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♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK.
TONIGHT, I'M EXCITED TO SIT DOWN WITH A THREE-TIME GRAMMY WINNING
MUSICIAN WHO HAS JUST RELEASED A NEW ALBUM CALLED "MERRY
CHRISTMAS LIL MAMA: THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING."
PLEASE WELCOME CHANCE THE RAPPER!
HELLO, CHANCE!
>> HI, STEPHEN!
>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU.
HOW ARE YOU?
PEACE, PEACE.
HERE'S THE THING -- IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU, BUT I GET SLIGHTLY
WEIRDED OUT WHEN IT'S THE SECOND TIME I'VE SPOKEN TO SOMEONE OVER
ZOOM DURING COVID.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: HOW ARE YOU GUYS HOLDING UP?
>> IT'S -- IT'S STILL GOING, STEPHEN.
IT HAS NOT STOPPED BEING A PANDEMIC, BUT WE'RE BANNING
TOGETHER, ME AND MY WIFE.
WE'RE TAKING TURNS WITH THE KIDS AND --
>> Stephen: LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE YOU SAID YOU AND YOUR WIFE
HOME WITH THE TWO DAUGHTERS, QUITE YOUNG, FIVE AND ONE,
THAT'S CHALLENGING.
YOU SAID THE KIDS ARE DEFEATING US.
HAS THE PLAYING FIELD LEVELED OUT AT ALL?
>> NO, IT'S STILL TWO-ZERO.
THEY'RE VERY ANIMATED KIDS.
MY YOUNGEST ONE, SHE DOESN'T SAY WORDS BUT SHE STILL TALKS AT
LOT.
THEY BOTH HAVE A LOT OF TALKING TO DOW DO THROUGHOUT THE DAY
WHICH CAN BECOME A JOB IN ITSELF JUST RESPONDING TO YOUR KIDS.
BUT IT'S BEEN GOOD OVERALL AND WE'VE GOT HOPE FROM OUR AWESOME
NANNY AND OUR FRIENDS AND PARENTS WHEN THEY'RE WILLING TO
WATCH THEM FOR A SECOND.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE TWO KIDS, YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE 20 KIDS.
MORE THAN ONE IS -- >> Stephen: I'M HERE TO TELL
YOU BECAUSE I HAVE MORE THAN TWO KIDS AND THAT IS A LIE.
( LAUGHTER ) ONE OF MY OLDEST FRIENDS, GUY
NAMED SCOTT WEARY, WHEN HE HAD THREE KIDS AND I ONLY HAD TWO
KIDS, HE SAID, MAN, YOU'VE GOT TO GO FOR THE THIRD, YOU'RE
ALREADY MAXIMALLY INCONVENIENCED, YOU CAN'T GET
MORE TIRED.
AND THEN WE HAD THE THIRD KID, AND I WENT, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING
ABOUT, THIS IS SO MUCH HARDER!
HE SAID, YEAH, I LIED, WE DIDN'T WANT TO BE THE ONLY COUPLE THAT
HAD THREE KIDS.
SO I'LL LIE TO YOU.
GO FOR THE THIRD ONE.
DOESN'T GET HARDER.
GO TO A ZONE DEFENSE.
YOU WILL BE FINE.
I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS -- I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THIS --
YOU HAVE BEEN AN ONGOING PUBLIC CONVERSATION RECENTLY WITH DION
WARWICK.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: SHE HAS TURNED INTO QUITE A MASTER OF TWITTER.
SHE TWEETED AT YOU, HI, CHANCE THE RAPPER, IF YOU ARE VERY
OBVIOUSLY A RAPPER WHY TID YOU PUT IT IN YOUR STAGE NAME?
I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS.
FIRST OF ALL, DION WARWICK!
"SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR YOU"!
WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU SAY THIS, HAD YOU MET HER BEFORE?
>> NO, I WAS SURPRISED SHE KNEW WHO I WAS.
IT'S STILL GOING.
WE'RE APPARENTLY WORKING ON A SONG.
>> Stephen: YOU AND DION WARWICK ARE DOING A SONG
TOGETHER?
>> YEAH, I KNOW, IT'S A HUGE, IMMENSE HONOR.
SHE SHOUTED ME OUT ON TWITTER AND I FREAKED OUT FOR A WHILE
AND HIT HER BACK, AND SHE STARTED CONTACTING ME IN REAL
LIFE.
IT'S A BLUR.
IT FEELS LIKE MY FIRST TASTE OF REAL THING.
>> Stephen: YOU FINALLY MADE IT.
YOU'RE ON DION WARWICK'S RADAR.
