Vivid Pictures Painted
Kanye West, as inconsistent and odd as he may be in recent history, he has given to hip hop just as much if not more than any other artist. The contributions he’s made as an artist through production and performance has left a mark for generations to come. Much like Lil Wayne, he made rap fun again, all the while not sacrificing skill. As a result, he’s paved the way and given musical birth to a long line of hip hop artists that have tried to mimic his blueprint. The original Kanye though, not this new shit he’s on. Anyways, enter Chance the Rapper. His “mixtape”, album, project, I don’t know whatever you want to call it, Coloring Book, displayed Chance’s reverence for Kanye all the while carving out his space as his own artist. Three years since its release, and we have yet to get a new project from the Chicago native, is enough proof that perhaps, there’s nothing left to do. After all, in 2016, Chance conquered the music world by not only starting a movement to get the mixtape nominated for a Grammy, but ultimately winning for Best Rap Album becoming the first artist to achieve such a feat for a free piece of work. To date, you STILL can’t purchase this album. Before going further, I want to say a few things. I remember the lead up to this release. Chance plays the social media game perhaps better than an other artist, he was able to build the buzz for this mixtape big enough to create a collective “I cant wait” experience. Even I, not being the biggest Chance fan waited not so patiently for the release of Coloring Book. At the time, I had a podcast called Hot 16 (currently on hold but it will return) and on this show I and my co-hosts would review albums and discuss hip hop headlines. Back then, I was the one that had less than stellar opinions on Coloring Book. In hopes of giving a responsible opinion I gave Coloring Book a brand new listen, having not listened in about a year or so. I always enjoy going back to albums, especially ones that created a moment in music. And, regardless of your feelings, and opinions on this project, you must admit Chance created a moment when this released. So, with no further adieu, my recent opinions on Coloring Book, the “mixtape”.