While we’re stuck in York sitting around looking at ducks and hard at work in the library (sometimes), somewhere in the world is a 21-year-old named Chancellor Bennett, busy making sizzling tunes and performing to thousands. This man goes by the name of ‘Chance the Rapper’, and even at such a young age he is one of the most exciting names in modern hip-hop. Just a few years ago he served a 10 day suspension from high school for the possession of marijuana, during which he wrote his first mixtape, ‘#10DAY’.
His second project ‘Acid Rap’ has been highly regarded by hip-hop fans and music critics alike. It features guest appearances from the likes of Childish Gambino, Action Bronson and Absoul, and was nominated for Best Mixtape at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards. It appeared on many albums of the year lists for 2013, coming 4th on Complex’s list and ranked 12th by Pitchfork, despite the fact that it doesn’t officially exist as an album. If you haven’t listened to this yet we thoroughly recommend that you should.
Taking a look at the US hip-hop scene today, Kendrick Lamar is leading the charge with his stirring lyrics, spell-binding narratives and ground-breaking production. If for any reason you’ve missed it, Kendrick has released his new masterpiece ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’. We’ll restrain from saying any more as we’d need another five pages… Just trust us when we say that it truly deserves to be heard, by everyone.
Lamar’s popularity is guiding hip-hop to the forefront of the music world, while artists like Chance the Rapper and his contemporary Childish Gambino (AKA Donald Glover) who played an important role in propelling his career, are penetrating the mainstream.
Chance brings an alternative approach to his music, drawing on elements from these artists and many more aspects of modern hip-hop. The most exciting thing about Chance’s music is that it is so different. Think slick rhythms, funky horns, jazzy synth chords and fast paced fluid rhymes. He’s old school at the same time as being progressive and to some extent pioneering his own genre, as ‘Acid Rap’ would suggest.
Oh, and keep in mind that he hasn’t even released his debut album yet… ‘Surf’ releases later this year with Chance and his band The Social Experiment in collaboration. We can expect an intermingling of many different genres and influences on what claims to be a free listenable project. So we urge you to check out Chance the Rapper, he’s our sound of the summer.
If you’re not a hip-hop fan, why not try it out? Hip-Hop is the fastest developing music genre on the planet and Chance is a very exciting contributor to its continual evolution and influence on modern music.