>> EXACTLY.
I WENT TO STARBUCKS THE OTHER DAY.
THEY'RE, LIKE, ARE YOU THE GUY THAT GOT TWEETED BY DION
WARWICK?
I'M, LIKE, IT'S ME, THE SAME GUY.
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR EARLY BRUSHES WITH FAME.
2021 IS GOING TO BE THE TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF YOU RECORDING
YOUR DEBUT MIX TAPE "TEN DAY."
DOESN'T THAT SEEM FAST?
DOES IT SEEM LIKE YESTERDAY OR HAS THIS BEEN A LONG TEN YEARS
FOR YOU?
>> I GUESS SO.
MY HIGH SCHOOL REUNION IS NEXT YEAR.
IT WILL BE TEN YEARS SINCE I GOT MY SUSPENDED, SINCE I MADE MY
TEN-DAY SUSPENSION MIXED TAPE.
THAT'S CRAZY TO THINK ABOUT.
I FEEL LIKE, WHEN I FIRST STARTED, I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING
ELSE TO RAP ABOUT OTHER THAN BEING SUSPENDED, SO I'M GLAD I'M
GROWN AND I CAN RAP ABOUT BEING MARRIED AND OTHER COOL THINGS
GOING ON IN MY LIFE.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S YOUR EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORY?
>> MY EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORY?
THE FIRST TIME THAT I PERFORMED, I REMEMBER, IT WAS --
>> Stephen: HOW OLD WERE YOU?
IT WAS FIVE.
IT WAS AT MY KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION AND I ACTUALLY -- I
HAD MY OWN LINE IN THE PROGRAM.
IT WAS SAID CHANCELLOR BENNETT, DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT, MICHAEL
JACKSON DANCE.
I DID A MICHAEL JACKSON IMPERSONATION WITH THE GLASSES
AND ALL.
>> Stephen: WAS IT BILLIE JEAN OR THRILLER OR WHAT WAS THAT?
>> I THINK YOU WERE THERE, IT WAS BILLIE JEAN.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?
( LAUGHTER ) YEAH, I KILLED IT, THOUGH.
I WAS VERY POISED, CUTE KID, VERY INTO SINGING AND DANCING AT
THE TIME.
MIKE, OVERALL, SHAPED MY LOVE FOR MUSIC.
I HAD THE CASETTES AND THE VIDEOS AND WE WERE WATCHING AT
THE HOUSE.
HE VERY MUCH SO SHAPED MY LOVE FOR MUSIC AT A YOUNG AGE.
>> Stephen: YOU USED TO DEAL WITH RAP OPEN MICS WHEN YOU WERE
A KID.
YOU GOT ADVICE FROM A GUY NAMED BROTHER MIKE AFTER, LIKE, SECOND
OR THIRD TIME YOU WENT UP.
>> YEAH.
SO I USED TO DO THIS OPEN MICT AT A LIBRARY, AND MY MENTOR WAS
A GUY NAMED BROTHER MIKE.
HE PASSED AWAY.
HE WAS A GREAT, GREAT MAN, MENTORED A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT OF
CHICAGO, AT LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ARTISTS NOW CAME OUT OF THE
SAME MUSIC PROGRAM.
BUT I WOULD GO UP THERE TO THE OPEN MIC AND I GARNERED MY OWN
FAN BASE AT THE OPEN MIC OF KIDS THAT CAME SPECIFICALLY TO SEE
ME, AND I WOULD DO THE SONG I CALLED BRAIN CELLS ABOUT SMOKING
WEED AND GETTING RID OF BRAIN CELLS, BUT I PERFORMED IT EVERY
WEEK.
THE KIDS LOVED IT.
IT WAS A FAN FAVORITE.
BROTHER MIC PULLED ME TO THE SIDE AND SAID IF YOU PERFORM
THAT AGAIN I WILL NEVER LET YOU PERFORM AGAIN.
IT WASN'T BECAUSE TO HAVE THE CONTENT.
HE WANTED ME TO EXPAND.
I GOT IN A COMFORT ZONE.
THAT WAS A SONG I KNEW THE WORDS THAT PEOPLE RESPONDED POSITIVELY
T.
>> Stephen: THAT'S A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN YOU AS AN ARTIST.
>> YEAH, IT STUCK WITH ME AND MADE ME REALIZE IF I'M AN
ARTIST, I'VE GOT TO KEEP MAKING STUFF, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: CHANCE, WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
WHEN WE COME BACK, WE'LL TALK ABOUT HIS NEW CHRISTMAS ALBUM.
STICK AROUND.
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