Chancellor Bennett, aka Chance The Rapper, might just be the brightest star in hip hop right now. He's won multiple awards, changed the rules of the Grammys and become a social icon in the world of music. All of this success simply coming from his mixtapes released on sound cloud. Chance has ushered in a new era in hip-hop simply by being himself. All before the age of 25. The following reasons are why I believe Chance is the most influential figure in hip hop.
1. Independent Movement
The signature mark of Chance the Rapper would be his ability to create all of this success for himself WITHOUT having a record label.
99.9 percent of successful music stars in the industry are signed by a record label and have their promotion run through the label, but not Chance.
Chance has been adamant throughout his career that he didn't want a large record label having control over how he did things with music.
He's used many different unorthodox methods in his rise to success.
Releasing ALL of his music for free has been the pioneering tool in propelling Chance to music stardom.
Having his music free and on all major platforms for music playing (SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, and Tidal), Chance has been able to reach a wider audience.
Chance's success shows young artists that it's possible to be successful in the music industry without relying on a record label.
2. His Own Style in Music
It's hard-pressed not to have heard a Chance The Rapper song in the past year.
His album "Coloring Book" has one of the hottest songs of the past year in "No Problem" (feat Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz) as the headliner.
While it's a great catchy radio song to gather people's attention, the rest of Coloring Book shows the genius and creativity of Chance.
The album is an open letter displaying Chance's praise to God and his love for the other most important things in his life (family, music, and Chicago).
What makes the music so good is how he's able to present the music in a way that makes you feel that you're personally friends with the man and that you've experienced some of the same things. While also incorporating witty phrases that are relatable.
Chance is doing all these things while looking at hip hop from a lens that many artists haven't incorporated... God.
3. His Social Consciousness
There may not be a more socially active rapper out right now than Chance.
He recently donated 1 million dollars to the Chicago Public School system due to the governor not coming thru on his promise to help improve that school district.
Chance also led thousands of people to the voting booth in November to help them get their voice heard.
No other rapper is currently striving this hard to make a difference in their community.
Chance is one of a kind.
