It doesn't sound like it, what with the cheerful steel drum chorus and the exclamations of "City so damn great," but Chance the Rapper's "Angels" is one of his most biting protest songs.
Consider his opening line:
I got my city doing front flips
When every father, mayor, rapper jump ship
I guess that's why they call it where I stay
And later he says:
It's too many young angels on the south side
Got us scared to let our grandmommas outside
As he champions his home city—one where he's become a leader to young people and supports initiatives to make Chicago safer—Chance isn't afraid to call out its flaws. It's a place that, as he says in that first verse, has been turned over by people in positions of power. And in that second verse, it's a city tragically riddled with crime.
Born Chancellor Johnathan Bennett, his father is Ken Williams-Bennett, who served as Barack Obama's state director when the president was a senator in Illinois. It's a connection that Obama noted this morning as a guest on Sway in the Morning when asked about the top rappers today. As Obama told Sway Calloway:
I think the young guys, Kendrick [Lamar] and Chance [the Rapper] are doing amazing work. I love Drake, and the girls love Drake, and, you know, so, he's commercially just doing great, and unbelievably talented. And, you know, Jay Z's still the king. I mean, you know, he's got a track record. Same with Kanye [West], so there's a lot of talent out there, but when I look at who's breaking new ground, Kendrick and Chance, those guys are doing just amazing work.And they're wonderful young men. Chance, I've known for years 'cause his dad was my state director when I was a senator in Illinois, so I first met Chance when he was 8 years old, and so we've been family for a while. And Kendrick, you know, he's blowing it up. He's doing great.
This connection puts Chance in an interesting position to critique Chicago legislators, as he's known to do. Even now, his father works for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has been heavily criticized for his handling of gun violence in the city. Whether this means Chance has more influence over the leadership in Chicago is hard to say, but we do know that these connections don't deter Chance from being vocal with his criticisms.
[H/T: Pitchfork
