Harrison Welsh ’17

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One of the newest and most well known artists in music, Chance the Rapper from Chicago, has a new project entitled Coloring Book. His fame has grown exponentially in the past few years which is impressive because he is an independent artist, meaning he is not signed to a record label which puts him at a disadvantage for publicity and self-promotion. His first album 10 Days was released in 2012 and was followed with the critically acclaimed Acid Rap in 2013 which received a lot of attention from the industry and created a huge following for Chance. He was proving to be one of the most creative artists in the genre with his catchy beats and stunning rap ability. He also appeared on Kanye West’s previous project, The Life of Pablo, in the opening track, Ultralight Beam, which many consider to be the highlight of the entire project. With his well-developed discography, large following, and appearance on Kanye’s album, he was se tup to do something big with his career. Coloring Book is that big thing.

This album can best be described as a word from its title, colorful. It is filled with a variety of instruments, styles, artists, and genres which creates a colorful feeling. It starts off with All We Got featuring Kanye repaying the favor from TLOP, which is mediocre but then dives into the second track No Problem with appearances from 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, which is a banger with a killer hook. As the album progresses, the dynamic is solid and it becomes clear that this is a Chance record and will be received well by the critics and the fans. The sound is heavily influenced by gospel with the choirs and organs all over, but with a frequent groovy and fast paced feel. Near the end of the record you run into All Night which is my favorite track on the list because of its thumping bass line and beat and has Chance’s best verse in it as well. This album is unique and proves that Chance is developing positively as an artist.

This is the next big step for Chance the Rapper which will certainly put him on all music lovers radars and will move him to the next level. If you haven’t already give this a listen, you won’t be disappointed.