Chancelor Bennett was born in the west Chatham neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. Chance’s family consisted of his mother, father, and brother. Jim Bennett, Chance’s father was an aide to Barack Obama during Obama’s senatorial term in Chicago.

During freshman year of high school Chance began to produce and write music with several friends. It was not until senior year that Chance dropped his first professional mix tape “10 Day.” This was just the beginning of what would be an extremely successful rap career. When asked about inspiration, Chance cited Kanye West’s album “The College Dropout.”

In April 2013, Chance released his second mix tape, “Acid Rap.” Childish Gambino, a renowned artist in the rap community, collaborated with Chance and which resulted in a rise in Chance’s popularity.

“Coloring Book,” Chance’s third and most recent mixtape, was released in 2016 and is the first ‘streaming only’ album to be nominated for a Grammy. Chance was heavily influenced by his father’s involvement in politics and uses his fame to advocate for certain political agendas. In the 2016 election, Chance supported democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Chance has also been vocal in his support for Obama through the duration of his two terms

On several occasions, Chance has held open mic concert nights for underprivileged children in less fortunate areas of Chicago. Chance is a strong supporter of the anti-gun violence movement and was named Outstanding Youth of The Year in 2014 by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Chance is notorious for his fun-loving attitude and unwillingness to sign with a record label. He has openly claimed that he wishes for all of his music to be free for the people who are interested in listening.

“Depending on the story that you’re telling, you can be relatable to everybody or nobody. I try and tell everybody’s story”
–Chance the Rapper