2 Chainz, Formerly of Playaz Circle, on His Own at S.O.B."s Tall and gangly and with arms that seem impossibly long, the Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz is an endearing galoot, never menacing even when talking tough. Once upon a time, he was Tity Boi, of the rap duo Playaz Circle, but about a year ago, he switched his name, and with the change came new life. Brian Harkin for The New York Times 2 Chainz The Atlanta rapper, formerly of the rap duo Playaz Circle, performed his first New York concert at S.O.B.'s on Monday night. On Monday night at S.O.B."s, he performed what was billed as his first New York concert, and he announced that after a successful year of building up his new name with hits and guest appearances, he was signing with Def Jam. The mood was celebratory in the packed room for this brief, borderline rowdy show. His hair braided into long, thick ropes collected behind his head, 2 Chainz muscled his way through parts of several songs from his strong pair of 2011 mixtapes, "Codeine Cowboy" and "T.R.U. Realigion." Both of them were packed with regional hits, a handful of which have crept to broader prominence. Of those, the biggest is "Spend It," a monster production that 2 Chainz enlivens with a sinister hook - "I'm riding around and I'm getting it/It's mine, I spend it" - and leavens with one of last year's most comical verses: I take your wife, give her back 9 months after that, Similac! Similar to saying mama's baby's daddy, maybe When we had sex, I was in a Mercedes And I ain't crazy But if that's my baby Then we gonna have to name that li'l baby Mercedes On his second life, 2 Chainz is a veteran who chooses being catchy over being cool. He's an inadvertent humorist, and awe and wonderment often sneak into his verses, as if he's still surprised by every blessing his new success affords him. You hear it on his recent work with Rick Ross ("Party Heart") and Young Jeezy ("SupaFreak"), among others. Songs like those still sometimes leave 2 Chainz in a long shadow, though, and indeed much of his career to date has been as a second banana. His limber "yeah" shout is a direct lineal descendent of Lil Jon. And even Playaz Circle was signed to Ludacris's label, and was best known for a collaboration with Lil Wayne, "Duffle Bag Boy." Why 2 Chainz dispensed with "Spend It," the reason for his breakthrough, so early during this show was a mystery, though songs like "Riot," "Boo" and "Turn Up" proved nearly as indelible. All in all, it was a potent statement of arrival. 2 Chainz was finally on top. Until he wasn't. After asking the crowd to pay respects to the memory of Pimp C, and after rapping a bit of "Undastatement," 2 Chainz left the stage. Before he got far, though, Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan - possibly intoxicated, definitely intense - climbed up to the microphone and, over the post-show din, grabbed the spotlight. "2 Chainz!" he shouted a few times, making sure he was heard, then asked the rapper to join him back on stage with an odd request: "Come pay homage to me, son." "When I came to Atlanta you wasn't even super-popping," Raekwon recalled, "but I believed in you, right? I did joints with you. It was bizarre and paternalistic, the way an uncle embarrasses you at a bar mitzvah or graduation party, or the way an undermining friend never lets you equalize the relationship. What began as a well-intentioned salute began to drag, but 2 Chainz never took it with anything less than a smile. Raekwon was talking loudly, but 2 Chainz came out on top after all.