All photographs by Chris Valencia
Don’t let his tears fool you – Chance the Rapper is a tough guy. That’s according to one of many emotional moments from the first stop of his “comeback tour.” Chance, whose real name is Chancelor Bennett, has not seen the Houston stage since his 2017 performance in the Woodlands, celebrating the release of The Coloring Book. While he did have plans to perform in Houston in early 2020 for The Big Day, this tour would ultimately be canceled due to the birth of his daughter and a lack of enthusiasm for a hugely disappointing album. Through a journey of drugs, relationships, activism, corporate partnerships, and religious experiences — the independent artist has finally found his footing with the release of Star Line.
Video clips of Richard Pryor, Michael Winslow, and other famous black comedians rolled as Chance the Rapper jumped straight into the beginning of his album, incuding the uplifting intro “Star Side” and the 90s-style collab with Do or Die “Ride.” Houston was already jumping, even moreso than I expected. Chance took the opportunity to address the crowd, share his gratitude, and let them know they’d be hearing just about every song from this heartfelt project tonight — but first, he pivoted to some under-the-radar singles that never made it to a project: the beginnings-reflective “3333” and political anthem “I Might Need Security.” Normally, I wouldn’t go for singles that are isolated from the rest of the artists’ discography, but these two are very lyrical in content – which was especially emphasized by Chance overlaying the words over the music video/cuts for the majority of his set.
Chance didn’t play much off my personal favorite project, 2013’s Acid Rap. He has shed light on how the mixtape captured a time where he was a unproductive drug-zombie who was not happy outside of the studio — yet there are an abundance of fans who clamor for a return of “the Old Chance.” It’s completely understandable that he has gone through tremendous growth both musically and personally – keep in mind he was 20 during Acid Rap’s release, and is now 32. Still, one song has themes of community, politics, and mental health that transcend space and time: my personal favorite “Paranoia.” He gave a powerful, potent performance that perfectly resonated with the crowd.
As for the more upbeat, Grammy-winning Coloring Book, Chance ran through damn near the whole mixtape. Classics such as “No Problem,” “All Night,” and “Same Drugs,” are a perfect mix of lyrical and party, “Juke Jam” and “Summer Friends” are smooth reflective R&B spectacles, and “Blessings” and “All We Got” are gospel-esque songs that had my friend remarking “This feels just like church, bro.” Chance, who has incorprated Christian themes in his music for much of his career, would only elevate this feeling as he went inside of an enclosed box to perform his intense feature on Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam.” Yet the most spiritual moment came on the new release “Letters” – a scathing critique of churches that ignore God in favor of dogma. This amazing record resonated with me, especially in my community’s culture.
Chance and Kanye have been longtime collaborators, whether on The Life of Pablo or Chance endorsing Kanye’s bid for president in 2020. Chance’s father was a staffer for Barack Obama and former Democratic Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. Chance himself has also been active in his community, meeting with numerous mayors and governors organizing youth and racial justice movements, and critiquing prominent figures ranging from Lori Lightfoot to President Donald Trump. During the show, he recognized political activist Assata Shakur, who had died just the day before. Political nuance aside, Chance has always put on for Chicago.
For a concise review, let’s put it in context of my favorite song from Star Line – “The Highs and the Lows.” The highs were abundant, with Chance singing and dancing his heart out (he kept hitting this in-place 720 spin that felt straight out of Footloose). While he came out 20 minutes late, he extended the show an hour later than expected – a great treat for fans. Lastly, the sampling Djo’s “End of Beginning” on his Chicago roots anthem “Back to the Go” was something I didn’t even catch until I heard it live. There was also a new addition to the Houston guest rapper wheel – Lil’ Flip warmed us up! Even DJ Oreo, Chance’s longtime collaborator, set the mood right by bringing a 10 year old on stage to vibe out to Don Toliver. The only low I can think of: opener TisaKorean and the “A1 crew” stank it up: I will never understand why opening acts believe that spending 80% of their performance on rogue adlibs equates to “hype.”
Alas, I’m happy that Chance the Rapper was able to reconnect with his independent artistry, and I know the rest of his fanbase is as well. At only 32, he’s had the professional career of an artist that’s ready to retire — including a recent separation from his wife. Knowing the opportunities that are in store, I hope Chance builds upon the foundation of Star Line for an illustrious, raw, and emotionally empowering career.
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