Chancelor Jonathan Bennett, otherwise known as Chance the Rapper, is one of the biggest
names in hip-hop.
He's impressively managed to achieve all of his massive success on his own terms, but
there's a lot more to this musician than meets the eye.
Let's tune into the untold truth of Chance the Rapper.
"They say never leave things up to chance, I say always leave things up to Chance, you
know."
Label trouble
Throughout his meteoric rise to fame, Chance has always done things his way by refusing
to sign with a record label.
However, it's not due to a lack of interest.
In 2015, he told Fader,
"I've met with every A&R, VP of A&R, president of the labels, CEOs.
I know all these people."
Basically, Chance has had the necessary connections - he's simply chosen not to use them.
Luckily, some execs have supported the singer-songwriter in his unlikely route to success.
Chance explained,
"They're almost like, 'Keep going.
You're in uncharted territory, and you're helping to shed light on what [the future
of the business] will look like, and we're all curious.'"
Unfortunately, others have been less kind.
Chance later shared the downsides of going against the grain while speaking with Complex,
alleging that certain labels have tried to stump his growth.
When asked what specific things labels have done to try and stop him, he said,
"Push me out of headline positions so that their artist could be a headliner or not cleared
songs."
Chance went on to say that he doesn't think it's any sort of complicated conspiracy theory,
noting that some record label execs are just upset because they, quote, "wanted to make
money off [him] and [he] said no," while others don't like that he's admittedly advised friends
from signing with certain people.
"When they hear that back, then they tell other people bad s--- about me."
Yikes.
First free album
As an independent artist, Chance prides himself on offering iTunes' first free album ever.
The 2015 record Surf was released as part of his side project, Donnie Trumpet and the
Social Experiment, which the Chicago Tribune dubbed as:
"A hothouse of young musicians, songwriters, producers steeped not only in hip-hop, but
in R&B, soul, jazz, funk, rock, and other subcultures."
The album received rave reviews but, even more impressively, also made history.
Chance took to Twitter to underscore this point while celebrating the two-year anniversary
of Surf's release.
Calling it the "first free album on [iTunes]," the rapper revealed that he attempted to get
iTunes to make the download button display the word 'free' instead of 'get.'
But it seems his influence only stretched so far.
Still, the "Nothing Came to Me" musician proudly spoke about this collaborative effort during
an appearance on The Joe Budden Podcast in 2018, where he gave an inside look at his
two-project deal with the music platform.
Despite the free output, it was quite lucrative for Chance.
Truly independent?
After making a big deal of refusing to sign with a record label, Chance was hit with criticism
about seemingly giving up his status as an independent artist when he agreed to a deal
with Apple Music.
In an effort to clarify his contract, he tweeted in 2017,
"I wanna clear things up.[Apple] gave me half a mil and a commercial to post Coloring Book
exclusively on Apple Music for 2 weeks."
In a separate tweet, he went on to say,
"That was the extent of my deal, after two weeks it was on SoundCloud for free.
I needed the money and they're all good people over there."
Chance later shared some more insight on the deal on The Joe Budden Podcast, saying that
Apple first came to him to offer him what would end up being, in his words, "the whole
Drake-Apple deal."
Elaborating that there was $20 million on the table for this two-project deal, the rapper
admitted that the company wanted a solo Chance project, but since he didn't have one ready
at the time, he got $500,000 instead.
He used the money for advertising.
Chance and Barack
During Barack Obama's presidency, he and Chance the Rapper met on numerous occasions, from
kicking it at a state dinner to discussing criminal justice reform, according to Chance's
tweets.
However, it turns out their friendship precedes the White House.
"Chance, I've known for years 'cause his dad was my state director when I was a senator
in Illinois, so I first met Chance when he was eight years old."
Obama added that they've been, quote, "family for a while."
But that's not all.
According to Rolling Stone, Chance actually interned for Obama during his first presidential
campaign.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama later solidified just how close the two families have remained
in a video message for the rapper at the 2017 BET Awards.
She said,
"We have known Chance and his family since he was a wee little baby rapper, and it has
been a thrill watching him come into his own in so many ways."
Chance the Actor?
In October 2016, Chance told fans that he'd spent the entire summer on a film set.
Yes, the musician tried out his acting chops with a starring turn in Slice, a horror comedy
feature.
Austin Vesely, the director of the film, had previously worked with Chance on a number
of music videos.
He told the Chicago Tribune that he didn't need to convince the Windy City native to
give acting a try, adding,
"He basically told me that when the time comes that I could make something, he'd be there
for me.
So I wrote a role for him in the piece."
Chance's role in question was, according to Vesely, "a werewolf who is a former Chinese
food delivery driver."
As interesting as that might sound, the project garnered lukewarm reviews, and unfortunately
failed to mark his hot new career path as Chance the Actor.
Not Christian rap
Chance has never shied away from speaking about his Christian faith and its importance.
However, he doesn't necessarily want fans to think of his music as Christian rap.
Given the religious sounds and themes regularly found in his songs, that might be easier said
than done.
After Rolling Stone called Coloring Book "a gospel-rap masterpiece," for example, Chance
told Teen Vogue in 2017 that he didn't really want that to happen.
