Chance The Rapper has been in a state of constant beast mode since the release of 2013’s Acid Rap mixtape. He has been chalking up feature after feature with: Childish Gambino, Madonna, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, and the list goes on. His collaborators, the Social Experiment, released one of last year’s most enjoyable summer mixtapes, Surf. Basically, Chance is a 23 year-old hip-hop superstar and he hasn’t even released a proper debut studio album yet.
What do you do when you have one of the most unique voices in hip-hop and the world is desperately waiting for your third mixtape? If you answered “perform an unreleased gospel/rap song on a late night talk show and drop the news that he tape is coming out in just over a week” you probably cheated…or you’re Chance the Rapper.
Chance performed a live version of “Blessings” on The Tonight Show. The performance came complete with a gospel choir and the falling walls of Jericho. Chance also came with the assistance of Donnie Trumpet, Jamila Woods, and Byron Cage. Along with the performance, Chance released the news that Chance 3 will be officially available on May 13.
As far as the song itself is concerned, Chance is no stranger to bringing soul and gospel into his sound. He proved his ability on “Good Ass Intro” from his own Acid Rap and, of course, his impressive feature on Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam”. In the performance of “Blessings”, Chance comes through with a new level of sincerity and reality. It’s an amazingly mature sound and he achieves it without sacrificing his trademark energy and looseness. If the single is any indication of the rest of the mixtape, the hip-hop world ought to be pleased on May 13.
Watch the Performance on Jimmy Fallon below.
https://youtu.be/uZyt5dSNcFo
