Chance the Rapper Interview on Remaining Unsigned| ABC News
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Unit 26
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| 0s | At just 23 Chance the Rapper has gone |
| 2s | from making mixtapes in his southside |
| 4s | Chicago home to winning three Grammys |
| 6s | and performing for the president at the |
| 7s | White House, all without the backing of a |
| 9s | single record label. So why do we need one |
| 12s | now? He told Yahoo Global News anchor, |
| 14s | Katie Couric, why he's still committed to |
| 17s | doing it all himself. Fresh off winning |
| 23s | three Grammys just three weeks ago – I claim the victory in the name of the Lord! – |
| 30s | 2017 has already been no problem for Chance |
| 33s | the Rapper. Born Chancellor Bennett, the |
| 38s | 23 year old has stayed true to his roots. |
| 41s | So when he invited me to try some of the |
| 43s | famous Herald's Chicken in its hometown |
| 45s | of Chicago, I couldn't say no. "Whoa, this |
| 49s | is serious." "Yeah." "Whoa!" "So what you got on |
| 51s | there right now, that's mild sauce. And that's |
| 54s | something you can only get in Chicago. "So |
| 56s | it's not that hot?" "Tell me what you think." |
| 59s | "It's good!" "It's flave!" |
| 61s | It's been a whirlwind |
| 63s | couple of years for the young performer |
| 65s | who's success on the heels of his |
| 66s | most recent album, Coloring Book, has |
| 69s | launched him into the national spotlight. |
| 71s | From a tribute to the late Muhammad Ali |
| 73s | at the ESPYs |
| 79s | to performing at the White House |
| 81s | Christmas tree lighting ceremony. |
| 84s | [Music] |
| 87s | But unlike almost every other artist out |
| 90s | there, |
| 90s | Chance works for himself and is doing |
| 93s | it his way. You've never signed with a |
| 95s | record label. Why not? I think there's a |
| 98s | lot of attention on me |
| 100s | not signing a record deal, but I also don't |
| 102s | believe in publishing deals or |
| 103s | traditional upper-management style of, |
| 107s | you know, of music being distributed. I |
| 109s | get to choose how much my music costs. |
| 111s | I get to choose when my music gets |
| 113s | released. I choose when I go on tour, who |
| 116s | I work with, what movies our work with. |
| 118s | Would you ever consider signing with a |
| 120s | record label at this point? No. But do I |
| 123s | like, sometimes think like, saying this |
| 126s | would be way easier if I had a machine |
| 129s | behind me? Yeah, I think about it all the |
| 130s | time. The constant hustle and work ethic |
| 133s | inherited from his mother and father. My |
| 136s | dad can't go two sentences without |
| 139s | telling you how proud he is of me. My dad |
| 142s | taught me to work hard and my mom taught |
| 144s | me to work for myself, and so now I work |
| 147s | for myself really hard. Chance's success |
| 150s | didn't come overnight. The rapper moved |
| 152s | from Chicago to LA in 2014 only to find |
| 156s | that home is where the heart is. When I |
| 159s | was in Los Angeles and I was living like |
| 162s | crazy, and I had a really, really bad |
| 165s | Xanax addiction and I remember like |
| 169s | starting to feel like I wasn't myself |
| 171s | and like I wasn't doing something right |
| 173s | and getting sick a lot. |
| 178s | But Chance said a return to faith and the |
| 180s | work of gospel legend Kirk Franklin gave |
| 183s | him a personal revolution. |
| 188s | How does faith influence your sound? I |
| 192s | don't remember what it was that made me |
| 195s | start listening to Kirk again but I - I |
| 197s | grew up in the church, but I didn't |
| 200s | really know how good Kirk Griffin was until |
| 202s | I was in LA. "For God shall wipe away every tear..." |
| 207s | When I started listening to that I was like |
| 208s | okay this is what I need to be working on. |
| 213s | It got me into arranging music and like |
| 215s | understanding, you know, how chords work |
| 217s | and how, you know, not just how important |
| 221s | pitch is but how important tone is. The |
| 225s | rapper became a first-time father in |
| 227s | 2015. He and his one-and-a-half-year-old |
| 230s | daughter Kemsley often take to Instagram |
| 233s | to show off their daddy-daughter |
| 235s | escapades. We just look adorable. |
| 238s | I think Kendra coming in and was just like |
| 240s | the refreshing jump start. Not |
| 244s | even refreshing. It didn't refresh my life - |
| 245s | it started my life. When she came along, |
| 248s | everything just fast-tracked and became |
| 251s | so much more important. But it's also |
| 255s | chances love for his hometown that keeps |
| 258s | them grounded |
| 259s | I'm a plan if you uproot a plant and put |
| 262s | that somewhere else it's not going to |
| 264s | grow this you know so kids where I'm |
| 267s | supposed to be and where I'm supposed to |
| 269s | go and figure out how to be in Chicago |
| 271s | has changed a lot I think you grew up |
| 273s | here I know there was a 58% increase in |
| 277s | gun violence in Chicago in 2016 what do |
| 281s | you think is going on what what is going |
| 283s | on is is is folks I think like as |
| 287s | individual acts |
| 289s | it's you know it's terrifying and then |
| 294s | also said it would be dope if all those |
| 297s | the politicians on the left and right |
| 300s | could approve a temporary budget that |
| 302s | could fund after-school programs and at |
| 305s | the school you don't have any respect |
| 307s | for life if you don't have anything goin |
| 309s | you know or respect for anyone else in |
| 311s | life if you don't have anything going |
| 313s | but then again I am also just a wrapper |
| 315s | Chicago I don't really have all the |
| 317s | answers |
| 318s | I read you that it's a tune I want every |
| 320s | one bathroom I know I know above your |
| 322s | heart I'll show you it's a it's a |
| 325s | backwards tattoo because a get back to |
| 328s | work some me retentive |
| 330s | which is the concept that created and |
| 333s | basically it's a reminder that I'm not |
| 335s | doing it so every time you look in the |
| 338s | mirror |
| 338s | only in your shirtless yeah then I'm |
| 341s | like oh god I gotta get gotta get this |
| 343s | done |
| 343s | it's so stupid I hate it now that's |
| 346s | something that like no one has seen so |
| 347s | this is an exclusive Kok his biggest |
| 350s | influences three men you might have |
| 352s | heard of it's Kanye West Barack Obama |
| 356s | and Dave Chappelle and all three of |
| 359s | those people are men who I would |
| 363s | consider fearless and compassionate |
| 365s | what's awesome is that now that I'm in |
| 368s | this part of my life I've met all of |
| 371s | them and know them all really well but |
| 373s | when it comes to President Obama the |
| 375s | rapper has no intention of following in |
| 378s | his footsteps and you ever consider |
| 381s | going into politics no I don't like |
| 383s | politics I think why was the reason why |
| 387s | a lot of stuff doesn't get done but yeah |
| 391s | I think I always try and be engaged |
| 395s | what's going on in the city so for now |
| 401s | the young artist from the south side of |
| 403s | Chicago is counting his blessing |
| 405s | including his legions of fans who can't |
| 408s | wait to see what he'll do next for |
| 410s | Nightline I'm Katie Couric in Chicago |
| 417s | you can check out Katie's full interview |
| 420s | with chance the rapper at yahoo.com |