Chance the Rapper
'Hamilton' is revolutionary in terms of writing.
I think it's very important for America that we're represented as promoters of peace, love, and understanding.
When I write, I work off of a theme, an emotion, a narrative - thinking of it and then expounding on it.
I can't gain anything off of anyone else not succeeding.
When you make stuff from the 'you' point of view, you really can't go wrong.
If you can give away free music, you can give away free electricity, free water. Those tiny jabs at a larger infrastructure are what make revolutions.
I think the only thing that's really going to make a change in terms of how we feel as citizens in terms of safety and our relationship with the police is if we start seeing more federal indictments, arrests, and convictions of police officers.
I want my music to be beautiful.
Anything is respectable in its own realm.
I want to tell people to read 'The Prince' by Machiavelli - check that one out. It's just changed my attack so - I think so much more inwardly.
If I was to buy a suit, I'd probably go to Men's Wearhouse - because you're going to like the way you look; they guarantee it.
I have a bigger voice than Donald Trump, you know what I'm saying? Than literally anybody that works in politics.
I'm just trying to be an example for all the young artists that are becoming artists every day and working on their craft and trying to help them avoid the pitfalls of the upper management in music and the non-music side of music.
I am scared of death.
I don't think I really knew I was going to be a rapper until sixth grade. Even then, it was still kind of - I was in sixth grade. I was always saying I was going to become a rapper.
I used to be the class clown. I was the funny kid. That's why it was so hard for people to understand that I rap, because for a long time, they didn't take me seriously for who I was. By, like, eighth grade, I was really rapping.
I think I always knew I wasn't gonna have a regular job.
When you become a parent, you start loving diapers.
I'm a patriarch now. I've got to go get the bread.
Selling music doesn't make that much money.
I think there's a lot of taboos in hip-hop that people try and stay away from. I think a big one is, people are afraid to speak about God to a certain extent, and I think if you're not free to speak about God, then you're not free.
I think the music industry is something that's very separate from music. So, by always staying on the music side of it, I've found success.
There's so much positivity in the world and your day-to-day life that to go as far as to say that you hate something or you wish it didn't exist and all the bad things in the world happen to you and only you, it's a joke. It's not real to have that much hate in your heart.
I'm definitely tired of playing 'Acid Rap.' I'm definitely tired of playing 'Juice.'
I don't agree with the way labels are set up. I don't agree that anyone should sign 360 deals or sign away their publishing or take most of the infrastructure that's included in a formal deal.
I'm lucky to be in a space where I've been accepted for who I am and celebrated for who I am.
I can't see myself ever having somebody say something about me on a song and me being like, 'All right, now I'm about to say something about them on a song.'
Some people are so poor, all they have is money.Collection: People
Everybody's somebody's everythingCollection: Rap
I think our duty as American citizens is to be involved and engaged in anything that affects us. As an artist, I have to use my platform, and as a dad, a brother, and a black man, I have to be as socially woke and present as possible.Collection: Brother
Whats better than followers, is actually falling in loveCollection: Falling In Love
Sometimes the truth don't rhyme, sometime the lies get millions of views, funerals for little girls is that appealing to you?Collection: Girl
Sometimes the truth don't rhymeCollection: Sometimes
Rap music is a combination of many different arts to make something new. There's always been a stigma that its existence would be short and only appeal to a certain group - but it's the biggest music in the world.Collection: Art
I make money from touring and selling merchandise, and I honestly believe if you put effort into something and you execute properly, you don't necessarily have to go through the traditional ways.Collection: Believe
Chance the Rapper' is many things. I'm constantly evolving.Collection: Rapper
A cool & diversified version of a mix tape. The BreakBeat Poets is a thorough and complete summation of Golden Era writers who continue to build the scene of literary and performance poetry.Collection: Tape
To me, I feel like basketball and hip-hop have always been kinda conjoined because they're very similar in their competitive nature, you know what I'm sayin'? It's about technical skill, and then there's just God-given talent.Collection: Basketball
One of the first times I ever performed in front of a big group of people was at my kindergarten graduation. I did, like, a Michael Jackson impersonation as, like, a five year old. I had the suit and blazer, the glove and the fedora, and I just performed a whole Michael Jackson song. I'm sure it was 'Smooth Criminal.Collection: Song
Chicago is a beautiful city - the architecture, the food, everything in the city is awesome.Collection: Beautiful
My dad is probably the most proud person when it comes to me, and we have a great relationship. If people have a compliment about my character, they usually say they can tell I was raised right, and that's the truth.Collection: Dad
The whole tape [Dedication 5] is amazing. It's my favourite accomplishment [working with Lil Wayne] and I say that with thought. It's the biggest accomplishment I've made today, because Lil Wayne is probably the biggest reason why I'm sitting here right now, rapping and doing what I do. I'm a huge Wayne fan forever.Collection: Rap
I dont really like meetings, I like recording and performing music. I need to set myself up for when the time does come that I need better distribution or just a bigger team behind me.Collection: Team
My come-out record, '10 Day,' was the thing people were supposed to hear and figure out 'he's good' or 'he's not good.' 'Acid Rap' is the comeback tape, and it asks way bigger and better questions than, 'Is he good at rapping?Collection: Rap
It's important to go against the grain. My favorite celebrity, across arts and sports and everything, is Muhammad Ali. And he was famous for speaking inflammatory things that were polarizing but also were important to building who he was as a man and his legacy. And in the end, he was right about most of the s... he was talkin' about.Collection: Sports