Nearly two weeks since he shared his heavenly new single “Child of God,” accompanied by a thoughtful painting installed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in his hometown Chicago, Chance the Rapper is now fully focused on his upcoming full-length project.
In a recent interview with The TRiiBE, a publication focused on the Black community in Chicago, Chance discussed how he wants to connect his music to tangible art, much like “Child of God” did, as well as his affinity for Chicago and his Black roots. As he helped put the creative aspect of his recent single together, Chance is much more than an artist in his revitalized chapter, but a curator of all perspectives.
“I’m the curator of this project. That’s the main role that I’ve assumed. I’m the writer, and the director-slash-curator. I’m trying to work with as many people as possible — that are also artists — to turn my monologues into dialogues. A piece that’s conveying that conversation and making it about connectivity.”
Chance The Rapper
Considering this multi-faceted approach, Chance does not want to refer to this forthcoming project as an album, because its reach is far beyond just audio files.“It’s a big ole project,” he said. “I’m trying to think of a good word for it. I feel like it’s like a heist.”
This would be Chance’s first full-length project since his debut album The Big Day (2019), which received harsh reviews and ratings from both fans and critics alike. However, Chance explained that he does not like putting a numerical value or worth on a song or album, as it can hold different meanings to many different people.
“How can you enjoy it if you put a number on it?” he questioned. “I’ve never shown somebody a song and been, like, ‘This song is really good. You should listen to it. It’s an eight or a nine.’ Or, somebody show me something and I be, like, ‘this shit decent. I’ll give it a six.’ I’m trying to feel the song, feel what it means to me.”
Chance continued speaking on The Big Day, divulging that it helped him evolve as he’s more than excited to move forward with music due to some words of wisdom from the legendary Dave Chappelle.
“Rather than departure, I would say progression. A positive progression,” he said. “It’s like Dave Chappelle told me. That album, or a special like in comedy, they don’t define who you are. They’re like a yearbook photo. You come in and you document who you are in that moment, and then you come back next year and you make another.”
Still without a title or release date, fans remain unsure in how Chance will approach the LP’s other creative branches. However, it seems as though the Chicago native’s upcoming album could be his most ambitious and expansive yet.
Check out his recent performance of “Child of God” on The Late Show below!
