I'm not going to lie, I was going to write a completely different article this week. Originally I was going to write about the changes that the genre known as R&B has gone through, and believe me I'm going to finish that article, but right now I'm feeling inspired to take a different path. I hope you're willing to go on that path with me. It's time to talk about Chancellor Bennett, or as many of us know him as, Chance the Rapper.

About thirteen hours before I started writing this article I was at a Chance the Rapper concert in Virginia. Now I'm sitting in Philadelphia, still in awe of not just Chance's showmanship and energy, but of his ascent to fame. He's truly a one of a kind talent, whose brand of weird charisma is truly hard to replicate. Throughout the concert I couldn't help but wonder, "How can I be more like Chance?" until I realized that what makes Chance so amazing and so unique is how non-replicable he is.

Now I'm sure Chance has his flaws, as an artist, as a person, as a businessman, and a brand maker. That's apart of being human. But what is so captivating is his openness, showmanship, faithfulness, and genuineness. Chancellor Bennett has re-defined in many ways how we view artistry. Whereas SoundCloud and YouTube were once avenues to break into the record industry, he effectively turned the system on his head, circumventing the system and taking control of his own musical destiny. That's something that I, a developing artist myself, can both appreciate and look up to.

I remember first hearing about Chance in late 2013 when some friends of mine went to one of his concerts. I didn't really know who he was the and it wasn't until I heard his feature on Justin Bieber's "Confident" that I listened to him. I thought he was weird, especially since I was more acquainted with the likes of Kendrick, J. Cole, and Jay Z. However, for the next few years I would listen more and more to Chance, slowly developing a taste for his alternative, soul/gospel inspired sound. As his features continued to build and the hype increased, I readily called myself a fan, and by the time Chance 3, or "Coloring Book" was released, I was a full on Chance fanatic, and with good reason. His body of work is impressive.

At just 23 years old, Chance has travelled the world, met the president, written and produced songs with some of music's heaviest hitters, formed a successful Chicago-based music collective Save Money, performed a tribute for the GOAT Muhammad Ali (Rest in Power), and embraced the responsibilities of fatherhood. Additionally, he's already mastered the art of brand creation, merchandising, and self promotion. He's done all of that while maintaining an intense devotion to the Christian faith, despite society's growing apathy towards the ideas of God and spirituality.

I was raised a Black Catholic, which despite popular belief is still a Christian denomination. As I sat in concert hearing people sing along to staple hymns of my churchgoing childhood experiences, like "How Great," I was in awe of how he has blurred the line between faithfulness, gospel, and traditional hip hop. As he affirmed people at the end of the concert telling the audience that "Your blessing was coming," I was amazed. The one aspect of Chance that you'd think would turn people away, he has in fact woven so deeply into his DNA as an artist and as a person, that it seems to be wrong to try and separate the two.

I believe he isn't done. In fact, I'd argue that Chance the Rapper will continue to be the "Voice of a Generation," that he is already heralded as by many. In a time and political climate full of pessimism and injustice, a unifying force of optimism is welcome, if not necessary. And as far as my question about how to be more like Chance, I think the best path to follow in that regard is to be unapologetic about the person I am, while not accepting the box, that society may want to force on me.