why cant i download old albums Truth About Chance the Rapper’s Net Worth and Story Behind His Admirable Humility. Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, better known by his stage name Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Bennett gained initial fame in 2012 after releasing his debut mixtape titled ‘.’ He achieved mainstream success in 2013 following the release of his second mixtape, . Chancelor’s rapping career finally took off in 2016 with the release of his third mixtape titled . The mixtape earned him three Grammy Awards and became the first ever streaming-only album to win a Grammy Award. It peaked at #8 on the US Billboard 200. Chancelor Bennett’s debut studio album ‘The Big Day’ was eventually released on July 26, 2019. The album, which is Bennett’s only studio album to date, is famous for its matrimonial-themed songs. Bennett’s music is versatile, blending uplifting jazz-inspired melodies with gospel influences. He often uses choirs to amplify the gospel undertones in his music. In addition to his solo career, Chancelor Bennett is the vocalist for the music band, The Social Experiment. The band is best known for their album Surf, released in May 2015. Bennett is also a member of the -based collective Savemoney. Chancelor Bennett has also pursued a fairly successful acting career. He made his television debut in 2013, appearing as himself in The Eric Andre Show and The Arsenio Hall Show. In 2018, Bennett made his cinematic debut in the movie Slice. He has continued to appear in a variety of films and television shows over the years. Outside of the entertainment industry, Chancelor Bennett is an outspoken social and political activist, as well as philanthropist. Quick Facts. Full Name: Chancelor Johnathan Bennett Popular Name: Chance the Rapper Gender: Male Birth Date: April 16, 1993 Age: 28 years Parents: Ken Williams-Bennett and Lisa Bennett Siblings: Taylor Matthew Bennett Birth Place: Chicago, Illinois Nationality: American Ethnicity: African- American Education: Jones College Prep High School and Harold Washington College, City College of Chicago Marital Status: Married Sexual Orientation: Straight Wife/Spouse: Kirsten Corley Children: Kensli Bennett and Marli Grace Bennett Dating: N/A Net Worth: USD 25 million (as of April 1, 2021) Source of Wealth: Music Sales, Touring, Songwriting, Record Producing, Acting, Endorsement Deals, and Other Ventures Height: 5′ 10″ (1.78 m) Weight: 78 kg; In pounds: 172 lbs. Early Life and Career Information. Chancelor Johnathan Bennett was born on April 16, 1993, in Chicago, Illinois, to Ken Williams-Bennett and Lisa Bennett. His father worked as an aide to former Chicago mayor Harold Washington and then-Chicago Senator Barack Obama, whereas his mother worked for the Illinois Attorney General. Bennett developed an interest in music at an early age. He frequently listened to songs by the late pop star Michael Jackson. He later became interested in hip hop after listening to ’s “Through the Wire,” and started rapping while in sixth grade. During his freshman year at Jones College Prep High School, Chancelor Bennett founded a hip-hop duo with a friend. He split his time between studying and songwriting. In early 2011, Bennett was suspended from school for ten days in connection with marijuana possession. He used the suspension to record his first full-length music, a mixtape titled 10 Day. Later in the year, Bennett released a track titled “Windows” and officially announced the release of his 10 Day project, which he eventually released on April 2, 2012. Chance the Rapper released his second mixtape, Acid Rap, in 2013. The mixtape reached #26 on the US Heatseekers Chart as well as #63 on the US R&B and Hip-Hop Chart. Chance released his third mixtape, Coloring Book, in 2016. Released exclusively on Apple Music, ‘Coloring Book’ debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200, with first-week streams of over 57.3 million. It became the first mixtape ever to make the charts based on streams alone. On July 26, 2019, Chance the Rapper released his debut and only studio album to date, The Big Day. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. As of the time of writing, Chance has earned over 15 prestigious awards for his contribution to the music industry, including: • 1 Billboard Live Music Award • 1 NAACP Image Award • 1 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award • 2 BET Hip-Hop Awards • 2 iHeartRadio Music Awards • 2 Teen Choice Awards • 3 BET Awards • 3 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards • 3 Grammy Awards. In addition to singing, Chance the Rapper also dabbles in acting. In 2013, Chance appeared as himself in the television shows The Eric Andre Show and The Arsenio Hall Show. In 2018, he made his cinematic debut in the film Slice. Other notable films and television shows that Bennett has appeared in include: • Black Dynamite (2014, television show) • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015, television show) • Saturday Night Live (2015 and 2017, television show) • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2016, television show) • The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2016, television show) • Wild ‘N Out (2017, television show) • The Lion King (2019, film) • Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019, film) • Punk’d (2020, television show) • Nickelodeon’s Unfiltered (2020, television series) Chance the Rapper’s Net Worth. Chance the Rapper has not only made a name for himself in the music industry. He has also earned millions from his various music endeavors. At some point, Chance was one of the highest-paid rappers on the planet, earning as much as $30 million annually. As of April 1, 2021, Johnathan Bennett had a net worth of $25 million. Record and album sales, as well as touring account for the majority of Bennett’s earnings. The rapper has since embarked on three tours, namely Magnificent Coloring World Tour (2016), Be Encouraged Tour (2017), and The Big Tour (2019). Bennett’s other music-related earnings come from songwriting and record producing. Bennett is also a fashion designer in his own right. He designed hats for the Chicago White Sox. A considerable portion of the rapper’s wealth also comes from acting and endorsement deals. In June 2013, Chance was featured alongside various rappers like Pharrell Williams, Mac Miller, and Schoolboy Q in a commercial for MySpace. Lessons from Chance the Rapper. 1. Turn every adversity into opportunity. Johnathan Bennett was suspended from school for ten days after he was found with weed. It was during the suspension that Bennett recorded his first full-length music, the mixtape ‘10 Day.’ 2. Chart your own path. Chance the Rapper comes from a family with deep political ties. However, he chose to rap instead of pursuing a political career. 3. Be humble regardless of your achievements. Bennett’s humility features prominently through his music and philanthropic endeavors. Perhaps it has a lot to do with his strong Christian upbringing. Famous Quotes by Chance the Rapper. “Depending on the story that you’re telling, you can be relatable to everybody or nobody. I try and tell everybody’s story.” “Everybody’s somebody’s everything. I know you right. Nobody’s nothing. That’s right.” “I can’t gain anything off of anyone else not succeeding.” “Some people are so poor, all they have is money.” “Something I try to instill in others is to just be a good person. It’s a decision you make a million times a day. But if you just keep trying, good stuff comes to you in an ordained way.” Final Word. Chance the Rapper is an inspirational figure to many aspiring rappers all over the world. Not only is Bennett a talented artist, but he’s also famous for his easygoing and down-to-earth personality. The rapper has a net worth of $25 million as of April 2021. Chance the Rapper May Abandon His Old Ways, Considers Selling His Debut Album. During the cover story, the Chicago rapper discusses a plethora of topics, ranging from his music to how having a daughter changed his life forever. As he dives deep into talking about his dual life of being a rapper and a father, he also lets it slide that he's been contemplating selling his work for a change. While he has built his career following the path of an independent artist and releasing his music for free via streaming platforms, Chance admits that he's opening up to the idea of going a more traditional route, especially now that he has built up his platform to the level he has. "I might actually sell this album," he shares with Complex . "That's like, a big step in itself." From there he explains why, and part of it has to do with a feeling we all can relate to — FOMO, an acronym for "fear of missing out." "I kind of hate the fact that I can't chart, really," he continues. "I can chart, but the way they have the stream s**t set up is weak as f**k. It's unfair. And, you know, I don't know if it's, it's like 1,500 or 1,700 streams is the equivalent to one unit, and that's just, you know, that's unfair. Nobody listens to their songs 1,700 times when they buy it, f**k outta here. So, it makes it hard. I can't really — I can't compete with other people. Not that the charts matters at all, but like, come on." He continues to let the idea of having his project be made available for sale marinate, and it sounds like he may have his mind made up already. That is, when he gets back into "album mode" again. "I think having it for purchase would be dope," he concluded. "Also, I'm talking about. this is all like, hypothetical. There is no album. I don't have something sitting. I can feel, like, fans squirming in their chair like, 'Oh s**t, he's changing!' This is an idea." However, despite toying with the idea of having his music available for sale, he remains firm on his choice to remain an independent artist. Take a look at Complex 's in-depth cover story here and check out the accompanying video feature below. Chance The Rapper talks next album, says he might actually sell it. Though he built his reputation on free-to-download releases like Acid Rap and Coloring Book , Chance The Rapper says in a new interview that he might actually sell his next album. The rapper discussed it in a profile on Complex where he explained that without offering his albums to purchase, he relies solely on streaming data to chart, making it much harder to do so. “1,500 streams is the equivalent to one [album sale], and that’s just that’s unfair,” he said. “Nobody listens to their songs [1,500] times when they buy it—fuck outta here!” He’s quick to point out, however, that “There is no album” and these are just hypothetical ideas about something in its earliest stage. Despite their tremendous success, Chance has considered all his previous releases mixtapes, which are traditionally free. He sees the follow-up to Coloring Book as his first proper album. “I think whatever this album is, it wouldn’t be so centered. Acid Rap and 10 Day and Coloring Book was like a trilogy in itself. One aesthetic, one goal”, he says. “Whatever my next thing is, it’ll be a bit bigger.” How to Listen to Chance the Rapper's Fantastic New Album. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Chance the Rapper has been teasing his new album for a while, and after he debuted "Blessing" on The Tonight Show last week, we knew it was coming May 13. I got excited when I saw a crowd of teenagers in matching shirts hanging posters of him at my subway stop yesterday, hyping Coloring Book , which then dropped late last night and features everyone from Kanye West to Justin Bieber. Coloring Book is available to stream on Apple Music right now, and will be exclusive to Apple for two weeks, according to what an Apple representative told Mashable. 1 Earlier today the album was available to download or stream from mixtape site Dat Piff, but it has since been taken down. WIRED has reached out to the lawyer who asked for it to be removed in order to verify that it was an unsanctioned upload. We will update if we hear back. If you have Apple Music, you should give the album a listen because Chance has put together one hell of a follow up to 2013's Acid Rap . If you don't have Apple Music, and don't want it, looks like you'll have to wait, like anyone who didn't have Tidal had to wait for Beyonce's Lemonade (a wait which, in that case, wasn't very long—it hit iTunes two days later). My favorite track so far is "Smoke Break," which, like all great songs, seems written specifically for me: it's about how life changes for a couple when they have a new baby at home. My son was born a month after Chance's daughter, and like Chance, my partner and I sometimes miss our free time, our Netflix time, our time for ourselves. And yet, again like all great songs and albums, it's a celebration. That's the song I blasted through the kitchen this morning. We danced—my husband, our tiny son who's just learning rhythm, and me—as Chance and the summer breeze lifted up the day. 1 Update at 12:28pm: Dat Piff has removed Chance's album from its site. We've reached out to ask why, though it looks like possibly the upload was unsanctioned by the artist. Was Chance the Rapper lucky? 7 Principles Indie Artists Can Apply From his Success. Whether or not you are a fan of hip hop, I’m sure you’ve probably heard or seen the name Chance the Rapper before. I had the chance to see Chance the Rapper live here in Sacramento recently on April 27, 2017. Although I can’t say I’m a huge fan, he does make great music and a down-to-earth guy you want to root for. Those who have read a few of my previous blogs know that I have referenced Chance a few times as the poster child for this paradigm shift that music should be freely accessible. Embracing this shift is a mindset and approach I believe will be critical to the future success of all musicians. Offering your music without a price tag and knowing that the days of records sales are dying so all musicians need to start adopting now. Obviously he’s not the first person to offer his music for free, but he has been getting a lot of attention for it in the past because of everything he’s accomplished so far in his young career as an independent. With all of Chance’s success, I think artists and musicians are curious to know what they can do to improve their chances of making it like he did. I don’t have much experience in the music industry yet to know exactly what it takes. But as a music fan who understands sociology, psychology and marketing, what I can tell you is that success doesn’t come from talent and hard work alone . Chance the Rapper has demonstrated that the key to success is that there isn’t one key. In my opinion, reaching his level of success in music depends on a number of key factors and variables. After watching him closely and seeing him live recently, here’s my list of 7 primary principles/factors I feel contributed to his massive success as in an independent that I feel other artists and musicians can learn from and apply. Who is Chance the Rapper? For those who don’t know, Chance the Rapper is a 24-year-old high school drop out from Chicago who has become one of the hottest rappers since blowing up in 2016. What makes him special is that not only is he making history as an independent artist, but doing so by challenging the current music industry paradigm and dispelling the “traditional” way of how artists typically make it in the music business. He has achieved superstar status without having sold a single record, putting out physical releases and any label support . Here’s what he’s done so far in his young career: Nominated for 7 Grammys and won 3 in 2017 (Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Album) Became the first unsigned artist to perform on Saturday Night Live (December 15, 2015). His third mixtape release, Coloring Book, in 2016 was the first streaming-only album to ever receive and win a Grammy nomination. Coloring Book was the first streaming-exclusive album to chart on Billboard 200 (Debuted at number 8) Grew his social media following: Facebook (1.7 million), Twitter (3.79 million), Instagram (4.8 million), Soundcloud (1.5 million), Youtube (782k) Continues to sell out merch and tour dates (http://chanceraps.com/) Wrote parts of 5 songs on his idol Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo album. 1. Hard Work + Persistence + Patience = Groundwork for Success. As cliché and obvious as it is, I think it’s important to start off by saying you need to work hard and be patient if you want to make it as an independent artist. From my perspective as a music fan, it can take at least 5 – 15 years to really pick up steam and build a sustainable career in music. I would say Chance is the exception by being on the shorter of my estimation. Chance wasn’t just “lucky” either. He made all the right moves leading to his breakout and laid the proper groundwork that lead to his success. Along with the music, he was known earlier on for being a very energetic performer, or as his manager said “Chance turnt the fuck up every night.” Because of that, people really wanted to see his shows. I don’t know all the specifics of how many hours he put in, but I imagine it’s the standard hustle that we all need to put forth if we want to accomplish our goals. It should go without saying, but I don’t think it hurts to remind. One things for sure, he was really involved with music in his school and community. Chance participated in an after-school program called YOUmedia and at an open-mic venue called Young Chicago Authors. The other component to hard work is having a goal, sound strategy and game plan to execute. After all, it’s certainly possible do a lot of hard work that does not contribute to what you want to accomplish as an artist. 2. MGM – Make good music. Making good music is another obvious factor in Chance’s popularity, but notice how I didn’t say talent. Some might say talent is a huge factor (maybe the biggest), and I acknowledge that it is important. While it’s clear that Chance the Rapper has immense talent, in the same token, pure talent is not the primary factor to making it in the music business . I’m a firm believer that talent, most of the time, is not something that is innate or a skill you are genetically predisposed to be good at. It’s something that can be learned, developed and harnessed over time through practice, persistence and patience, especially when starting at a young age. At the end of the day, it’s the byproduct of that talent and creativity that really matters – good songs and music . It’s the X-factor of what allows artists to rise to the top and garner attention. Talent needs to be able to translate into tangible creative outputs that resonate with people. After all, how many of us really follow anyone who can only sing or rap really well but not put out any good music? I don’t make music or have any musical talents myself, but I know that all the artists and musicians we love don’t hit home runs every single time. There’s trial and error involved too. If you want a sustainable career in music, you must be self-aware and honest enough with yourself to know if what you’re making is actually good or not while be able to learn from the criticism. At the same time, you also need to have the persistence to keep putting your music out there when your songs don’t take off as you hoped. 3. Music accessibility over ownership. Streaming is the future. When I was at the Chance concert, one thing that really stood out to me was how young his fan base is… also that they really love to smoke weed. I swear the average age felt like it was 18 years old, but was probably closer to 24 or 25. Age is worth noting because of the trend with music streaming, which so happens to be more popular with Millennials and the Hip Hop / R&B genre. It only makes sense that the Chance the Rapper fan base reflects the demographic that is streaming music the most. Although musicians and artists are upset that the value of music has been on the decline, this idea of music being free is not a fad – it’s where the future is headed, Chance and his fans have embraced this change. “Paid audio streaming services are growing in popularity, especially among under 25s. One-third of 16-24 year olds now pay for an audio streaming service.” – IFPI Music Consumer Report 2016. Chance the Rapper made all his music releases for free under the label of a “mixtape.” By doing this, he removed any barriers to access and discover his music so it’s easier to spread through the masses. (Update: To be fair, I later learned they he did try to sell a song (Juice from Acid Rap) earlier in his career, but it was taken down for sale shortly after. The song had a sample that didn’t clear and they didn’t want to be sued.) He was ahead of the game. Having your music free to download is a marketing strategy that will be the norm as younger music listeners become accustomed to it and expect it. This doesn’t mean you still can’t sell physical copies of your record, but you may want to reevaluate how you distribute your music. 4. Be honest. Be humble. Be yourself. One of the most captivating qualities about Chance the Rapper is how genuine and humble he is. He reiterated during a few moments in the show that he was a regular dude just like everyone else here. At one point, while staring into the crowd, he got emotional as he was going to tear up in amazement that so many people would come out to see him. To me, being honest and humble makes him so much more relatable and easier to connect with . The other thing Chance the Rapper proves is you can make it being your true authentic self. Let’s be real, with the hat and overalls, I know I’m not the only one who thinks he looks like a Super Mario brother! He doesn’t really look like your typical mainstream “rapper.” Yet, people still love and embrace him for exactly who he is. The great thing about music in the digital age is that there’s a market and niche for just about every sub-genre and category. You don’t need to fake the funk and cater to what is currently hot to make it. Stay true to yourself and speak your truth. Authenticity wins. There are so many angles and markets you can hone in on, which leads to the next point. 