My Message Is Massive

Chance the Rapper featuring Jeremih and R. Kelly “Somewhere In Paradise”

Did you see Chance on Saturday Night Live this weekend? If not, please go do that now. I’ve seen a majority of episodes of SNL in the show’s history, and I can confidently say that his appearance on the show ranks in the top 5% of all SNL musical performances. A lot of SNL performances, even by some of the best artists you can name, are just sorta perfunctory and professional – people playing their current hits and just hoping they don’t fuck anything up on live television. Chance’s performance felt truly live – rehearsed quite a bit, I’m sure, but very clearly alive in a moment and aware of the space where it was taking place. This guy is a hugely charismatic performer, and he’s very aware of what kind of gestures come off well on tv, and how to create a sense of intimacy in a medium that resists it.

Chance is a one-of-a-kind guy, but he’s not alone in the history of hip-hop. The most obvious precedent is Andre 3000, who I think is largely responsible for creating the specific template of rhythm and melody in Chance’s flow. And yeah, there’s also a bit of early Kanye in the vibe of his music. But in the context of popular rap from the past several years, Chance may as well have beamed down from another planet. Rap has been dominated by Drake and Drake-alikes in the past few years, and Chance is very much the radical opposite of Drake. Drake is all about presenting selfish fuckboy feelings over music that implies that he’s otherwise dead inside. It’s empty and soulless, and can be compelling and powerful sometimes for that reason. But Chance is very much alive inside, and the music comes from a place of compassion and generosity that is unusual in contemporary pop. Chance’s music radiates joy and warmth; it’s life-affirming music coming out of rather dire circumstances in Chicago. This feels fresh and different, and it’s a thing I think a lot of people want and need after so many years of cold, cruel-hearted music. Watching Chance on SNL was like watching a new zeitgeist click into place – 2015 may have been a major year for apex fuckboys like Drake, Weeknd, and Bieber, but it’s beginning to look like 2016 will belong to Chance.

Get it from iTunes.