Chance The Rapper: Chicago native, creative, and whom Kanye West has called "the future" of Hip-Hop. From arriving on the scene with 2013's "Acid Rap" to making the mainstream with his latest work "Coloring Book," the 23 year-old independent-label rapper has slowly become a favorite for a new generation of Hip-Hop fans. At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, Chance showed an emotion we haven't seen from rappers in quite some time: happiness.
From acting like an inflatable, arm-flailing tube man on the VMAs red carpet,
To geeking out when he gets a passing side hug from Beyoncé,
Even down to complimenting Jaden Smith on his wardrobe choice for the festivities. Chance The Rapper embodies something that we haven't seen in quite some time: the carefree, black boy aesthetic. It's a refreshing answer to the yesteryear of rappers showing little to no emotion. In fact, the Chi-town native even posted a photo to his Twitter account with the hashtag, #BlackBoyJoy. The tag set the social media site ablaze, with many other users posting their own photos, resonating with the trending topic. Especially given the current atmosphere of America, which has been rather aggressive and almost warlike in the last few years. Black men dying at the hands of authority, with this year seeing an unfortunate increase in such crimes. Black boy joy is a rare, often overlooked, and much needed break from the tragic events that afflicted the country this year. Although Chance isn't necessarily the first to do so, the simple fact that he is now associated with a vibrant, happy-go-lucky energy is something from which we all need to take notes.
In hindsight, the idea of #BlackBoyJoy is a complete 180 from let's say, twenty years ago. Are the days of rappers showing very little to no emotion gone? Well, maybe. The question now is if whether or not other rappers or entertainers will follow suit with #BlackBoyJoy. It's not impossible, but Hip-Hop has some ways to go before this becomes more widespread on a mainstream scale. In the meantime, one can hope that this will slowly but surely encourage not only other rappers, but young black men that it's okay to display your feelings in a society that widely says otherwise.
