Not only is he the first artist in history to not sign a record deal and win Grammies through solely streamed music, but he also has 8 charted songs, 14 awards, and is a major activist for his home city of Chicago. Chance the Rapper, whose real name is Chancelor, had all odds stacked against him being born and raised in the Southside of Chicago. In the South Side 56.3% of people have either never graduated high school or college, making their chances at success all the more difficult. Chance knows first hand the struggles that one may face growing up in the rough city, which is why he uses his star power very often to help bring some support and nurture to his city.
His latest act of kindness was early this February when he decided to drop by a local elementary school’s fifth grade coding class to give them some friendly advice. He was greeted by a room full of overjoyed children who began to scream and even cry when they saw him. The Rapper proceeded to then explain to the children the significance of coding in regards to his industry and how he believes that it is one of the biggest “finesses” to get further in the field of your choice. With the projected growth of IT jobs being estimated at about 22%, these students will surely have vast opportunities in the work force if they continue down this course. Believe it or not, Chance would not be where he is today without jobs such as these and the technologies that they provide for the music industry. Since he only uses streaming services to release his music he relies on the algorithms and demographics provided to him by different softwares to determine the best times to release his music and really understand who his audience is; an advantage that regular artists who choose to simply release their albums on iTunes don’t have. Chance also uses “harmonic engines”, a program that adds harmony to your voice, when creating some of his music.
Google, who’s team members made the visit with the rapper, made the announcement while at the elementary that they would be donating $1.5 million to Chicago Public Schools to support and promote computer science programs in the city. Chance too has previously made a generous donation of $1 million to CPS to support arts and enriching programming. From having sat in those same classrooms to growing up and being able to give back so much to them, Chance serves as a true symbol of hope and dedication for the young students. It is very clear that the 24 year old’s music, along with his heart are both pure gold. Keep up the good work Chance!!