Chance the Rapper: The Forgotten Three-peat

By Jarris Jones

Rap/Hip-Hop Journalist

The 29-year-old Chicago artist “Chance the Rapper” arrived in the rap game back in 2012 with the release of his mixtape 10 Day. The record follows a young high school Chance, who has been suspended from school for two weeks. During these two weeks, he goes on to assemble a mixtape, which in the school days is equivalent to ten days, hence the title, “10 Day.” The record was released in 2012, and I would stumble upon the record in 2013 while scrolling through SoundCloud on my iPod. A young 11-year-old Jarris was blown away by the uniqueness of his voice and the ad-libs that followed, which would have me going around the house randomly saying “AH.” Songs such as “Brain Cells,” “22 Offs” and “Hey Ma” solidified me as a Chance the Rapper fan and had me looking forward to his next project.

The wait for that next project wouldn’t take long; with the arrival of his second album, Acid Rap, released on April 30, 2013, Chance the Rapper had struck gold again. The name for the mixtape stems from the use of the drug to make 40% of the mixtape. The 14-song record made me a super fan; with classics such as “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” “Juice,” “Favorite Song” and “Everything’s Good,” this record opened many ears and helped him gain a bigger fan base.

I have good memories stemming from this record. My brother Joseph and I used to trade music on car rides when I was in middle school. I played him “Juice” for the first time, and he looked at me, calmly took my iPod, and laughed at me. He said, “Bro, this is trash; turn this off.” I tried to push my Chance the Rapper agenda and was shut down by my mentor, my big brother. I would continue this challenge of making my older brother like Chance by playing his music around the house anytime he was home. I feel as if it grew on him over time, and I counted my conversion a success.

The album that pushed Chance the Rapper into stardom would become available on streaming services on May 13, 2016. This gift to the world would be titled Coloring Book. I loved everything about this mixtape. The rollout was amazing, including the trademark Chance “3” hat that went along with the cover. This record made my time in high school enjoyable; I even dressed up as him for Halloween that year, and my oldest brother, Joseph, who called his song “Juice” trash in 2013, even got me tickets to his concert!

Coloring Book would go on to win three Grammy Awards in 2017 thanks to songs such as “No Problem,” “Juke Jam” and “Blessings.” This record means so much to me. From my toughest times to my happiest days, this record has been with me through thick and thin, and that’s all thanks to Chance the Rapper for sharing his art with the world. Chance was able to release three classic mixtapes, with each one getting better than the last, which is a tough thing to do for a young artist. Blessings kept falling in his lap, and he shared them with the world. Thank you, Chance the Rapper, for not only sharing your art but also giving me music I can listen to forever.