A Vibe,” a conversation of the body between our own barriers. After rumors of the single leaking on SoundCloud, 2 Chainz officially released the official track via Spotify. The smooth R&B single features Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz and Jhene Aiko.
Interpretation is ultimately our own belief in society. For some, it is about living without defeat. For others, rejection has always served as a way to find the true humility in oneself. 2 Chainz makes note of this as he continuously reminds his fans that the wait for his upcoming album, Pretty Girls LikeTrapMusic, is well worth it.
For now, we begin in the dark lounge of a seemingly exclusive club. Martinis line the table as 2 Chainz’s flows on the Murda produced beat, “That’s a vibe / She wanna vibe, yeah / That’s a vibe.” The low-lit room features a live band that fills a lot of the noise no one is bothering to make. A transition through the night, Ty Dolla $ign chimes in on the colorful club scene. With little attention to his surroundings and the women around him, Dolla appears uninterested on the surface level. A woman in neon-paint lines the bar, the Martinis rotate like clockwork, but the vibe doesn’t get any deeper.
Conversations forget their pace on impulse. Trey Songz sits carefree in a drop-top with little to say but his ego. It is difficult to tell him apart from his own idea of connection as he sings, “Diggin’ deep while I’m lookin in your eyes / Vibe is the least / I know you feel it (yah),” and immediately forgets about the girl in the car. Songz relies more on the camera for his own self-affection and doesn’t think too critically about being present in the moment with her or anyone else.
2 Chainz is the drench God. As he makes his way through a candle-lit room and the performance of his accomplishments, he quickly returns to the Atlanta roots of rap. “Now I said I’m from the corner of the ATL (yah) / Where we got that clientele, avoid paper trails (right) / Broke so many bales down that I’m shell shocked (bow) / I held Glocks, sold rocks by the mailbox (ooh).” One of the greatest ways to find an artist aside from their music is their integrity. 2 Chainz proves this as he turns down a performance for Donald Trump’s inauguration via his Instagram and earlier in his life by rapping about the dangers of selling drugs in high school to make ends meet.
The role of women changes on condition. There is never a literal way to define a man without a woman. It is a structure that we have slowly began to build in all fields that do not define themselves only in music. Jhene Aiko establishes dominance in her body and the placement of her role as the owner of the club. She counts money in a dark room surrounded by men as she sings on the closing chorus, “Am I your type? / Pussy tight / Maybe I’ll spend the night, yeah, yeah / That’s a vibe / Bust it, bust it wide / This type of shit I like, yeah, yeah.”
2 Chainz brings back southern soul. As he sets to release his highly anticipated album, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, “It’s A Vibe” is the beginning of a new era for all music listeners alike. 2 Chainz succeeds in giving us a music video in typical Atlanta-fashion as he captures the relationships we establish without any words, and the pride we must build to connect and keep them.
