AU packed Bender Arena Thursday night eager to see Chance the Rapper. Divided by Zero hyped up the crowd with crazy beats and Lyrx had a steady flow. Lryx’s West Coast inspired raps were a perfect primer for the relaxed rhymes of Chance.
Guest appearances from Ariana Mozafari and Marlon Cirker continued the showcase of some of American’s best talent. Marlon said, “Performing in Bender as part of the opening act for Chance was an incredible experience. Even though I was only on stage for about a minute, it was just a dope energy to perform in front of the biggest crowd that I ever have before as a part of such a big and legitimate show.”
He added, “And I’m a huge fan of Chance as an artist, so being a part of the event was special. The crowd was awesome and showed a lot of love.”
Chance finally took the stage an hour and half into the concert, opening with Everybody’s Something. Live, Chance didn’t disappoint—his flow was on point and he was very engaged with the audience. Working his way through most of his Acidtrip album, as well as songs from mixtapes such as 10Day, Chance played his most popular songs.
Energy was high during Smoke Again and Cocoa Butter Kisses, making them my favorites in his 14-song set. Chance came back for an encore, playing Chainsmoker, and ending with a bang with Juice.
Marlon commented on the show from backstage, “Chance’s performance was great and I expected nothing less–I’d seen him once before and he’s an incredible performer. His energy is just unmatched and I loved the different renditions of his songs that the live band was able to do.”
Chance is one of the coolest rappers to have come to AU in recent memory—he is hype in the hip-hop community but not as well known as other rappers that AU has hosted, such as Lupe Fiasco in Fall 2013. Bringing Chance, and allowing AU students to open for him, brought recognition to musicians who have worked hard to get where they are now.
Photo Credit: Gabrielle Richardson