Chance the Rapper (1993-…) is an American rap artist. His album Coloring Book (2016) became the first album distributed exclusively through online streaming to reach the Billboard 200 chart, a ranking of the 200 most popular albums that is published by the magazine Billboard. It also became the first online-only album to win a Grammy Award, taking the 2017 award for best rap album. Chance is known as an independent artist, releasing music without the support of a major record label. In 2023, Chance became a coach on the singing-competition television show “The Voice.”
Chance was born on April 16, 1993, in Chicago, Illinois. His full name is Chancelor Johnathan Bennett. His father worked as an aide to several politicians, including Barack Obama, then a United States senator. Chance recorded his first album, 10 Day (2012), during his senior year of high school. Acid Rap (2013), his second album, received praise from critics. Chance released both albums online for free. Chance’s albums are sometimes referred to as mixtapes. In hip-hop culture, a mixtape is an independently produced recording, often distributed for free. In 2015, Chance appeared as part of the hip-hop jazz group The Social Experiment on their first album, Surf.
In 2016, Chance released the album Coloring Book for free online. Coloring Book featured the singles “No Problem,” “Angels,” and “Summer Friends.” The album became the first record to enter the Billboard 200 chart exclusively through online streaming, rather than traditional album sales.
At the 2017 Grammy Awards, Chance the Rapper won the awards for best rap album (for Coloring Book) and best rap performance (“No Problem”). Chance also became the first male solo rap artist to win the Grammy Award for best new artist.
In addition to his albums, Chance has released a number of singles for free online. They include “The Man Who Has Everything”, “My Own Thing,” and “I Might Need Security,” all released in 2018. Chance the Rapper has appeared on many songs by other artists, including Cardi B, Childish Gambino, and DJ Khaled.
