Chance the Rapper Discusses Comeback After Backlash from 2019 Album

CHICAGO, IL — Chance the Rapper recently opened up about his mental health and creative struggles after the negative reception of his 2019 album, The Big Day. Although the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, it faced significant criticism, leading Chance to retreat from the music scene for nearly six years.

In a recent interview with former NFL player Cam Newton, Chance shared the profound impact of the public’s disapproval on his confidence and creativity. “You want people to love your music,” Chance said. “A little while after I dropped, I started to feel this intense criticism really only on the internet. And it took me a long time to recognize that part, but I felt it so intently that… I second-guessed myself for a second.”

This criticism caused Chance, 32, to scale back his creative output, resulting in the long gap between albums. During this time, he experimented with different artistic pursuits. “I think what really helped me get out of that was becoming creative again, but in a different lane,” Chance explained. “I started working with cameras, I started learning film and learning cinematography…basically putting myself through a fake film school.”

In 2021, he released a music video titled “The Heart and the Tongue,” marking his return to music. He noted that the positive response to this project reignited his passion for rap. “Once I made that song and that video and put it out to be like, ‘Look at how good this video was,’ everybody was like, ‘No, look at how good them raps is, n***a. Keep rapping, n***a,’” he recalled.

His latest album, Star Line, released this year and opened at No. 22 on the Billboard 200, has received a more positive reception from fans compared to The Big Day, showcasing his resilience in the face of earlier setbacks.