He explained,
"One of my biggest fears with Coloring Book was that it would be labeled.
I never sought out for people to recognize it as a gospel album.
I don't make Christian rap, but I am a Christian rapper."
Explaining where the apprehension came from, Chance noted,
"I feared that people would be dismissive of it, like, 'This is Christian rap, I'm not
trying to hear it.'"
Chance shared a similar message in a freestyle rap on Instagram the following year, saying,
"Your favorite rapper's a Christian rapper."
Broke 'a lot'
He may be devoted to giving away his music for free, but Chance the Rapper sure knows
how to make money.
From merch to tours and lucrative business partnerships, he's earned a nice chunk of
change over the years - so much that it actually landed him on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list
in 2017 with an estimated earning of $33 million.
But this musician also knows how to spend it.
He confessed to GQ in 2017,
"I go broke a lot."
That's because Chance believes in putting everything he has into his career - not to
mention his philanthropy - and trusts that it's a worthy investment.
He explained,
"I have this understanding that whatever I put out there, if I really am doing what's
right, it's going to be rewarding.
I remember sitting on the back of the bus on the first day of the Social Experiment
tour, with my face in my hands.
I emptied out my bank account, and before I did that tour, that was the number one thing
I said I'd never do.
[…] But I put all that money up, and within two weeks, when everyone was getting paid,
I was like, Okay, cool, we're good again."
When asked to name the last time he was broke, the rapper admitted it pretty much happens
with every new record.
He proclaimed,
"The same s--- happened with Surf.
And the same s--- happened with Coloring Book."
Signature hat
Chance has become synonymous with his signature Number 3 cap, but it's much more than a mere
fashion statement.
As the rapper told GQ, his affinity for caps started at a young age and never faded.
He recalled,
"I used to always rock a cap when I was in high school and get them taken away.
It was an excessive amount.
Like, so often that at the end of each school year, there would be a box of all the confiscated
caps.
I think, in one part, it's a rebellion."
As for the significance of the number 3, it was born out of a desire to replace his go-to
Chicago White Sox caps with something fresh.
He explained,
"I wanted to put something else on the hat.
And so I decided to do 3.
I rationalized it to myself that it stands for the third mixtape, the Holy Trinity, and
the three-pronged family of myself, my daughter, and my girl."
Impact on brands
You know you're doing something right when your influence extends to Corporate America.
It started in May 2019 when Chance tweeted out praise for Wendy's, jokingly writing,
"Positive Affirmations for today: I will have a good day, I will succeed today, Wendy's
will bring back spicy nuggets at some point please please Lord let it be today."
Well, not only did Wendy's respond, but the company actually agreed to do just that - under
one condition.
Wendy's promised,
"Y’all keep asking, so here’s your chance.
The people in charge say if you guys can get our tweet (this one right here) to 2 Million
likes, they will bring SPICY CHICKEN NUGGETS BACK.
Let’s freakin’ do this!"
It took less than 48 hours to get the necessary likes - and the spicy chicken nuggets were
indeed back by that August.
So it's no surprise then that when Chance mentioned that he met his wife at a Re/Max
party on the 2019 track "Zanies and Fools," there was speculation about it boosting the
brand.
Chicago Business asked a marketing expert, who noted,
"[It's] the best sort of endorsement because Chance apparently isn't being paid for this
- he's talking about Re/Max as part of his life, and as an important part of his life."
They added that this, in turn, could translate into positive brand recognition for his fans
who might potentially think they should use Re/Max when it comes time to shop for a home.
Baptism 'saved' him
Chance has made no secret of how important his faith is to him, but as he told Nicki
Minaj on her Queen Radio show, it was actually his wife's faith that helped him get through
a low point in his life.
While discussing his 2019 album, The Big Day, Chance told his fellow rapper he wanted her
to listen to his song "We Go High," which he claimed has the best verse he's ever written.
It's an ode to the love of his life, his wife, who he claims saved his life once she decided
to become celibate and get baptized.
The incident happened after Chance was apparently unfaithful and the pair temporarily split.
"I had to do the Grammys by myself.
I had to do a lot by myself.
Then when my girl was gracious enough to have me back, it changed my whole life."
Secret on-screen role
Disney's live-action remake of The Lion King in 2019 features an A-list musical cast, from
Donald Glover to Beyoncé - but there's one celebrity you might not even notice is in
the flick: Chance the Rapper.
Chance revealed his super secret - and kind of strange - role during an appearance on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in July 2019.
The rapper explained that the on-and-off-screen gig came to be when his good friend, Donald
Glover, told director Jon Favreau that Chance was a big fan of the original flick.
One thing led to another and he was eventually brought on as, in his words, "a nostalgia
consultant to tell [Favreau] what '90s kids like about Lion King."
That's not all, though.
He also apparently did some vocal work for the film - but he had some trouble getting
Fallon's studio audience to believe him.
"It's very, very weird, I do like a lot of the background noises.
I'm dead serious."
The crowd still didn't seem to be totally convinced Chance was telling the truth, but
he stuck to his guns.
"In very small parts, like if you see an antelope grazing.
I'm so serious right now."
Is there anything Chance the Rapper can't do?
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