Chance The Rapper came into my life when I was just a junior in high school. I was skimming Soundcloud for new music to discover, and I came upon his 2013 mixtape "Acid Rap." Immediately, I was hooked. I had never heard anyone like him before. His way with words and his giddy attitude displayed in each song was enough to make me put the album on repeat. I've realized, though, as time has passed, Chance is so much more than just an artist. He's an activist, a visionary and a voice for the voiceless.
Chancelor Bennett was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1993. While he was in school, he dropped his first mixtape entitled "10 Day," named after a 10-day suspension he received for possessing weed on campus. His song "Windows" landed him on Complex's list of up and coming Chicago rappers, and he would eventually open up for Childish Gambino during his North American tour in 2012. His second mixtape, "Acid Rap," gained universal acclaim after its release in 2013. It soared to the top of the charts, was nominated for awards and was downloaded over a million times on DatPiff. Since then, Chance has released a short film, performed on SNL and appeared on Kanye West's newest album "The Life of Pablo."
I admire Chance The Rapper for a lot more than his music, though. His connections with his hometown are unbreakable and that's apparent through everything he does for the city. In February 2015, Chance announced a program for Chicago's youth called "Open Mike Night." This would allow for any artist with a high school ID to come collaborate and perform amongst fellow talented teens for free. He also organized a free concert in Chicago June 2015, bringing aboard various acts including Kendrick Lamar. He's so involved with Chicago's youth that he was awarded Chicago's Outstanding Youth Award in 2014.
It's not often these days that we see an artist so willing to give back to the community. Chance has organized initiatives for clothing for the homeless and started the hashtag #SaveChicago, resulting in 42 hours without homicide in the city of Chicago. His lyrics are inspirational and uplifting. The song "Wanna Be Cool," by Chance's band Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment, encourages listeners to be true to themselves, no matter what people think of them.
His music overall is powerful and heartfelt, and not a day goes by where you won't see me jamming to at least one of his tracks. His third mixtape, "Surf," was released for free on iTunes to the delight of his fans, showing us that he's never going to be in it for the money. Chance routinely collaborates with fantastic artists from R. Kelly to Kanye West (Chance wrote on "The Life of Pablo"). It continues to shock me that he's not as well known as some artists today, being that he hasn't ever put out a bad song and is consistent in empowering his fans.
I can pull out a lot of examples about Chance's music, beliefs and lifestyle and try to convince you that he's a good person that deserves your support, but the proof is in the pudding. I'm not trying to start an argument here, I just can't recall the last time I heard of someone using their fame to genuinely benefit others as much as Chance does.
