Chancellor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor from the West Chatham neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.
Chance is the frontman and lead vocalist for the band The Social Experiment. His unconventional, bohemian approach to releasing music has led the wave of independent artists garnering national attention without a backing label. His first two acclaimed solo projects 10 Day (2012) and Acid Rap (2013) have been called “classic” by Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine. Before his solo work, Chance was part of a hip-hop duo named Instrumentality with his friend Justin. Apart from his solo career, he is a member of the Chicago collective SAVEMONEY (along with frequent collaborator Vic Mensa).
In 2015, Chance released a collaborative project titled Surf with Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment as a free album available through iTunes, and also became the first unsigned artist to perform on Saturday Night Live. His highly anticipated third solo project Coloring Book was released in 2016 via Apple Music to widespread praise from fans and critics alike, garnering a Metacritic score of 90 indicating “universal acclaim.” Coloring Book was also the first ever streaming-exclusive album to chart on the Billboard 200, debuting at number 8.