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.

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Album Review

Kamila Csenge explores the unknown with a powerful debut album “Behind the Universe”

Some albums tell stories, while some invite you to experience a different worldview. And that is precisely what Kamila Csenge does on her debut album, “Behind the Universe.” A collection of 7 crafted tracks exploring what lies beyond fear, pain, and the limitations we so often put on ourselves. The album is an invitation to curiosity and reflection and growth, not to easy answers.

The journey begins with a reflective jazz fusion ballad, “The Void,” opening space for silence outside of simple ideas of right and wrong. Next track, “Against the Wall,” moves from there, with a stark look at the courage to overcome obstacles and make a difference. Then, “Music Forever” goes on with a sincere reflection about being true to yourself in a world that asks for attention and speed.

The emotional and imaginative range of the second half of the album goes even further. “Guardians of the Garden” is a peculiar universe, a universe of hope and light in the darkness. Next up is “The Metamorphosis,” which explores the silent yet powerful evolution of a human being, as growth usually begins with the loss of our former selves.

“This World” turns inside to the quiet wars many people fight each day with honesty and compassion. The album ends with “The Point of No Return,” a perfect song to end the album, accepting that the only way to go is just to go. Kamila Csenge’s debut album “Behind the Universe” is a record that prizes emotion, imagination, and resilience and is at once deeply personal and open to infinite interpretation.

Connect with Kamila Csenge on | Website | IG | FB | Spotify | TikTok |

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Artist Spotlight

Kai Moa delivers an electronic journey of loss and identity with “L = ∅”

One of the few electronic releases to communicate emotional collapse so intensely is “L = ∅” by Kai Moa. The track is a dramatic shift in weight and atmosphere, the second single from the artist’s forthcoming debut EP, which will be out by August 2026.

The production of “L = ∅” has a nice balance of mechanical force and emotional tension. The song is about the emotional fallout of losing a job and the meaning it held. Instead of a straightforward representation of grief, Kai Moa takes on the mindset of a character who is sliding into nihilism, rejecting ideas of work, security, relationships, and meaning itself. This is an artist who can take personal disappointment and make it into a meditation on identity.

“L = ∅” is an immersive listening experience that defies expectations. Kai Moa has a real talent for blending cinematic storytelling with a bold sound design. This release feels like it could make its way into the ears of underground electronic fans and those searching for substance in their music. Kai Moa is an artist who isn’t scared to jump headfirst into uncomfortable ideas with fearless production and ambitious creative vision, and the first track leads into the debut EP.