Curren$y ‘Capitol’ Video Shoot: 2 Chainz Shares ‘Respect’ & More for New Orleans MC

New Orleans MC Curren$y grinds harder than most and his work ethic has aligned him with a number of artists who follow the same strategy. The Warner Brothers signee shot the visual for his latest single, "Capitol," in Atlanta on Monday night (April 23) with 2 Chainz, who appears on the track.

Curren$y says he and Deuce have known each other since his 2004 stint at Cash Money.

"Both of us been trying to get into the game and come into our own in the industry for as long as I can remember and we both have had decent looks," he tells The BoomBox. "But you know now, it's absolutely his time. The industry has kinda given me a nod like, 'Alright. We'll let dude have his time right now too.' So it's just tight, like, we should be lining up on the record, that I would put out and give the full push to, you know?"

2 Chainz welcomed the idea of starring in the video alongside his rhyming friend, born Shante Scott Franklin. "I've known Curren$y for a long time," he states. "We've been rap peers. I've supported his campaign and he's supported mine. It's perfect timing for the record. It's easy to work with anybody who respects what you do. Period. No matter what line of work you're in."

The Jet Life pilot says that the record almost didn't make it to album cut status. The plan was to make a mixtape track with 2 Chainz, until Curren$y actually heard the finished product. "It didn't make sense to just do that," he shares. "We might as well make sure it had the right treatment and the video shot and all."

Director CJ Wallis, who's responsible for most of Curren$y's visual output, says the idea for the "Capitol" video was simple: make the rapper look like a "G."

"We came up with the treatment for one thing, which didn't necessarily work out in time but we had a second treatment on deck with 'Casino' in mind," Wallis reveals. "I'm a big Martin Scorese fan. 'Casino' is what kinda got me into this and [Curren$y] Spitta's into those type of classic gangster movies too. So this is kind of a take on an old film noir, basement casino but with Jets and Jet Missuses."

Surrounded by red walls, crap tables and curvy women, the two rappers spit lines of success, luxury and indulgence. "It was initially the vibe of the song that put me onto this," Wallis says of the video's inspiration. "Most videos are more about the performance and things like that. This was more about the vibe -- the slow-motion and the image an artist can sort of portray when they walk into a room. It's the capital 'G,' the vibe of the song."

Curren$y trusts Wallis so completely that he never even looked at a storyboard before shooting. "I just told him I would do whatever it was he wanted me to do," he admits with a grin. "I knew he wasn't gonna tell me to put on a giant chicken costume or nothing like that. I didn't look at the treatment or anything. I don't recommend that for other artists if you don't have a CJ. I just came right in like, 'What's good?'"

Although 2 Chainz and Curren$y recorded the track separately, "Capitol" flows so fluidly between the two, one would swear they were together in the studio. Curren$y says their hectic schedules made it necessary to figure out an alternative. "This was one of those mail-in joints," he reveals. "But that's a blessing because we both have such crazy schedules because we're both working a lot. You wouldn't want to be able to be right next to your friends all the time because they're busy getting money."

"Capitol" appears on Curren$y's forthcoming LP, The Stoned Immaculate, due June 5.