Chance the Rapper, Still Looking Dapper

For this final blog post, I just want to recap some of the talented artists we have examined over this past months. We started with the outstanding work of Kendrick Lamar, then transitioned to the bass heavy trio of Migos. After studying Young Thug’s unique style, we then examined Cardi B, the up and coming female rapper. We discussed if Future still has a bright future, and how Post Malone may become the most popular artist. Last week we discussed how Lil Uzi Vert has changed the rap game, and this week, we will talk about a rapper who has not only done that, but aims to change society as well. This week will be discovering more about Chance the Rapper, who is not just a great rapper, but a great man.

Chancelor Jonathan Bennett was born on April 16th, 1993 (exactly 6 years before I was born) in the south side of Chicago. He was brought up in a middle class setting, with his father, Ken Williams-Bennett, who worked for the Chicago mayor, and later for Barack Obama as a senator. As a kid, Chance rapped under the name Chano, rather than the name he raps under today. His brother, Taylor, also attempted to start a rap career, although obviously, he never experienced the same success.

Chance’s childhood was not always great though. In his senior year at high school, Chance was suspended for 10 days due to marijuana possession. Although this was a setback in his school career, it actually helped boost his rapping career. During this 10 day period, Chance worked on and released his first mixtape, properly named ’10 day.’ Even with this being his first work, it actually gained some attention, enough that he was featured in an article with Complex in February of 2012. The article, “10 Chicago rappers to watch out for,” discussed how “Chance has one of the more distinct flows and voices of any new artist in the game.” With all this hype around Chance, one should remember that this was after just one mixtape.

With this sudden relevance, he soon caught the attention of Donald Glover, or known as in the rap game, Childish Gambino. Chance contributed to Gambino’s song “They Don’t Like Me” in 2012. After this, Chance opened for Gambino’s next tour, while at the same time, Chance was working on his second mixtape, ‘Acid Rap.’ This was released on April 30, 2013, and was released as a free download. This allowed it to spread fast, and it drowned in praise. With all his talent, label records went after him hard. There was only one problem (contrary to his song), he would rather go label-less, not relying on anyone else. With this, his next two projects were also released for free to his fans, in whcih he also collaborated with J. Cole, Busta Rhymes, and the Social Experiment (a group of musicians).

These collaborations continued in 2016, when Chance sang with Kanye West on the latter’s album, ‘The Life of Pablo.’ This same year in May, he dropped his third free mixtape, “Coloring Book.” This album featured popular artists such as Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, T-Pain and Justin Bieber. The most successful song was “No Problem,” which topped the R&B/Hip-Hop charts with the song featuring 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne.

At the same time while experiencing this great success, Chance was also worrying about his hometown. He attended the White House to meet with former President Barack Obama to discuss My Brother’s Keeper Challenge, creating equal opportunities for young people. In March 2017, he met with Chicago Governor Bruce Rauner to discuss more funding for public schools. After Rauner declined, Chance donated $1 million to the cause himself. He’s also been extremely pivotal in the #SaveChicago campaign, aiming to decrease violence in the city that has high murder rates. His philanthropic ways only increased after 2015 when he had his daughter Kensli, which made him want to have a safe surrounding for his daughter. Hopefully, his philanthropy will continue while his musical success also will thrive. I wish the best for one of the most inspirational people in the music industry.