He Speaks to God in Public
Chance the Rapper’s finding faith through rap and philanthropy
Over the past few years, a unique voice has emerged from the streets of Chicago, and placed his mark on the rap game. Chance the Rapper (aka Lil Chano From 79th) has boldly based his career around spreading the gospel of God through music that resonates with the teenagers and young adults of this generation, while also setting examples of bettering his community.
From the beginning:
Chance grew up in Chicago, IL, where he attended prep school and lived in a middle-class Christian family. Seemingly more privileged than most young men from his hometown, Chance decided to follow passion rather meet the unsettling expectations his society had already set for him as a boy from the streets of Chicago.
During the start of his senior year, Chance was suspended from his high school for on-campus possession of marijuana, (In interviews, Chance openly admits how he used to sell drugs throughout his high school career.) This suspension drove him to create his first mixtape 10 Days rebelling against his teachers who looked down on him from wanting to become rapper.
After he started gaining recognition in 2013 following the release of his second mixtape Acid Rap, he became globally known as the next up-and-coming hip-hop artist.
However, things began to change in 2015 when his girlfriend, Kristen got pregnant. According to sources, the couple’s relationship was very on-and-off again while they were together.
After their child, Kensli was born, Chance decided to change his life around. He became infatuated with becoming the kind of father his daughter could look up to.
In a post on Instagram, Chance credits his daughter for making him a better individual, “This (Kensli) is the girl that reintroduced me to God. She’s the woman who reminded me how to be a man, and taught me how to love.”
He began to write songs with lyrics that directed praises towards God. He reinvented an old hymnal such as “How Great is Our God” into a song which he incorporated in his best-selling album “Coloring Book.” He preaches that Christians should not be ashamed to speak out about their beliefs, and his lyrics are outlined with praises, thanks, and expressions of love.
But that wasn’t the only thing he was working on….
Chance the Rapper decided to pour himself into philanthropies, knowing that he could make a change. His main focus was to improve the lives of others around him.
When Chance was only 18 years old, he witnessed one of his best friends die in his arms as a result of a street fight. This altercation impacted Chance in a way that changed him forever. He references the murder in lyrics of his song “Acid Rain”.
“My big homie died young, just turned older than him/ I seen it happen, I seen it happen, I seen it always/ he still be screaming, I see his demons in empty hallways.” -Chance the Rapper
As a result of this traumatic event, Chance teamed up with is father, an aide for the Chicago mayor as well as the then-Senator Barack Obama to promote activism in his hometown. In 2014, they promoted the “Save Chicago” campaign in order to speak out against gun violence. During an interview with MTV, Chance spoke about the need to reduce ongoing acts of violence in the streets of Chicago, a city infamously known as the murder capital of the United States. He advocated his involvement in it by stating that “it’s not going to change until somebody, anybody, puts it right in front of everybody else’s faces.” This campaign resulted in a a 42 hour period where there wasn’t a single shooting.
Recently, in 2017 Chance donated $1,000,000 to Chicago’s public schools in an effort to offset the lack of government funding. A week later, he gave another generous donation to a local elementary school in the Chicago area. He believes that our youth plays the biggest part in our future, and that they deserve every opportunity to be successful.
This past year, I had the opportunity to see Chance perform in concert. Personally, I have never seen a group of people so moved by someone’s music. At some points, especially when the choir would come on the stage, it felt as if I was sitting through a church service. Beside me was a child and his father. The most touching part of this grand experience was watching them during the performance of “How Great is Our God.” The man and his son were holding each other and had their hands in the air as if they were worshipping.
Seeing Chance in person was an unforgettable experience, because it was the culmination of all his beliefs put into his lyrics sung before me. I couldn’t believe what was happening in the moment because of how inspirational and touching his words were. Every time he sung, Chance hit a place in my heart, and that is priceless.
Chance the Rapper has proven to be a unique artist in his field in more than one aspect.
While some of our generations most popular current day rap songs are filled with lyrics that encourage vulgar acts of misconduct, Chance sheds a light on the meaning of love. He promotes fathers of color to be dads for their children. He emphasizes the importance of educating the young members of our society. He gives back to his city, and he isn’t afraid to speak out for what he believes in. Chance the Rapper exudes excellence and continues to enrich those around him.
