Chance the Rapper's debut album, 'The Big Day', has been out for less than 48 hours, but the public opinion has been out for a few weeks now; look no further than the comments under an announcement post a week before the album was set to release.
The masses on social media chose to hate the album as soon as the title wasn't announced as 'Acid Rap 2', and the masses of the music industry are going to like anything a young Grammy-winning artist drops, meaning an unbiased assessment of 'The Big Day' will be hard to find. This is the part where I say something like "Luckily, you have SoundSports to give you a fair breakdown", but, in the midst of my sixth listen, I find myself in the middle of the two sides—thinking 'The Big Day' just isn't it and recognizing how much talent is shown on the project.
With that in mind came the premise of debating both for and against Chance the Rapper's debut album. In classic debate format, one side(me) will argue the pros of the album while the other side(also, me) argues the cons, followed by each side providing a rebuttal then ending with closing statements. At the end of the article a winner will be declared.
Side 1(Con): Chance the Rapper peaked early and will never live up to 'Acid Rap'.
The happiness and health of Chance the Rapper is great, but 'Acid Rap' Chance, although clearly inspired by drugs and other negative aspects, was far more relatable and enjoyable. There's a reason the title 'Acid Rap' was trending on the release date of 'The Big Day', because people were actually able to form a connection with the project.
Even counting the tracks with the most drug references like, "Smoke Again", "Nana", and "Pusha man", 'Acid Rap' wasn't some "my mom said I can't listen to this" evil project, and most people connected to the energy of the project and the talent of Chance rather than the drug imagery. Present-day Chance has the talent, but he seems focused on making a project that only his family, youth pastors and the Currys can enjoy.
Side 2(Pro): Chance the Rapper is fighting the norms of rap.
Of course the masses don't enjoy a happy-sounding album with the main theme being centered around marriage; half of the world is depressed and thinks marriage is a scam.
Chance the Rapper knows marriage isn't the cool thing to rap about, as he raps "But they don’t sell marriage no more/Guess bein’ all alone ain't so scary no more/Guess our lives ain’t for sharin' no more/Guess the tale can't end like a fairy no more" on "Big Fish". In an industry where painting a dark picture makes you cooler to the public, Chance is trying to make positive images, like sharing your life with one person, having faith, and starting a family, the cool thing.
Side 2(Rebuttal): Chance the Rapper has progressed past 'Acid Rap'.
One moment, everyone wants an artist to grow and reflect that in their music. The next moment, everyone wants a repeat of the greatest hits. If Tyler the Creator stuck to his edgy beginning, one of the best projects of 2019, "Igor", would have never been created. If Kanye West stuck to the "Old Kanye" sound, hip-hop wouldn't be anywhere near the number one music genre in the world.
Why is it any different for Chance the Rapper?
'Acid Rap' exists already. As of June 2019, it can be streamed on all platforms. There is no reason for Chance to replicate what has already been crowned one of the greatest mixtapes of a generation. Instead, Chance should be getting praised for being the lone mainstream rapper to promote such positive imagery.
Side 1(Rebuttal): He can promote positive messages in a more entertaining way.
At this point of Chance's career, a full gospel album would serve as a better platform for his messages and transcend his current audience.
The problem isn't that Chance the Rapper is pushing a positive image that hip-hop refuses to accept. The problem occurs when he tries to create a happy rap sound that is mostly associated with Disney movies and Kids Bop remixes. Regardless of how talented Chance is, no true rap fan is going to enjoy a sound that is associated with being watered down.
A full gospel album with hip-hop elements would allow Chance to shine the brightest and create a lane where his talent can truly be appreciated. The concept isn't even a new one for the 26-year-old, as some of his best work has come when he fully commits to blending Gospel and rap on tracks like "Blessings"(both), "All We Got", "How Great", and Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam". The rap community is receptive to positive messages but not at the expense of good sounding music.
Side 1(Closing):Chance the Rapper needs to fully embrace who he is. In closing, it's understood that 'Acid Rap' Chance is never coming back. That was understood three years ago with the release of 'Coloring Book'. However, 'The Big Day' isn't bad because it's not the dark Chance that everyone loved; it's bad on its own merit.
Songs like "Hot Shower" come off like this, and a majority of the project comes off as overly preachy. If Chance really wants his message to reach the most ears, fully embracing his gospel side is the next step.
Side 2(Closing): 'The Big Day' is a good themed album.
The idea of trying to promote the messages that Chance the Rapper preaches on 'The Big Day' is unheard of in rap, yet Chance made it as enjoyable as possible. Tracks like "We Go High", "Roo", "I Got You(Always and Forever)", and "Town on the Hill" all promote positive messages and have replay value.
'The Big Day' may not be for everyone, but the positivity being promoted by the talent of Chance should be appreciated.
Winner: Will be decided on Wednesday's review article.