Chance The Rapper Opens Up About His 'Legacy,' Upcoming Album: 'I Always Wanted To Be The First'

Chance The Rapper has not released an album in a while, two years to be precise, and he wants his next album to be very special.

For his forthcoming album "Star Line Gallery," Chance has been busy making collaborations with artists of all disciplines.

In an interview with Complex, he revealed that his perception of life and music had changed drastically following his debut album "The Big Day," released in 2019.

"They don't tell the complete story of who you are, but they show who you are at that moment," he said about the criticism that he had faced for "The Big Day."

"You'll like it or you won't like it, but next year, you'll come back and take another one anyway.'"

Inspiration

Chance The Rapper, born Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, was born and raised in Chicago. He prefers to live simply, focusing more on his family and culture than the shinier things in life.

"Star Line Gallery" may seem like a peculiar name, given that the 29-year-old rapper is not even a fan of galleries, he told Complex.

"I was inspired by Marcus Garvey in the early 1900s, 1919 through actually 1922, so 100 years ago now," he said.

He explained that Garvey, a Jamaican activist, journalist, and entrepreneur, began the shipping line, "He created a trade route between the United States, all of the Black islands and the continent of Africa, and that created a network of people where people from all over the world were interconnected and working with each other and taking trips together."

His Legacy

Thus began Chance's vision for "Star Line Gallery." He likened art galleries to the current music industry, noting that the artists are treated more like workers than creators.

Thus his vision and goal for the album were created. "It's going to be all Black artists from everywhere around the world with all different experiences, but a connection, and in conversation with me and my collaborators to create new pieces that show what it means to be Black right now," he shred.

He added that the album will be highlighting "what is real," rather than the "trauma or about the most familiar aesthetic of Black."

The rapper said that by creating this album, he wanted to leave an impressionable legacy, "I always wanted to be the first, but I never wanted to be the last."

The "Cocoa BUtter Kisses" rapper further explained that the album will undergo a more rigorous process than just getting people to collaborate with him.

"This is me developing myself and developing my people," he added.

He elaborated that it does not simply end with making music, it has to continue to form and build bridges by understanding and having conversations.

"[...] It's fraud if I don't maintain connection and collaboration with those people."

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