How 2 Chainz Is Killing His Brand

On any day of the week it seems like there are more than a handful of songs featuring 2 Chainz making their onto the Internet. It's ridiculous.

Has 2 Chainz sold out? Probably, but you can hardly blame him, even if his Instagram photos are more exciting than his career these days. The guy has definitely been through the music industry wringer.

Successful as he is now, you have to keep in mind that this isn't the Atlanta-bred rapper's first rodeo. He was previously in Playaz Circle, a group on Ludacris's DTP imprint, and managed to surf the Lil Wayne hook wave at the precise moment with "Duffle Bag Boys." The song became a smash and Playaz Circle's debut, Supply & Demand, sold relatively well. Then the hit records dried up and the group's follow-up LP, Flight 360: The Takeoff, bombed.

While many doubted that a Tity Boi solo career would take off, a spectacular grassroots marketing campaign -- including the wise decisions to ditch the Tity Boy name for 2 Chainz, and to carefully study Lil B videos -- allowed his workman-like approach to help him somehow acquire the top spot in rap.

But that sort of fame comes with a price -- now everyone wants in on the 2 Chainz brand. And it's getting out of hand. From questionable features to random TV appearances, here are 5 things 2 Chainz has recently done that are tragically uncool and downright silly.

1. B. Smyth "Leggo" Feat. 2 Chainz

It takes a certain type of superstar aura to pull off the jacket with no shirt underneath look. An aura B. Smyth simply does not possess. From the Jeremy Scott winged hat to the weak not-quite-on-point 90s-style choreography, this is a fail from the jump. But that's just B.Smyth. What about 2 Chainz? A dead give away that 2 Chainz is only giving 50% here -- the mere fact he only bothered to wear one chain in the video.

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2. Fall Out Boy "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)" Remix

Perfect example of what happens when successful people in the music industry just give up. Fall Out Boy owned the emo-rock era. Then Pete Wentz began concentrating on being a tabloid star, wifed up Ashlee Simpson, had a kid, and got divorced. FOB thought they could race back to popularity, probably forgetting that their fan base had grown up and are now people who are ashamed of once-liking Fall Out Boy. What was the solution from the best and brightest of the music industry? Simple. Need more 2 Chainz! First, throw the guy in a music video for no apparent reason, and then obviously put him on the remix. Marketing brilliance!

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3. PSY "Gangnam Style (Remix) Feat. 2 Chainz and Tyga

Why is Tity Boi on the official Diplo remix of "Gangam Style"? It doesn't really make sense to be identifying oneself with being in the trap one second, and then the next you are on the remix for a Korean pop artist that non-confrontational people think is very cool. You're either in the trap or you're in South Korea. It can't be both at the same time bruh.

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4. Travi$ Scott "Upper Echelon" Feat. T.I. and 2 Chainz

To make a long story really short -- Travi$ (don't forget the $ sign) Scott is a relatively new rapper who put on a Givenchy shirt then copy-and-pasted his whole style from more popular artists such as 2 Chainz and Kanye West. While Travis pretends to be really progressive and original the industry people he's signed with realize that artists like 2 Chainz need to feature on his music so people outside of the "scene" will care about him. Unfortunately this type of ploy is obvious to anyone even remotely paying attention to rap, and 2 Chainz looks all that much worse for affiliating himself.

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5. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Feat. 2 Chainz

First it was 2 Broke Girls and now it's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. TV money is good money, and True Religion suits are expensive, but heaven forbid this becomes a trend. Unless he's putting in an appearance on Game of Thrones. Then we're all in.