The long anticipation for a new project from Chance The Rapper finally ended when the Chicago man unleashed Coloring Book to the masses last week on May 12 of this year. Chano has been making a name for himself outside of his hometown for quite some time now, conquering the Hip Hop game year after year since Acid Rap dropped thanks to his work on collaborative projects like Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment’s Surf and a key role in the making of Kanye West’s The Life Of Pablo, plus headlining music festivals like Lollapalooza (back-to-back!) and Pitchfork.
First off, let me say a little bit about Coloring Book as a whole. This should be considered a mixtape by name only, because it is an outright album by all other definitions. The songwriting, the production, the finesse, the swagger, the gravitas. Coloring Book has all of the elements of a full-fledged major record label release, somehow packaged as a mixtape on the biggest online music retailer because only Chance The Rapper can pull off something like that. This project is a defining moment in the career of young Chance. He has ascended to the pinnacle of the Hip Hop game with the album also nicknamed #Chance3, proving with each track his artistic depth, his penchant for masterful lyricism, and an effortless ability to craft timeless rhymes. This is the culmination of an unrelenting vision first conjured up by a young man from the Southside of Chicago, now standing among the elite of the genre.
I won’t do this album justice by simply naming 5 songs that are worth hearing. This album is more than that; the whole mixtape plays more like one big highlight reel. Coloring Book not only deserves your undivided attention, but it demands it with each passing track. Immerse yourself in its genre-bending glory to truly experience what this artistic work aims to accomplish. However, for the sake of this review, we’re simply pointing out the joints that stood out the most on an individual basis. These are the tracks that got revisited time and again for one listening session to the next; these are the songs that have earned themselves the right to hit our eardrums just little bit louder than the rest.
So hit the jump and see what are our Top 5 favorite songs on Chance The Rapper’s Coloring Book.
“All We Got” feat. Kanye West & Chicago Children’s Choir
This one I’ll admit was the hardest choice to make. At first glance I wasn’t truly convinced about it and I hardly liked it. But playing the record front to back, over and over again, allowed me to see this one in another light. Chance and Kanye took me to church, and so I got to learn what was so special about the album opener. In “All We Got,” Kanye West returns the favor to the heir of the Chicago Hip Hop throne on this track, where he plays less of a prominent role than Chano did on TLOP‘s “Ultralight Beam,” providing the heartfelt and moving chorus. This song boasts elements of the sounds we first heard on Surf, but unlike that project, Chance’s demeanor is more mature and more evolved here, clearly influenced by the birth of his baby girl and his growing relation with God. I’m particularly enthralled by the opening verse, which I would place on the podium of the top three on the whole project, where he says:
This ain’t no intro, this the entree
Hit that intro with Kanye and sound like André
Tryna turn my baby mama to my fiancée
She like music, she from Houston like Auntie Yoncé
Man my daughter couldn’t have a better mother
If she ever find another, he better love her
That verse gives you a good synopsis of who Chance is: a student in the school of Kanye and André 3000, a maturing man in love aspiring to “put a ring on it,” and a father trying to set up his daughter for a bright future. This is also a key track for Coloring Book, as it introduces the Gospel-Rap theme that will be revisited throughout the project.
“Summer Friends” feat. Francis & The Lights, Jeremih
This is a great introspective track through which Chance guides us on a glimpse at his childhood, showing us both the good and bitter memories. “Summer Friends” highlights the struggles surrounding summers in his neighborhood, touching on how quickly children go from chasing ice cream trucks and lightning bugs to ducking bullets in summer camp. Summertime Chi can be a sometimes wonderful place, too often ruined by the violence that plagues the south side. It also works as a bit of a precursor to the “Paranoia” half of Acid Rap‘s “Pusha Man,” providing a snapshot of the days before that violence progressed to worse measures.
“Blessings”
This song gets elevated to unique heights in large parts thanks to a heartfelt and passionate hook delivered by Jamila Woods. “When the praises go up, the blessings come down,” Jamila exclaims. How’s that for some guidance? The key lines Mr. The Rapper delivers on this song are: “I don’t make songs for free, I make ’em for freedom/Don’t believe in kings, believe in the Kingdom”
I would like to point out the approximation of this composition with the music on Eminem’s “My Name Is.” The simplistic production on both are the perfect accompaniment to how each song serves as a walkthrough of who each rapper is, respectively. While Enimen’s iconic track details to us how much of a demented and abhorrent character he is as Slim Shady, Chance’s song on the other hand shows us his relationship with God and his mission to enlighten the world through his art.
“Angels” feat. Saba
In my most humbled opinion, this is the best song on the album/mixtape. I have always expressed a complete fascination for this song since I first heard it debut on Colbert’s Late Show, admiring every single piece that makes up “Angels,” from its verses to the hook to the production. This song shows off his socially-conscious mentality, and its upbeat delivery makes it the positivity anthem this city, and America overall, could stand behind. Repurposing (and reworking) a quote from Batman, Chance is the hero Chicago deserves and the one it needs as well. Sure it’s cheesy, but it applies so damn much.
This one should earn him that Grammy Chance has been vying for!
“Finish Line/Drown” feat. T-Pain, Kirk Franklin, Eryn Allen Kane, Noname
The first part, “Finish Line,” is bright and sweet thanks to the warm keys that are accentuated by the inviting vocals of Eryn Allen Kane. The Gospel half then makes way to the somber, minimalist accompaniment of “Drown.” Once again, Noname has stolen the show. Her verse is another one for the podium as she touches on her own devotion to God and soon unleashes another flurry of choir singers to close things out.
