Chance the Rapper

One of the biggest breakout stars of the past few years, achieving fame and success in an unorthodox way - by avoiding the major labels that want to sign him, Chance the Rapper is a hip-hop artist, producer and social activist whose mixtape 'Coloring Book' became the first album to win a Grammy based solely on streaming. Fiercely independent and articulate, he’s found a way to please both the backpacker fans and a much wider audience through savvy collaborations with the likes of Lil Wayne and Kanye West. He’s also politically active, and a recent act of philanthropy, which saw him donate $1 million to Chicago public schools, even had fellow Chicagoan Michelle Obama tweeting her praise for him: “Thanks for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much. You are an example of the power of arts education.”

Chance's first solo mixtape, 10 Day, was released as a free download on DatPiff. The project included work with Vic Mensa and Flying Lotus. Complex magazine featured Chance in its '10 new Chicago Rappers to watch out for' feature in 2012. Chance's output underwent a rapid evolution as he celebrated life and faith, mourned personal loss, and hit upon lighter everyday experiences. All the while, the productions that supported the verses and hooks included various regional contemporary rap production styles. Among other genres synthesized elements of gospel, jazz and soul. His second mixtape, Acid Rap, was the release that really pushed him to the next level. Coloring Book is Chance's third free mixtape. The album became the first ever to chart on the Billboard 200 just from streaming, receiving 57.3 million in its first week. The Big Day, his first full-length album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. John Legend, Shawn Mendes and Death Cab for Cutie were among the collaborators.