Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, otherwise known as Chance the Rapper, is a very influential figure in the United States right now. He is a singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer from Chicago that has made a huge impact in many people’s lives. He has released many albums, his most successful being Acid Rap, Coloring Book, and 10 Day.
Franco Angelo, a senior at Cathedral Prep who loves rap, says, “You can tell Chance is following his dreams and inspiring others to do so as well.”
What makes this rapper so iconic is that he is all on his own. There is no record label that “owns him.” During this year’s Grammy awards, he was very successful and got many multi-million dollar record deals due to his success. He is still staying true to himself and turned down every single one of the those record deals. At the Grammys he received the awards for Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance. There was an estimate of about 10 million dollars in record deals thrown at this 23-year-old icon, but he has not given in to that temptation yet.
What makes him even more iconic and influential, is his concern for his city back at home. Chance the Rapper asked to meet with the governor of Chicago and he did. “While I’m frustrated and disappointed in the governor’s inaction, that will not stop me from doing all I can to support Chicago’s most valuable resource: its children,” said Chance the Rapper. He is donating $1 million dollars to Chicago public schools. He is urging other corporations to donate as well. Chance’s action caught the attention of Michelle Obama, who thanked  the artist on Twitter stating, “Thanks @chancetherapper for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much,” Obama wrote, tagging the fellow Chicago native. “You are an example of the power of arts education.”
These are the things that make this artist so iconic. Other rap artists are not often so involved and independent at the same time. Even people who do not like his music cannot deny how influential he is on the world today.