Chance the Rapper has been making hip hop proud for several years now. Today, he just put a big ass smile on the faces of all real MC’s around the planet.
Today, in Chicago it was announced that Chance the Rapper will be donating $1 Million to public schools. His donation comes with the specifics, that it will only be used for art enrichment programs. With all the talk in the news, mainly from politically charged discussions about the violence that goes on in Chicago, not enough is said about the causes of violence.
For several years, public education has been under attack.
More specifically, there have been cuts to after school programs and to the arts. When young people have outlets for their energy, and their ideas, it reduces the time they have to get into trouble. This is well known, and so it’s almost as if the cuts to school funds is being done on purpose. People in positions of power, who are well aware of what may result in those cuts, do it on purpose. Later, they can work with Police Departments to shoot or lock more blacks up, and make money from it all.
This move from Chance the Rapper is encouraging though. It’s a move that lets everyone in hip hop know, that they gotta do more than just make music to entertain. There is a purpose and a power to the art form itself. Through hip hop we can touch on topics that mainstream rappers will never touch. You’ll hear real MC’s tackle society’s issues. However if you’re really tuned into hip hop, you’ll know just how badly real musicians are needed.
Sampling has always been part of the industry, but that was always because for a long time, black people could not afford instruments. When Tribe Called Quest started infusing jazz samples into hip hop, more and more real musicians saw how the two art forms can blend. Several hip hop artists, have benefited from having live music playing as they deliver messages to the crowd. From the legendary Roots Crew, the live performance we saw Common deliver at the White House, for NPR’s Tiny Desk.
We can all hear these influences throughout the music that Chance the Rapper has given us.
These kinds of donations (investments) from real hip hop artists will only return some day. The result, will be more people who are able to express themselves in various forms.
Chance also has a youth-focused nonprofit, called Social Works, which will also donate an additional $10,000 to the Chicago Public School system. This will be for every $100,000 raised in outside fundraisers. Those funds are to help save after school math and reading programs. Check out SocialWorks Here.
Without getting too deep into it right now, so much of the violence we hear about in the news comes from people who don’t really have outlets for anger, or disappointment.
People who resort to violence, are trying to solve a problem that they are faced with. Cuts to education by our governments are done because they are positioned to profit from destruction. When hip hop artists just wanna make party music, and enjoy the money corporate rap companies pay them they are unfortunately, pawns in the game.
Chance the Rapper is showing us he’s no pawn.
“Independence does not mean you do it by yourself, Thankful for my team” – Chance the Rapper
He has refused to sign with a record company (label). Chance has garnered all of his success as an Independent artist. That does not mean he isn’t working with other people. You can hear this, in his acceptance speech after winning a 2017 Grammy for best New Artist. He has been successful enough, without selling out his principles to make money from a company, to give back to his community. He is a shining light in our industry. Chance the Rapper is setting the example for future MC’s to follow!
Read more about What Chance Did for Chicago on Blavity
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.