The concept of a late-bloomer in hip-hop is few and far between, the industry fostering far more “twice as bright, half as long” stories than the opposite. That trend made 2023’s The Great Escape so surprising, combining two artists very much in their prime more than a decade into their careers. Less than two years later, The Alchemist and Larry June reconvened for Life Is Beautiful, unexpectedly throwing 2 Chainz into the mix for the sequel. Here’s everything you need to know about this three-headed monster.
We’ll spoil this piece by saying that Larry June will likely get the leanest coverage in this piece, but it’s not because he’s particularly bad. Instead, his contributions pace the record as one of the smoother hip-hop listens you’ll come across, but in that seamlessness comes a bit of uniformity. His plain, imagery-laden signature makes him one of the more unique commodities in hip-hop, managing to captivate the audience even when listing off flexes that are just minute details of his overall lavish lifestyle: “This water that I’m sippin’, from a private spring,” “Playin’ tennis with my neighbor / Talkin’ ’bout infrastructure, might need a bigger team” or “Ayy, b****, hand me the yoga mat real quick.”
2 Chainz Steps Into The Lax Larry June & Alchemist Universe To Great Effect
Arguably, June’s most substantial indirect effect is imprinting his “lifestyle raps” onto 2 Chainz. The most unexpected moment where that comes to be is “LLC,” a song that immediately calls to mind Stringer Bell (“Are you taking notes on a criminal conspiracy?”). Whether it’s recommended from a legal standpoint or not, the crux of the song is how both rappers balance their business interests, best elucidated by 2 Chainz boasting, “I got my car in an LLC / I got my pistol in my wifey’s name.” It’s a tamer example, but Tity Boi’s penchant for the extravagant and frankly silly is on full display throughout the length of the LP. A brief selection: “Intermittent fasting with the burpees got me looking sleek,” “Me llama Dos Cadenas, baby, buenas noches” and “Had her on more E than Tennessee.”
If there’s any meat that Life Is Beautiful leaves on the bone, it stems from the fact that 2 Chainz does most of the adaptation in this trio effort. That is to say, he changes his typical style the most to accommodate Larry June and The Alchemist. The latter two’s contributions mostly resemble what they put forth on The Great Escape (again, to be sure, a great project). Yet part of what made this tape so intriguing on paper is how pulling in three different directions would stretch all of the artists featured here, primarily what an ATL trap-flavored Alchemist beat might sound like or what Larry June might come up with if constricted to triplet flows.
Some Brief Experimentation Leaves Us Wanting More
The one moment where we do approach this is on “Generation,” instantly stamping its “exception that proves the rule” with reversed melodies and driving hi-hats from The Alchemist. 2 Chainz dips back into his home base to traditionally stellar effect, and Larry June shines in copping that same demeanor. Contrasting rushed-then-hurried flows and even some tasteful autotune pushes the Bay Area out of his comfort zone, resulting in his most memorable performance on the project.
All told, even if The Alchemist and Larry June didn’t officially bill Life Is Beautiful, it’s nonetheless ironic that 2 Chainz is the big winner of their reunion. Yet the two long-time partners prove precisely why they were such a formidable combination in the first place, and this triadic LP vaults into contention for some of the best of each featured artist, even amid titanic runs for all three.
You can find Life Is Beautiful and the complete Larry June and 2 Chainz discographies wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, flashback to the biggest night in music with our recap of the 2025 Grammys.
