Chance the Rapper has been a really hot topic recently due to his newly released mixtape, Coloring Book, which is expected to make Billboard history by charting on the Billboard 200 based purely on streams. The mixtape was released for free and has been getting massive plays via streaming outlets. The streams are expected to add to the equivalent of between 30,000 and 50,000 album sales. Those numbers will surely put him high up on the charts.
Chance who seems to be making big moves is one of over 27,000 people who signed a petition to allow free music and mixtapes to be considered for Grammy Awards. The issue is being looked into by the Grammy Awards committee and the outcome is expected to be positive. If so, Chance could find himself in contention for a Grammy, unless for some unknown reason he’s not nominated. If this happens we will see Chance become the first musician to achieve those two goals; certainly a victory for hip hop.
Other musicians are also talking about Chance, one of the most notable is Brooklyn native and highly respected lyricist Talib Kweli. A Twitter user recently tweeted out that there are no longer musicians who can live up to the standard that was set by the likes of Rakim and A Tribe Called Quest. Talib responded by saying that Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Joey Bada$$, Anderson Paak, J. Cole and, Rapsody and Run The Jewels are on their way to becoming legends.
Talib made quite a list there. All of the artists he mentioned have released high quality, original material which has made and continues to make an impact in the rap game. In connection to the same topic Kweli went on to mention that access to good music is no longer an issue [because of the Internet], which I agree with. My personal favorites from Kweli’s list are Kendrick, Cole and Joey.
Getting a co-sign from a wordsmith like Talib Kweli is no small feat and really speaks to Chance’s abilities as a musician. For now all we can do is wait and see until the Billboard numbers are out to see how high the Chicago emcee charts. The Grammy decision to make mixtapes eligible for awards will obviously take a little longer, but there’s currently nothing which is signaling that it will be negative.
You can listen to Chance’s entire project on various streaming platforms. You can also listen to it via the YouTube video below.
