Welcome 2 Collegrove
studio
Artist2 Chainz and Lil Wayne
CoverWelcome 2 Collegrove.png
ReleasedNovember 17, 2023
Recorded2016–2023[1]
GenreHip-hop · Southern hip-hop[2][1]
Length57:38
Label
Producer
Prev year2016
Chronology2 Chainz and Lil Wayne

Welcome 2 Collegrove is a collaborative studio album by American rappers 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne.[3] It was released on November 17, 2023, through Def Jam Recordings.[4] It is the sequel to 2 Chainz' third studio album ColleGrove (2016), which was originally planned to be a Lil Wayne collaboration album; although he could not be co-credited due to label issues.[5][6] It features guest appearances from 21 Savage, Usher, Fabolous, Benny the Butcher, Vory, Rick Ross and Marsha Ambrosius.[7][8]

Background and promotion

The title is a portmanteau of 2 Chainz' and Lil Wayne's hometowns. 2 Chainz is from College Park, Georgia, while Wayne hails from Hollygrove, New Orleans.[6] The release was led by the single "Presha", released on October 20, 2023[9] and produced by Bangladesh.[4] The album was originally set to release on the same day as Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday 2;[10] however, Minaj later pushed that album's release date further back to December 8, so her vinyl preorders would be shipped in the first week.[11] The album was originally believed to be released on November 2, 2023[citation needed] but Wayne said that was "not tru[e]".

On October 27, during an episode of Young Money Radio on Apple Music, the pair debuted two new songs in "Long Story Short" and "Oprah and Gayle"; both are confirmed to appear on the album.[7] The second single from the album, "Long Story Short", was released November 10.[12] The third single from the album, "Transparency" was released November 17.[13]

Composition

Welcome 2 Collegrove is a hip hop and Southern hip hop album.[2][1] According to AllMusic's TiVo Staff "Narrative skits and quick shifts in production styles give the album a mixtape feel".[14] Thomas Galindo of American Songwriter said that in comparison to their previous collaborative album, on Welcome 2 Collegrove Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz "opted for more of a mixed bag of approaches".[15]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Welcome 2 Collegrove debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard 200 with 34,000 album-equivalent units.[16]

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

Musicians

  • 2 Chainz – vocals
  • Lil Wayne – vocals
  • 50 Cent – speaker (tracks 1, 6, 11, 16, 20)
  • Nolan Presley – programming (track 2)
  • Big Papito – programming (track 2)
  • B Ham – background vocals, drums (track 8)
  • MarcLo – drums (track 8)
  • Jack Freeman – additional vocals (track 10)
  • Murda Beatz – drums, percussion (track 18)
  • Jordan Fox – keyboards, strings (track 18)
  • Sitara – additional vocals (track 19)
  • Von Waters – additional vocals (track 19)
  • Mighty Max – saxophone (track 19)
  • Streetrunner – strings (track 19)
  • Dem Jointz – programming (track 21)

Technical

  • Glenn Schick – mastering
  • Finis White – mixing (tracks 2, 3, 5, 8–10, 12–15, 17–19, 21)
  • Fabian Marasciullo – mixing (track 4)
  • Mike Dean – mixing (track 7)
  • Nolan Presley – engineering (tracks 2–5, 7–10, 12–15, 17–19, 21)
  • Cristal Viramontes – engineering (tracks 2–5, 7–10, 12–15, 17–19, 21)
  • Manny Galvez – engineering (tracks 2–5, 7–10, 12–15, 17–19, 21)
  • Anthony R. Smith – engineering (track 9)
  • Sloane Esme – mixing assistance (track 4)

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Welcome 2 Collegrove
Chart (2023)Peak
position

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Welcome 2 Collegrove
Chart (2024)Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17]98

References

  1. ^ Siegel, Alec (November 19, 2023). "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Make Up For Their Recent Poor Solo Albums On 'Welcome 2 Collegrove'". HipHopDX. Archived December 28, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  2. ^ Lyons-Burt, Charles (November 20, 2023). "2 Chainz and Lil Wayne 'Welcome 2 Collegrove' Review". Slant Magazine. Archived November 20, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  3. ^ "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz's "Welcome 2 ColleGrove" Release Date Revealed". www.hotnewhiphop.com. October 20, 2023. Archived October 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  4. ^ "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Share 'Welcome 2 ColleGrove' Release Date, Cover Art & New Single". HipHopDX. October 20, 2023. Archived October 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  5. ^ Jenn, London (October 20, 2023). "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Share "Presha" Single & "Welcome 2 ColleGrove" Release Date". AllHipHop. Archived October 20, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  6. ^ "2 Chainz and Lil Wayne Announce New Album Welcome 2 Collegrove, Share New Song "Presha"". Pitchfork. October 20, 2023. Archived October 20, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Mendez, Marisa (October 27, 2023). "Lil Wayne Marks Return of Young Money Radio by Debuting 2 New Songs with 2 Chainz". HipHopDX. Archived October 29, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Pointer, Flisadam (November 14, 2023). "Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz's Collegrove 2 Tracklist Features 21 Savage, Usher, and Rick Ross". Uproxx. Archived November 15, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  9. ^ Zemler, Emily (October 20, 2023). "2 Chainz, Lil Wayne Preview Joint Album With Fast-Talking Single 'Presha'". Rolling Stone. Archived October 20, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  10. ^ II, C. Vernon Coleman (October 20, 2023). "Lil Wayne Dropping His New Album on the Same Day as Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday 2". XXL Mag. Archived October 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  11. ^ Guy, Zoe (October 25, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Does Something for the Barbz". Vulture. Archived September 5, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  12. ^ Zemler, Emily (November 10, 2023). "2 Chainz, Lil Wayne Unveil Anthemic Single 'Long Story Short'". Rolling Stone. Archived November 12, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  13. ^ "2 CHAINZ & LIL WAYNE DROP HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW ALBUM, WELCOME 2 COLLEGROVE, AVAILABLE TODAY". Umusic. Archived November 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  14. ^ Staff, TiVo (November 17, 2023). "2 Chainz, Lil Wayne - Welcome 2 Collegrove Album Review". AllMusic. Archived December 16, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  15. ^ Galindo, Thomas (November 20, 2023). "Review: Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz Rekindle Their Magic on 'Welcome 2 Collegrove'". American Songwriter. Archived November 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  16. ^ "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz 'Welcome 2 Collegrove' And Andre 3000 'New Blue Sun' First Week Sales | HipHop-N-More". November 28, 2023. Archived January 10, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  17. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2024". Billboard. Archived December 27, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 1, 2025.