Chance the Rapper’s latest offering Coloring Book is equal parts gospel, rap, and big brass. After a few listens, I loved the album for all of the same reasons I loved The College Dropout, the soulful 2004 debut of Chance’s fellow Chicago native and mentor Kanye West. The infectious mix of black church choir, childish ad-libs, playful rhymes, and spiritual musings feels earnest, and the 23-year-old’s scratchy delivery embodies both hope and idealism while also acknowledging the difficulties of coming of age.
Glimmering at the center of Coloring Book is the gem “Same Drugs.” For those who have followed Chicago hip-hop for a while, the track will be immediately reminiscent of Kanye’s single “Homecoming.” In his 2007 collaboration with Chris Martin, West personified Chicago—the Windy City—as Windy, a childhood girlfriend who helped him grow up. Chance’s “Same Drugs” plays off the city’s moniker in a similar fashion; casting himself as the idealized boy-who-never-grew-up, Peter Pan, he allows us to listen through the open window to his intimate conversation with Wendy—that is, Chi-town. As Chance and his hometown quietly take turns sharing their sides of the story of his maturation, though, we begin to wonder who really changed—Wendy or Pan?
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