Chance the Rapper was born in 1993 on April 16. He showed an affinity for music from a young age and was very musical at school, forming a hip hop duo whilst still in high school. It was during his school days that he recorded his first full length project, a mixtape he titled ’10 Day’. Despite being somewhat of a troublemaker, having been suspended for weed related activities, Bennett had big musical aspirations and in December 2011 he released his first song, ‘Windows’ and announced his ’10 Day’ project. After a further year of polishing his music, Bennett finally released the album on April 3 2012. It was received very well locally and made available to download via Datpiff, which it subsequently was over 250,000 times. This staggering success marked just the start of Bennett’s career and his transformation into Chance the Rapper.
Chance’s second mixtape release, entitled ‘Acid Rap’ earned him mainstream recognition and he soon began to earn a following. Released on April 30 2013, it was certified double platinum and downloaded 800,000 times. It was also nominated for Best Mixtape at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards that year. It was listed on multiple top 50 album lists that year and led to Chance touring across the US for the first time.
At the ripe age of 21 Chance the Rapper is one of newest and youngest faces in hip-hop. Despite being so young Chancellor Bennett already has two mix tapes and a few tours under his belt. His second mixtape ‘Acid Rap’ awarded him universal claim, it’s gone double platinum on DatPiff, BET named it one of the bst mix tapes of 2013, and Pitchfork gave it an 8.4 and the “Best New Music” title. While we wait for Chance to release a full length album he’s been putting out a few features with the likes of Childish Gambino, Chuck Inglish, and others. He’s also been touring the country and getting ready for the summer festival season.
Chance differs from most hip-hop MCs in that hehas the privilege of touring with a live drummer and a keyboardist who help add to the atmosphere and create a concert like experience rather than a DJ on a Macbook making beats. Chance also has a few friends help him out on stage with some ambient lighting to create some special effects that help you get in the mood for some of the more popular cuts from ‘Acid Rap’ like “Pusha Man,” “Cococa Butter Kisses,” and “Favorite Song.”If you’re planning on catching Chance the Rapper soon, brush up on those free mixtapes, he has a diehard fan base that will be up front and center for the show, you don’t want to be left alone in the dark not knowing any of the lyrics, hooks, or beats.