2 Chainz Appears on Nancy Grace, Discusses Marijuana Legalization – Today in Hip-Hop
XXL celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with this moment:
Jan. 13, 2015: Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz paid a highly publicized visit to the Nancy Grace show on HLN, on this day in 2015. The Atlanta rapper, formerly known as Tity Boi, made this appearance on the program, a first in hip-hop history, to discuss the legalization of weed.
With host Nancy Grace being known for her combative debate tactics, many viewers surely thought 2 Chainz would fit the stereotype of a typical pothead, and might not necessarily understand the subject matter at hand. But, to the surprise of many viewers, the ATL rhymer schooled Nancy on the psychology of drug abusers, the statistics supporting medical marijuana use and the fiscal boost legalizing the drug would give the economy.
In what many consider to be the segment's shining moment, Grace pulled out the lyrics, "smoking California weed with California hoes," from one of 2 Chainz's weed-referencing lyrics from "Feds Watching." That's when Chainz famously hit Nancy with his signature adlib, "Truuu!"
The educational and often hilarious debate proved to garner high ratings for Nancy Grace and even though she lost at the debate she started, the legal commenter soon challenged Deuces to a rematch. Sadly, it never happened.
In the eight years since 2 Chainz's appearance, 21 states and the District of Columbia have allow the adult use of recreational marijuana, and 37 states governed cannabis for medical use. According to Pew Research, 59 percent of voters support adult-use legalization, and 30 percent support medical marijuana.
As the legalization of marijuana continues to be a growing issue, hip-hop artists like Diddy, Berner, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg and others have invested heavily in the cannabis industry.