Welcome 2 Collegrove is a collaborative studio album by American rappers 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne.[6] It was released on November 17, 2023, through Def Jam Recordings.[7] It is the sequel to 2 Chainz' third studio album ColleGrove (2016), which was originally planned to be a Lil Wayne duet album; although he could not be co-credited due to label issues.[8][9] It features guest appearances from 21 Savage, Usher, Fabolous, Benny the Butcher, Vory, Rick Ross and Marsha Ambrosius.[10][11]

Welcome 2 Collegrove
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Recorded2016–2023[1]
Genre
Length57:38
Label
Producer
2 Chainz and Lil Wayne chronology
ColleGrove
(2016)
Welcome 2 Collegrove
(2023)
2 Chainz chronology
Dope Don't Sell Itself
(2022)
Welcome 2 Collegrove
(2023)
Lil Wayne chronology
Tha Fix Before Tha VI
(2023)
Welcome 2 Collegrove
(2023)
Tha Carter VI
(2024)
Singles from Welcome 2 Collegrove
  1. "Presha"
    Released: October 20, 2023
  2. "Long Story Short"
    Released: November 10, 2023
  3. "Transparency"
    Released: November 17, 2023
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
American Songwriter[4]
HipHopDX[1]
Slant[2]
Pitchfork5.8/10[5]

Background and promotion

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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.[9] The release was led by the single "Presha", released on October 20, 2023[12] and produced by Bangladesh.[7] The album was originally set to release on the same day as Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday 2;[13] 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.[14] 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.[10] The second single from the album, "Long Story Short", was released November 10.[15] The third single from the album, "Transparency" was released November 17.[16]

Composition

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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".[3] 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".[4]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, Welcome 2 Collegrove debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard 200 with 34,000 album-equivalent units.[17]

Track listing

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Welcome 2 Collegrove track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Scene 1: Welcome 2 Collegrove"Dwayne Abernathy Jr.Dem Jointz0:49
2."G6"
  • Big Papito
  • London Jae
  • Loopholes
  • Presley
3:04
3."Big Diamonds" (featuring 21 Savage)Mannie Fresh3:19
4."Presha"Bangladesh3:05
5."Long Story Short"3:30
6."Scene 2: Duffle Bag Boys"AbernathyDem Jointz0:29
7."Millions from Now"
  • Dean
  • Apex Martin
2:19
8."Crazy Thick"
2:56
9."Transparency" (featuring Usher)
  • Carter
  • Epps
  • Christian Ward
  • Dean
  • Lerron Carson
  • Francis LeBlanc
  • Altariq Crapps
  • Melvin Moore
3:15
10."Significant Other"
4:23
11."Scene 3: Ladies Man"AbernathyDem Jointz0:31
12."PPA" (featuring Fabolous)
  • Carter
  • Epps
  • Chris Mendoza
  • John Jackson
  • Byrd
  • Vince Mendoza
Mark Byrd3:40
13."Oprah and Gayle" (featuring Benny the Butcher)DJ Toomp5:13
14."Shame"Havoc2:36
15."Bars"
  • Havoc
  • Mike Dean
3:42
16."Scene 4: No Fent"AbernathyDem Jointz0:28
17."Godzilla" (featuring Vory)
  • Mondo
  • DomSolo[a]
3:02
18."Crown Snatcher"
2:36
19."Can't Believe You" (featuring Rick Ross)
  • StreetRunner
  • Azzouz
  • MightyMax
4:39
20."Scene 5: Never Was Lost"AbernathyDem Jointz0:14
21."Moonlight" (featuring Marsha Ambrosius)
  • Carter
  • Epps
  • Abernathy
  • Marsha Ambrosius
Dem Jointz3:48
Total length:57:38

Notes

Personnel

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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

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Chart performance for Welcome 2 Collegrove
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[18] 84
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[19] 96
US Billboard 200[20] 20
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[21] 4

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Siegel, Alec (November 19, 2023). "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Make Up For Their Recent Poor Solo Albums On 'Welcome 2 Collegrove'". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Lyons-Burt, Charles (November 20, 2023). "2 Chainz and Lil Wayne 'Welcome 2 Collegrove' Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Staff, TiVo (November 17, 2023). "2 Chainz, Lil Wayne - Welcome 2 Collegrove Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Galindo, Thomas (November 20, 2023). "Review: Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz Rekindle Their Magic on 'Welcome 2 Collegrove'". American Songwriter. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  5. ^ Thompson, Paul (December 26, 2023). "2 Chainz and Lil Wayne: "Welcome 2 Collegrove" Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz's "Welcome 2 ColleGrove" Release Date Revealed". www.hotnewhiphop.com. October 20, 2023. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Share 'Welcome 2 ColleGrove' Release Date, Cover Art & New Single". HipHopDX. October 20, 2023. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  8. ^ Jenn, London (October 20, 2023). "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Share "Presha" Single & "Welcome 2 ColleGrove" Release Date". AllHipHop. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "2 Chainz and Lil Wayne Announce New Album Welcome 2 Collegrove, Share New Song "Presha"". Pitchfork. October 20, 2023. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Mendez, Marisa (October 27, 2023). "Lil Wayne Marks Return of Young Money Radio by Debuting 2 New Songs with 2 Chainz". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  11. ^ Pointer, Flisadam (November 14, 2023). "Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz's Collegrove 2 Tracklist Features 21 Savage, Usher, and Rick Ross". Uproxx. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  12. ^ Zemler, Emily (October 20, 2023). "2 Chainz, Lil Wayne Preview Joint Album With Fast-Talking Single 'Presha'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  13. ^ 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 from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  14. ^ Guy, Zoe (October 25, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Does Something for the Barbz". Vulture. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  15. ^ Zemler, Emily (November 10, 2023). "2 Chainz, Lil Wayne Unveil Anthemic Single 'Long Story Short'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  16. ^ "2 CHAINZ & LIL WAYNE DROP HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW ALBUM, WELCOME 2 COLLEGROVE, AVAILABLE TODAY". Umusic.
  17. ^ "Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz 'Welcome 2 Collegrove' And Andre 3000 'New Blue Sun' First Week Sales | HipHop-N-More". November 28, 2023.
  18. ^ "2 Chainz Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  19. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  20. ^ "2 Chainz Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  21. ^ "2 Chainz Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2023.