2 Chainz to Headline Red Storm Tip-Off on Oct. 20

9/28/2023 9:50:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball

The Grammy-winning, multi-platinum selling hip hop artist will perform inside Carnesecca Arena as part of the annual kickoff to the St. John’s men’s and women’s basketball seasons

QUEENS, N.Y. – 2 Chainz, a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum selling hip hop artist and international star in the music world, will highlight the St. John's Basketball programs' annual Red Storm Tip-Off event on Oct. 20 inside Carnesecca Arena.

Red Storm Tip-Off, which signals the unofficial start of the upcoming men's and women's basketball campaigns, will welcome 2 Chainz who burst onto the national scene with his album "Based on a T.R.U. Story," peaking at No. 1 in the Billboard 200 chart. His first solo album rose through the ranks, earning three Grammy nominations, including Best Rap Album.

The 2012 BET Hip Hop Rookie of the Year continued to rise, releasing his second album, "B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time," in 2013. The album, that featured guest performances from Pharrell Williams, Fergie, Drake, Lil Wayne and T-Pain among others, debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums.

Best known for his songs, "It's A Vibe" and "4 AM," 2 Chainz has also collaborated with three of Billboard's 2022 Top 25 Rap Artists: Drake, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj. Additionally, his collaboration with Jason Derulo for the hit song "Talk Dirty" skyrocketed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

2 Chainz was presented with a Grammy Award in 2017 for Best Rap Performance as a feature on Chance the Rapper's "No Problem" alongside Lil Wayne. The song peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 26 weeks on the chart.

His features also include major industry stars like, Ludacris, Travis Scott, Quavo, Jhene Aiko, Gucci Mane, Migos, Future, Ty Dolla Sign, Diplo and Offset. This year's Red Storm Tip-Off performer shines in the social media world with nearly 12 million followers on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), 1.5 million on TikTok and 27 million streams on YouTube.

2 Chainz is also a former college basketball standout at Alabama State where he lettered from 1995-97. His love for basketball remains present as he is also a minority owner of his hometown team and Atlanta Hawks' G League affiliate, College Park Skyhawks.

Doors to the event will open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are free. The Carnesecca Arena Ticket Office will open at 9 a.m. on October 20 for St. John's students. Student season ticket holders receive the benefit of having their Red Storm Tip-Off ticket automatically deposited into their online account. Beginning at 4 p.m., the Ticket Office will welcome alumni and the general public to pick up tickets if available.