2 Chainz Reveals He Wasn’t Allowed to Smoke Weed Around Eminem During Studio Session
2 Chainz has revealed a surprising behind-the-scenes detail about working with Eminem—he was banned from smoking weed anywhere near the Detroit rap icon during their time in the studio.
Speaking during a recent appearance on Club Shay Shay, the Atlanta rapper opened up about the unique restrictions he encountered while collaborating with Eminem on tracks like “Chloraseptic” and “Kyrie & Luka.”
“When I did work with Eminem, I couldn’t smoke in there,” 2 Chainz said. “It was kinda funny. It was his people, not Eminem. Eminem was somewhere writing but his people are just so concerned with him, they put the speakers outside so I could listen to the beat.”
Recalling the moment with amusement, he continued, “It’s a beautiful day in Malibu, I’m just smoking. I come back in to do my verse and the door’s closed and I’m in the booth smoking and I see Em out there and I’m like ‘he in there while I’m recording, that’s hard’. He’s about to come in and say something but his people are like ‘no, don’t go in there, he’s smoking’.”
According to Chainz, Eminem didn’t seem to mind the smoke at all. “Em looks like ‘sit the f*** down, what do you think I’m about to do?’ I remember them tripping on him and he was not tripping at all.”
The two rap heavyweights most recently linked up on “Kyrie & Luka,” a track produced by DJ Premier. Named after NBA stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks, the track samples Eric B. & Rakim’s 1987 classic “Move the Crowd.” True to its basketball theme, the song includes clever references to players like Julius Randle and Irving, with Chainz rapping, “Things are going left like Julius Randle,” and closing his verse with, “Just like Kyrie, I got this s*** handled.”
2 Chainz has been keeping busy in 2025. He dropped Life is Beautiful, a collaborative album with Larry June and The Alchemist that also marked his first project since leaving Def Jam. He’s also hinted at an upcoming joint album with producer Statik Selektah, expected to arrive before the end of the year.
Despite the strict no-smoking policy during his Eminem sessions, 2 Chainz made it clear the experience didn’t dampen his respect for the rap legend—and fans were treated to some standout tracks as a result.
