2Chainz Reveals How His Teacher SAVED His Life

Before 2 Chainz became a Grammy-winning hip hop icon, he was Tauheed Epps, a high-achieving student facing expulsion under a zero tolerance drug policy. One teacher's letter changed everything. In this raw and powerful conversation, the multi-platinum artist sits down with David Begnaud to share the person who believed in him when his future hung in the balance. 2 Chainz opens up about the moment in his senior year when he got into trouble, lost his basketball scholarship offers, and faced permanent expulsion from school. That's when Miss Love, his college prep geometry teacher, stepped in and wrote a letter to the school board with one simple plea: Don't throw this child's life away. Give him a second chance. 2 Chainz talks about growing up in a family where hustling was generational, how he broke that cycle for his own children, and why he believes the voice in his head is God. He shares street lessons that still guide him today, the mistakes that became his superpower, and why he's grateful for every closed door that led him here. There's also an unforgettable moment when David surprises him with a live call to Miss Love, and she reveals something even 2 Chainz didn't know about the impact he had on her. If you've ever felt like your past defined your future, or wondered whether one person's belief could really change everything, this episode will remind you that resilience isn't about avoiding the storm. It's about staying out of the graveyard and out of jail long enough to see another day. And sometimes, that's all you need. Chapters ☀️ Chapters 00:00:00 2 Chainz: A Story of Belief 00:01:14 The Letter That Changed Everything: Miss Love's Second Chance 00:03:14 Senior Year Trouble: When Everything Almost Fell Apart 00:07:04 The Night Before: When His Mother's Intuition Tried to Warn Him 00:09:43 Six Letters of Support and One That Stood Out 00:13:27 The Surprise Call: Reconnecting with Miss Love in Real Time 00:18:30 The Voice in My Head is God: Learning to Trust Intuition 00:21:52 Women as Superheroes: The Intuition 2Chainz Had to Learn 00:33:54 From Titty Boy to 2Chainz: The Origin of an Iconic Name 00:36:17 Environment vs Choice: What Really Determines Success 00:40:13 Street Lessons That Still Guide Him: Trust, Paranoia, and Survival 00:41:02 What You Have to Unlearn: From Cash to Credit 00:47:49 Breaking Generational Chains: From Bootleg to Legacy 00:55:10 Stay Out the Graveyard, Stay Out of Jail: Advice for the Youth 00:56:59 The Person Who Believed in Me: Miss Love ABOUT THIS PODCAST: The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question. David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning. Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com Host: David Begnaud Guest: 2 Chainz Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson Booker: Sully Bloch Director of Social: Mariah Maull Director of Photography: Foster Parks Audio Engineers: Joseph Gabay, Will Whitley Post-Production: Longwave Digital Theme Music: Slipstream CONNECT WITH US: The Person Who Believed In Me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast