Music
Chance The Rapper Brushes Off Fans’ Lukewarm Reception Of ‘The Big Day’
Chance shuts down haters by reminding them that he’s ‘really really good at rapping.’ …
It’s no secret that Chance The Rapper’s debut album The Big Day landed with more of a thud than a bang, despite actually being pretty good (I will die on this hill). Fans expecting the looser, more straightforward feel of projects like 10 Day, Acid Rap, and Coloring Book were disappointed by the seemingly jumbled collection of music on the album, with their glossy production and lofty ambitions (I will allow that it was too long and could have been sequenced better). It’s led to more overt criticism of his recent output, prompting him to complain that it felt like fans wanted him to be miserable due to their jokes about him getting back on drugs.
However, he also has a truly compelling argument to those fans, which he shared during an interview with Ebro In The Morning to talk about his recently reissued Christmas album. When the host asked him about all the hate — “throwing rocks at the throne,” as he put it — Chance explained that he has a different metric for success. “I’m just really, really good at rapping,” he declared. “So, regardless of what happens, I’ma always have that to fall back on — and if that doesn’t work, I can perform my old raps. If that don’t work, I can direct someone else’s raps. There’s nobody that can rap like me. That’s a cool thing to have.”
"I'm just really really good at rapping…" @chancetherapper addresses the haters & doubters after the release of #TheBigDay
Watch the full conversation w/ @EbrointheAM: https://t.co/nN7s1w6pJy pic.twitter.com/tZGBrffHrS
— HOT 97 (@HOT97) December 15, 2020
That’s actually a pretty smart way to look at things — at the very least, it keeps him from overly focusing on fans’ jokes about his content. Even if he raps about being a family man, which is probably something many of his young fans can’t relate to, he does so really well, so as long as he is meeting his own standards, he technically can’t fail in the opinion of the only person whose opinion matters — his own.
However, the fallout from The Big Day has affected him in other ways. His former manager Pat Corcoran recently filed a lawsuit for $3 million in back pay, citing breach of contract and claiming that Chance let his family talk him into making bad business moves that exacerbated the negative feedback from the album. Chance’s lawyers shot down the accusation, but without Pat The Manager’s help, he may find it’s harder to repeat his prior successes. Maybe collaborating with Dionne Warwick will give him some insight to extending his longevity.
Watch Chance’s full interview with Ebro above.
Artist Spotlight
DONELLI A.I. ENSEMBLE offers a jazz fusion and electronic atmosphere on “Previsioni del tempo incerto”
DONELLI A.I. ENSEMBLE unveils an 18-track album, “Weather Forecasts of Unknown Weather”, blending jazz fusion, world music, progressive rock, new age, and cinematic textures with sounds inspired by the 80s. The album is built on compositions made with keyboards, samplers, and DAW software, as well as collaborations with other musicians, which are then rearranged and reworked with the help of artificial intelligence. The process embeds technology directly into the creative fabric of the project.
The album opens with “Previsioni del tempo incerto”, which features trumpet and vocals with the rest of the ensemble, setting up the album’s blend of instrumental and vocal elements. “Villistas” is more dancey, with dreamy synths and layered compositions that create a lighter electronic atmosphere. The differences between these tracks show that the album is willing to move between genres rather than stay in a single fixed sonic category.
“Claudia” opens with a saxophone and the sweet presence of a jazz orchestra, adding a more traditional jazz colour to the album’s wider electronic and cinematic landscape. The quality of “Pigalle” continues to pull the listener in with its atmospheric approach and vocal effects. Together, these selections reveal the project’s oscillation between acoustic-inspired instrumental timbres and electronically shaped spaces.
The album closes with a softer track, “ninna nanna”, thanks to its gentle presence and composition. The positioning brings the stylistic range heard across the record to a peaceful close. “Previsioni del tempo incerto” is defined by its willingness to blend contrasting musical languages, jazz, world, prog rock, electronic production, cinematic atmosphere, and 80s-inspired textures into a single expansive project. That cross-genre approach, with AI-assisted reworkings as another element of the album’s evolving sound, is especially clear in the artistic direction of the DONELLI A.I. ENSEMBLE.
Connect with DONELLI A.I. ENSEMBLE on Spotify || Instagram || Facebook || Youtube
Artist Spotlight
Mark Cee unveils an acoustic storytelling with a restless edge on New Album “Ghost Talk Show”
Mark Cee, an ambient indie folk artist dedicated to the art of the human recording, releases a nine-track album titled “Ghost Talk Show.” A set of folk-rock and singer-songwriter songs built on acoustic textures, personal reflection, memory, and emotional movement. The album begins with a conversational feel that lets the themes play out in character-driven tunes and melodic playing. The result is an album that is simultaneously intimate acoustic writing and sporadic ventures into electric rock.
The album begins with “I Am Dreaming Of,” an acoustic-tinged song about the possibilities of who someone could be and the desire to have that potential recognized. The way it reflects establishes the mood for what follows, a mood of memories. “Drifting Back Again” is a look back at past behavior, dealing with the complicated feeling of looking back at experiences that weren’t necessarily good but still have an undeniable emotional pull.
“Thought I Saw You Yesterday” has that reflective feel all the way through, with acoustic guitar and catchy vocals making the tune memorable and easy to get into. There’s a darker metaphorical edge to the album in “Skeletons on Your Lawn,” which explores the idea of hidden truths that can’t stay hidden. “And Now The Rain Is Gone” later turns towards leaving the past behind, and “Wish You Were Coming Home” adds an especially emotional quality to the record.
The last track, “Don’t Buy Gas Station Gummies,” shakes up the instrumental palette with catchy electric rock guitar, providing an energetic finish to an album largely defined by acoustic sensibilities. The “Ghost Talk Show” shows Mark Cee’s artistic direction, which is based on storytelling and emotional observation. The album moves around memory, regret, longing, self-reflection, and forward motion but always keeps a recognizable folk-rock base. Other tracks on the album:
And Now the Rain Is Gone (Instrumental)
Sweet Jenny.
Connect with Mark Cee on Spotify || Instagram || Facebook || Youtube
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