In many ways, 2016 was the year Chance the Rapper took over the game.
He had a candidate for verse of the year on Yeezy’s “Ultralight Beam”. In May 2016, Chance released his third mixtape, Coloring Book, which garnered praise from across wide swaths of hip-hop fans. Coloring Book broke ground as the first streaming only project to not only be up for a Grammy, actually won for Best Rap Album (a mixtape won Best rap album…think about that).
After years of hard work, Chance the Rapper has “arrived” and his “3” logo hat has become synonymous with Chicago’s south side; now he’s putting on for his city in a totally different way.
On March 6, Chano announced via press conference that he is donating $1 million to Chicago Public Schools, and also stated that for every $100,000 raised, his non-profit SocialWorks will match with another $10,000 to individual schools in support of arts education.
Thanks @chancetherapper for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much. You are an example of the power of arts education.
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) March 6, 2017
With so much negativity in the world and around hip-hop as a genre/culture, it is crucial we take a moment to appreciate when a person of Chance’s influence uses it for the good of a community. Donating these funds to the schools and his community can change the lives of an untold number of children. Chance won 2016, and with this move, is well on his way to winning 2017.
Salute!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnLNVfHJtow