Chancellor Bennett, known as Chance the Rapper on stage, is Hip-Hop’s newest rising star. He won three awards at the 2017 Grammys for Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance with four additional nominees. He made Grammy history by becoming the first black hip-hop artist to win the “Best New Artist” category since Lauryn Hill in 1999 and he is the first artist to be nominated or win a Grammy award without a physical album. All of Chance’s music is free and available to be streamed online. He is an independent artist, who has turned down contracts from many major labels to preserve his creative and artistic freedom in his music. All of his revenue comes strictly from merchandise and ticket sales and he has every intent of keeping it that way. In an interview with Vanity Fair he said, “I never wanted to sell my music, because I thought putting a price on it put a limit on it and inhibited me from making a connection. I honestly believe if you put effort into something and you execute properly, you don’t necessarily have to go through the traditional ways.”
“We don’t do the same drugs anymore...Don’t you color out. Don’t you bleed on out. Stay in the line, stay in the line.”
For those wondering, "Same Drugs" isn't actually about drugs--it's about past lovers changing, choosing different paths in life, and now having dissimilar mindsets than the other. We all evolve daily and this song paints a beautiful portrait of what it feels like to experience that change with someone you once loved and knew intimately. It's the story of transformation from being deeply familiar to becoming strangers.
My Favorite Tracks from the Coloring Book Album
· "All Night" (featuring Knox Fortune)
· "Summer Friends" (featuring Jeremih and Francis and the Lights)
· "How Great" (featuring Jay Electronica and My Cousin Nicole)
· "Blessings (Reprise)" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign, Raury, BJ the Chicago Kid and Anderson Paak)
· "Angels" (featuring Saba)
· "Same Drugs"
· "All We Got" (featuring Kanye West and Chicago Children's Choir)
· "No Problem" (featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz)
To match the vibrant and distinctive music of "Coloring Book", I chose REVEILLE's 2012 Ultra-Violet Cotes du Roussillon blend of 70% Syrah, 15% Grenache, 10% Carignan, and 5% Mourvedre. The owner and winemaker of REVEILLE, France Crispeels, is a first generation winemaker who comes from an eclectic background of the arts including architecture and writing. Ultra-Violet is made from old vines on a high altitude vineyard in the Vallée de l’Agly of Roussillon. The vines are farmed organically, hand harvested, and partially destemmed. The wine is fermented with native yeasts and aged in concrete tanks for 15 months. This wine reminds me of black olives, plum skin, barnyard, and rhubarb. Without a doubt, this is a natural wine; it has all the funky nuances you would expect.
