Blake Thorburn

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Chicago based hip-hop artist Chance The Rapper released his latest mixtape

Coloring Book on May 13 th , 2016. The project, comprised of features from well-

acclaimed artists such as Kanye West, Justin Bieber, and Future, shows a

transformation of Chance in both his personality and style. While he still has his

signature giddy screams, the energy and lyricism seem to be fading from his

previous hit album, Acid Rap. With songs like All We Got, Blessings, and Angels, the

entire project feels more like an auto tuned gospel choir than his usual clever and

child-like rap flow. His faith in God and gratitude towards his fans is evident in the

work, as shown through his two separate songs named “blessings”, and the religious

and reflective viewpoint Chance takes on many of his songs. While this gratitude is

appreciated, the sentiment and purpose of the album as a whole may differ too far

from what his loyal fan based desired, a laid-back banger that would shake up the

hip-hop game, to be a success. Even though there are some merits to the project,

such as the catchy Angels, heart-tugging Juke Jam, and impressive demonstration

of lyricism seen on the second Blessings, the work as a whole seems like a slight

disappointment from the high expectations set by Acid Rap. Faith in the young and

promising artist probably won’t be diminished as a result of this work, but

we can only hope he doesn’t pull a Kid Cudi and fall off the face of the earth.

 

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