Chance the Rapper Drops New Visual For ‘Angels’

Chancelor Bennett hasn’t been up to much. Oh, wait, you probably don’t know who that is. Sorry.

Chance the Rapper hasn’t been up to much. He dropped his first mixtape, 10 Day, in April of 2012 as a free digital download. (Likely through DatPiff.) Since its release, 10 Day has been streamed over 300,000 times and downloaded over 400,000 times. That’s pretty impressive, for a mixtape. Though popular, Chance didn’t get the attention of the mainstream until April of 2013, a whole year later, when he released his second mixtape, Acid Rap. Through this project, Chance saw his career catapult to stardom instantaneously. The mixtape debuted at number 63 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums list and is certified “diamond” on DatPiff for accruing over 1,000,000 downloads. Every major outlet and music critic has praised the record, and it currently holds an 86 on Metacritic. Like the project that preceded it, Acid Rap was a free digital download.

Although riding on the hype of only two mixtapes, Chance the Rapper has had a great career thus far. He did a feature on “Baby Blue” from Action Bronson’s 2015 record, Mr. Wonderful. He showed up on “Need to Know” from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, released earlier this year. He and his brother, Taylor Bennett, did a song together titled “Broad Shoulders,” from Taylor’s Broad Shoulders, which came out in 2015. He’s even co-wrote and appeared on “Ultralight Beam” off of Kanye West’s ever-evolving LP, The Life of Pablo.

Thank you @Ian_Eastwood thank you @_IAmDLOW THANKYOU @dance_A_lilbit #angels pic.twitter.com/xN1tTHN8vU

— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) April 7, 2016

And now, Chance has given us a new video for “Angels,” which is likely going to be featured in the track listing of his forthcoming mixtape. (Or album. Whichever comes first.) In the video — directed by Austin Vesely and with animation contributed by Hebru Brand Studios – Chance the Rapper soars around the skies of his hometown of Chicago. The track guest stars Saba, a native Chicago rapper and producer, who spits the hook inside the train Chance lands on. The video seems to glorify Chicago, illuminating it in a light that usually shines elsewhere; it’s apparent Chance has mad love for his city, as he sports a Chicago White Sox cap and a jumpsuit with a Chicago patch nearest his heart. (He always sports a Chicago themed hat though, so that’s nothing new, but something to note.)

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

Clean up the streets, so my daughter can have somewhere to play

– Genius

The inspiring video comes to a beautiful crescendo after the animated Chance the Rapper tears off the jumpsuit, revealing Chance and Saba dancing to the track. The two are a teeny bit off from one another, but it’s clear there’s a chemistry between them, a friendship that exists beyond just what the camera posits. They dab, hit the folks, bust the nae nae, Dlow shuffle, Milly Rock — all of the current hot dance crazes in the last couple of years.

In short, it looks like a grand ol’ time, even if the street they are dancing on is deserted. Whatever the case, the Caribbean-inspired beat will be a blast in the club and during live performances. Speaking of which, you can watch Chance the Rapper perform “Angels” on The Colbert Report via YouTube. (However, I’d urge you to watch it on Vimeo. The quality is better.) Or, you can just check out the official music video above.

It seems Chance is the rapper the city of Chicago deserves.