Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper Bio

Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist from Chicago, Illinois. He first gained attention with his debut mixtape, 10 Day, in 2012, and rose to wider prominence with his second mixtape, Acid Rap, in 2013. Bennett is also recognized for blending gospel influences with hip-hop, for his independent approach to releasing music, and for his philanthropic work through the nonprofit SocialWorks, which he co-founded in 2016. In 2017, he won three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, and he remains one of the most prominent voices in Chicago’s hip-hop scene.

Early Life and Background

Chancelor Johnathan Bennett was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 16, 1993, and grew up in the middle-class neighborhood of West Chatham on the city’s South Side. His father, Ken Williams-Bennett, was an aide to former Chicago mayor Harold Washington and later worked as a presidential appointee in the Department of Labor under President Barack Obama. His mother, Lisa, worked for the Illinois Attorney General. Bennett attended Jones College Prep High School, where he was a member of the Jewish Student Union and began taking his musical ambitions seriously.

Bennett’s interest in music began early, listening almost exclusively to Michael Jackson on cassettes until the fifth grade. His parents constantly played jazz, gospel, and soul music at home, including artists like Billie Holiday and Sam Cooke, which shaped his early musical sensibility. He discovered hip-hop after hearing Kanye West’s “Through the Wire” while walking through Hyde Park, an experience that led him to purchase West’s debut album, The College Dropout, and ultimately inspired him to begin rapping. Bennett began writing rhymes in sixth grade when a cousin let him use a home studio, and his earliest performances took place at the YOUmedia Lyricist Loft at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago.

Path to Music

During his freshman year at Jones College Prep High School, Bennett formed a hip-hop duo called Instrumentality with a friend, marking his first serious collaborative project. He went on to place second in a local songwriting contest, an accomplishment that brought him to the attention of then-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Bennett spent much of his junior year and part of his senior year drafting material for what would become his debut mixtape. After being suspended for ten days for marijuana possession on campus, he used the suspension period as the catalyst to complete recording his first full-length project.

In December 2011, Bennett released a single titled “Windows” and publicly announced his debut project. In February 2012, Complex magazine named him one of the “10 New Chicago Rappers to Watch Out For,” helping to expand his profile beyond the city. The formal release of 10 Day on April 3, 2012, drew more than 500,000 downloads via DatPiff and was featured in Forbes magazine’s Cheap Tunes column. The project introduced him to producers like Chuck Inglish, Kenny Jame$, and Blended Babies, and established the framework for his independent approach to releasing music without a record label.

Chance the Rapper Career

Early Career (2011–2015)

Bennett released his debut mixtape, 10 Day, in April 2012 after spending roughly eight months recording, writing, and building connections within the Chicago scene. The following year, on April 30, 2013, he released his second mixtape, Acid Rap, on DatPiff, featuring guest appearances from artists like Twista, Vic Mensa, Saba, BJ the Chicago Kid, Action Bronson, Childish Gambino, and Ab-Soul. Acid Rap was downloaded more than 1.5 million times and earned a Metacritic score of 86, indicating “universal acclaim,” and it appeared on year-end lists from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Complex, and NPR Music.

In 2015, Bennett released Surf, a collaborative album credited to Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, which received widespread critical praise. He was also named to the Forbes “30 Under 30” music list in January 2015 and gave a lecture at Harvard University’s Hiphop Archive & Research Institute in April of the same year. During this period, Bennett toured internationally, performed at festivals like Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, and began building a reputation as one of Chicago’s most distinctive independent voices.

Breakthrough (2016–2019)

On May 12, 2016, Bennett released his third mixtape, Coloring Book, streaming exclusively on Apple Music. The project was streamed more than 57.3 million times in its first week and debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200, becoming the first release to chart based solely on streaming numbers. Coloring Book received an average Metacritic score of 89 and earned widespread critical acclaim, leading to seven nominations and three wins at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album, making it the first streaming-only project to win a Grammy in that category.

In 2017, Bennett was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for writing the song “Last Christmas,” performed during his appearance on Saturday Night Live, and he headlined day three of Lollapalooza in his hometown of Chicago, drawing record crowds. On July 26, 2019, he released his debut studio album, The Big Day, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. The project featured collaborations with a wide range of artists and was supported by a major tour, parts of which were later canceled so Bennett could spend time with his family.

Notable Works and Milestones

Bennett’s signature mixtape, Coloring Book, stands as the defining project of his career, earning three Grammy Awards and cementing his reputation as a pioneering independent artist in the streaming era. His other landmark releases include 10 Day, Acid Rap, and The Big Day, each of which showcased his gift for blending gospel undertones with hip-hop lyricism. Beyond music, Bennett has appeared on Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo, contributed to film and television soundtracks, and served as a coach on the NBC series The Voice.

Chance the Rapper Award Nominations

Chancelor Johnathan Bennett has earned numerous award nominations across his career, including seven nominations at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017, where he received nods for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best New Artist, and Best Rap/Sung Performance. He has also been nominated at the BET Hip Hop Awards, the BET Awards, and the Soul Train Music Awards. In 2017, Bennett earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the song “Last Christmas,” performed on Saturday Night Live.

Chance the Rapper Awards Won

Chancelor Johnathan Bennett has won three Grammy Awards, three BET Awards, and a Soul Train Music Award across his career. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017, he won Best New Artist, Best Rap Album for Coloring Book, and Best Rap Performance for “No Problem.” In 2014, he was named Chicago’s Outstanding Youth of the Year by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and in January 2015, he appeared on the Forbes “30 Under 30” music list.

Chance the Rapper Family

Bennett’s younger brother, Taylor Bennett, is also a rapper from Chicago, and the two began rapping around the same time, drawing inspiration from fellow Chicago native Kanye West. Bennett’s father, Ken Williams-Bennett, has had a long career in Democratic Party politics, working for Barack Obama and serving as campaign co-chair for Toni Preckwinkle in the 2019 Chicago mayoral race. His mother, Lisa, worked for the Illinois Attorney General.

Personal Life

Bennett lives in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. He was in a long-term relationship with Kirsten Corley, with whom he has two daughters, the first born in September 2015 and the second born in September 2019. Bennett and Corley became engaged on July 4, 2018, and married on March 9, 2019, at the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach, California. On April 3, 2024, the couple announced their separation after five years of marriage, and Corley filed for divorce on December 13, 2024.