5. Focus on a niche. Build your brand. The most obvious side of his brand is his faith in Christianity. Although he’s not branded as a ‘Christian rapper’ or artist, it definitely has a presence in his brand as there’s a strong influence of Gospel music in his songs and lyrics. As you would imagine, there was some subtle Christian symbolism on the stage for his show, but nothing too obvious like crosses. In other words, he’s found the right branding mix that works for him. For Chance, his strong, consistent branding is one of the main reasons he’s been able to achieve financial success without selling a single record. Branding sells. It’s what fuels demand for your merch sales and live shows. When I got there and when I left his concert, I paid close attention to how long the merch lines were. It’s clear that he’s built a powerful brand that resonates with so many people. Find the branding angle that is the most authentic to you and go all-in on it. Know what you stand for, what you represent and what your message is as a brand. Some may be turned off by the idea of being a “brand,” but you may be holding yourself back. Ultimately, your music and brand are the true differentiators that will help separate you in a very saturated music industry. 6. Be about the people, community and fans. I believe that when you serve your fans and community as an artist, you win. Music and art are ultimately about the people who consume it and are impacted by it. To me, a great artist is someone who acknowledges this. Chance the Rapper embodies this idea of selflessness. Based on his donations and activities in the community, we also know that Chance is a big supporter of the arts and music programs in public schools. He donated $1 million to Chicago Public Schools to support arts and enrichment programming. Here’s a Facebook Live video he did to make that announcement: Lastly, he also did something I’ve never heard any other artist do – he fought back against scalpers who were trying to price gouge tickets to his show. As a result, he managed to buy back almost 2,000 tickets from these scalpers to his won festival, and resell them back to fans at fair prices. That story was from his last tour in 2016. He also did this again for the tour I attended. After winning his 3 Grammys, he announced that he was going on tour again. As you would imagine, it was a good opportunity for scalpers to capitalize at the height of the hype as tickets were selling out across the country. He then posted this on Facebook about how he was getting tickets back from scalpers: As a community-oriented artist who supports the arts, Chance knows how to leverage his success and build his music legacy. Most artists reading this are probably not at the level to donate $1 million, but getting involved in the community doesn’t cost anything except your time. Not only does it feel good to help in general, I believe there are advantages to taking a community approach as an artist. 7. Build a team ASAP. It’s difficult to do it alone. At a certain point in your career, you will need to build a team around you so that you can focus more on making music. The scarcest resource you have as an artist is your time, so you need to find every way possible to free up more of it. Your money can be scarce too, but buying yourself time by paying and recruiting the right people on your team will ultimately provide more opportunities to make money by giving you the time to put out more music. Chance didn’t have any label support, but he did have right people in his corner early on. It’s important to find people for your team who believe in what you do, share your vision and handle the right tasks. While still a teenager, Chance got a piece of advice from Childish Gambino. This was early in his career before all the financial success. Most people reading this may already know they will need to build a team eventually, but it’s probably sooner than you think. The problem is not having the money and or knowing the right people to trust for your team. That’s why networking is so important. Start with your local community because you’ll never know who you may find that may have the specific skills you need, like website creation, promotion and artist management. After studying to be a psychologist and dabbling in concert promotion, where he met Chance, Pat dropped out of college in 2012 to manage the rapper full time. “I’m going to work for Chance until we’re headlining festivals and winning Grammys — or until I get fired.” He wasn’t a big shot, expensive manager. He was a former promoter and blogger in the Chicago scene. There’s a great documentary type video by Complex that goes in depth with Pat Corcoran of the story how his relationship with Chance began and how they grew together to this point now. Very cool and inspiring video I highly recommend checking out. The main point is if you’re serious about music and your career is picking up momentum, you need to prioritize building your team. This means really assessing what you’re spending your money on and investing any money you can towards your career by hiring the right people for your team. Also, get yourself out there and network because you might find trustworthy people who want to grow with you and be willing to do the job for the experience. Conclusion. Not only is Chance the Rapper an amazing artist, he’s become a role model not only for his peers and community, but also for other musicians who want to be able to have the impact he has in the music industry. Just make sure to keep your expectations in check as following all these principles does not guarantee success. Scientifically and mathematically speaking, there’s so many other variables involved (upbringing, life experiences, family environments, socioeconomic factors, perception, geography) to account for. This means that it’s really about how you navigate the music industry and handle situations you do have control over. But I do believe that if you implement those 7 principles together, you’ll have a much better chance of making it in this changing music landscape. You can see clips and photos from my Chance the Rapper experience on my Instagram post: