Chance the Rapper

1993

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Kirsten Corley (m. 2019)

$33 million (2019)

Chancelor Jonathan Bennett is a rapper, singer, songwriter, activist and actor born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, US.

Chance the Rapper started his musical career with the release of his mixtape “10 Day” in 2012, and began to gain to mainstream recognition in 2013 as a result his “Acid Rap” mixtape release.

After releasing “Coloring Book” in 2016, Chance the Rapper won three Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album; peaking at number eight on the Billboard 200 charts.

Chance the Rapper released his debut studio album in July 2019, debuting at number two on the US Billboard 200 – becoming his highest charting entry rate until today.

In addition to music, Chance the Rapper has played a prominent role in campaigning alongside his father for Obama’s presidential campaign and continues to vocally criticize the Trump administration’s policies.

Chance the Rapper identifies as a Christian and refers to Jesus Christ in multiple songs, having been raised as such by his grandmother. While he briefly fell out of the faith, he allegedly rediscovered it after his daughter was born with an atrial flutter.

When interviewed by radio host Joe Budden on fellow Chicago native Kanye West with whom he’s worked closely, Chance The Rapper explained that West thinks exclusively about how he will be perceived as an artist in the distant future. Citing West’s adorning of a MAGA hat with a Kaepernick sweater, Chance The Rapper says that West acts controversial in order to get the attention of the masses and thus to get his actions documented in history.

Having worn caps since his early youth, Chance The Rapper’s decision to wear a “3” is to do with his mixtapes and his family. Believing in the Trinity, the 3 cap symbolizes his third mixtape, Coloring Book, and his family: composed of himself, his wife Kirsten Corley and his daughter Kensli Bennet.

Chance The Rapper’s first two projects – “10 Day” (2012), and “Acid Rap” (2013) – were a collection of songs (i.e. a mixtape) and were given away on audio sharing platforms and sites such as SoundCloud for free.

Coloring Book (2016) was released exclusively on Apple Music before being available across various platforms, being the first album to chart on the US Billboard 200 from streams alone. Coloring Book won Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards and is the first streaming-only album to ever win a Grammy.