Music

Chance The Rapper’s Dad Originally Didn’t Want Him To Pursue Rap As A Career

Chance said his musical aspirations were a source of friction with his father after he graduated high school. …

Chance The Rapper is more successful than at least 99.9 percent of rappers, but like many young artists, there were those who tried to dissuade him from pursuing his art as a career. Chance guested on The Tonight Show yesterday, and during his conversation with Jimmy Fallon, he revealed that his father originally didn’t want him to be a rapper.

Fallon asked Chance if everybody was supportive of his rap growing up, and he responded:

“Uh… I don’t know if they were supportive of it, but it was understood. It was a thing that… People knew that I rapped, since I was a kid. […] My dad actually really… right when I got out of high school, we kind of… as parents do when their kids graduate from high school and they don’t go to college or get a job, it’s kind of like a friction thing. But after we separated for a while, we got back together and he really helped guide me in terms of the amount of work and focus that I needed to work on it from the business side, and he’s still doing that to this day. But in the beginning, my dad did not want me to be a rapper, for sure.”

They also chatted some about Chance’s musical origins, with Chance telling Fallon that he used to perform as Chano, which he called a “terrible name,” when he was in high school.

Watch the full conversation above.

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Artist Spotlight

KENTON journeys through family, identity and healing in “Sweetmouth (Sugar Free)” (EP)

“Sweetmouth (Sugar Free)” is an extremely reflective acoustic EP that guides you through its six tracks as it explores memory, identity, and emotional reconciliation. Created at a moment of deep discovery, the project reveals KENTON’s process of forgiving others, of realizing who he is within himself, and of internally processing what he experienced as a queer Asian American child growing up in the United States.

The EP opens with “I’m Breaking My Father’s Heart – Acoustic,” a gentle track about the disconnection between what parents desire and what you believe is true. “Never Born – Acoustic” is inward-looking, exploring the existential uncertainty of financial suffering at home and prayers that hang in the air, unanswered.

“Let Light In – Live” is a release that captures emotional awakening, where letting go of past pain is the first step toward recovery. “Without You – Acoustic” is one of the most affecting moments on the EP, which recounts a tough relationship with a sick father. “Wannabe American – Acoustic” laments the falseness of the American Dream and how it commodifies the Asian identity.

On the final song, “The Times – Acoustic,” KENTON directs strength toward a message of survival, hope, and endurance in an emotionally suffocating world. “Sweetmouth (Sugar Free)” is also the voice of the collective, and it’s a gift to immigrant and queer youth searching for belonging in spaces that often do not welcome them.

Photo credit: Ricky Chavez

Connect with KENTON on Website | Spotify | Instagram | TikTok

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Artist Spotlight

Terrell Journey rewinds emotion and identity in cinematic EP “Retrograde”

The new reflective R&B EP, “Retrograde” by Terrell Journey, transports us back to the emotional origins of his Journey Digital Supercharged universe. It’s a cinematic prequel defined by tension, clarity, and artistic reinvention.

As a prequel to the famed Journey Digital Supercharged collection, it builds on Terrell Journey’s vision of a musical universe with separate but connected story worlds beneath that umbrella in the Journey Digital Saga. This project is a shift in point of view, and “Retrograde” examines the moments before acceleration, the tension and clarity that happens before everything moves forward.

The EP’s opening track, “Me vs Me,” invites introspection and sets the stage for the project. “Tit 4 Tat” sharpens the tension, while “We Listen and Don’t Judge” creates a space cleared by honesty and emotional control. “Run A Boston” feels fast and intentional, harnessing the force of movement before the EP enters what is its most personal closing stretch.

“Steal Your Heart” is a melodic peak that combines emotional tug with elegant R&B textures. “Love” closes the EP on a warm, resonant note that sounds resolved and open-ended. “Retrograde” expands Terrell Journey’s kaleidoscopic world by making introspection a narrative, and it serves as a crucial link between reflection and the forward momentum of Journey Digital Saga.

The EP challenges you to consider themes of internal conflict, emotional honesty, and change. This continues to cement Terrell Journey’s track record for creating in-universe sets of R&B storytelling narratives.

Connect with Terrell Journey on Website | Spotify | Instagram | X | TikTok