2 Chainz once declined a potentially life-altering meeting with Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri simply because he wasn’t permitted to bring a companion along.
While speaking with Shannon Sharpe on a recent episode of Club Shay Shay, Chainz shared the story of when Dupri contacted him about arranging a meeting with himself and Jay back in 2011.
Dupri had shared his version of this tale in 2023, claiming that he and Jay were interested in signing 2 Chainz to a recording contract, but the Atlanta rapper declined their offer, supposedly stating that the music business is “a young man’s game.”
However, according to 2 Chainz, he never actually uttered that “young man’s game” phrase. In his account, the meeting fell through because he wanted to bring along his loyal friend and DJ, but was denied permission to do so.
“I get the call around, maybe 2011, from JD. I was saying, ‘Do you mind if I bring my partner?’ And he [was] like, ‘Nah, you don’t need nobody with you.’ […]They were sending me a jet, but I didn’t get on the jet because they wouldn’t let me bring my dawg.”
The Grammy-nominated artist mentioned that he continues to wonder about the potential outcomes if he had attended that meeting.
“I always wonder what would happen,” said 2 Chainz. “I definitely wanted to get on the flight, but I always wanted to be loyal.”
Dupri discussed his recollection of the situation during his guest spot on the I Am Athlete podcast, sharing that what he remembered as 2 Chainz’s response caught him off guard.
“It’s crazy because I was in Jay-Z’s office one day,” said Dupri. “I call 2 Chainz, I’m like ‘Yo, me and Hov wanna sign you.’ He said, ‘OG, respectfully, it’s a young man’s game.’ And I said… ‘You do know who you’re talking to, right?'”
He continued, “So when somebody say that to me, I’m trying to find out where they got that from. Because the only two successful teenage ni**as to ever come out in hip-hop came from me. Bow Wow came ten years after Kris Kross, and he was the same age. He was 12. When I put them out, they was 11 and 12.”
