Coloring Book
| Chance the Rapper
Coloring Book
Coloring Book is the third mixtape by American rapper Chance the Rapper. It was produced by his group The Social Experiment, Lido, and Kaytranada, among others. For the mixtape, Chance also collaborated with musicians such as Kanye West, Young Thug, Francis and the Lights, Justin Bieber, 2 Chainz, Kirk Franklin, and the Chicago Children's Choir. Coloring Book was released on May 13, 2016, exclusively on Apple Music, before being made available to other streaming services on May 27. It was the first album to chart on the US Billboard 200 solely on streams, peaking at number eight, while receiving widespread acclaim from critics who praised its fusion of hip hop and gospel sounds. It won for Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards.[2] It was also the first streaming-only album ever to win a Grammy.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Rolling Stone
Chance recontextualizes one of the most enduring African-American art forms for 2016’s most urgent one.
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Pitchfork
One of the strongest rap albums released this year
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NME
Fizzingly fun
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NY Times
Chance is one of hip-hop’s pre-eminent memoirists, a pinpoint recollector of childhood stories
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COS
Life and death bring the young star's prayers into clearer, stunning focus
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The Verge
The Chicago rapper sounds different, but very comfortable where he is
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Spin
Artistic vision of quirky and joyous rap
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Hot New Hip Hop
Coloring Book solidifies everything that's ever made Chance sound like Chance
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Pretty Much Amazing
Chance sticks out by infusing his music with an unbridled joy that few other artists, hip-hop or otherwise, come close to emulating.
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Paste
There’s an improvisational spirit that pushes past praise
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The Atlantic
Makes profound use of Millennial nostalgia.
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AV Club
Coloring Book is eminently tweetable
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USA Today
'Coloring Book' is a spiritual step into manhood
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ThoughtCo
Coloring Book taps into the same courage of the '50s and '60s when music soundtracked the plea for justice and equality.
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Complex
Ready to ascend to the top of the rap hierarchy
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Slate
The First True Gospel-Rap Masterpiece
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Genius
People who are fans of gospel rap or TLOP, you’ll like this.
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Nest HQ
It’s complicated, it’s not perfect, but it’s here, and we’re in love with it.”
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BJ Booth
It will make you feel good. What more could you want from music?
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Tiny Mix Tapes
His exuberance in making this music and coming into his own as an artist
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Crack
Gathers the warmth of a Sunday choir at a Baptist church into forward-thinking hip-hop production
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Refinery 29
Why Aren't You Listening To Chance The Rapper's New Album Right Now?
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Bryant Archway
It is truly one of the best albums to ever grace my ears.
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Black Star Magazine
A moving blend of gospel, rap, jazz, and hip hop
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The Young Folks
Mature and uplifting and full of amazing surprises
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NPR
But now, he's on a new mission: taking gospel music mainstream, with his new mixtape
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RMHS
Not only is it an amazing album, but Chance the Rapper uses the lyrics to address culturally significant issues.
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Chicago Tribune
Chance the Rapper makes freedom sing
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Y101fm
One of the best-layered and strongest rap albums in recent years
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The Odyssey
Chance decided to create a masterpiece of work that focuses on love, happy feelings, and most surprisingly, faith.
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Hip Hop DX
Chance proves himself worthy of hero worship by subtly
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Daily Dot
Coloring Book feels dense while also carrying less dead weight
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Sputnik Music
Disjointed and overly preachy, "Coloring Book" is a massive disappointment from Chance the Rapper.
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The Hot Box
This album did what most fans didn’t expect was possible
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Headstuff
A record that doesn’t quite live up to expectations. This isn’t to say that it’s bad – far from it –
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Juice
He subtly packs his views for anyone interested, but rarely gets on his nerves
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DIY Mag
Exactly the kind of record necessary to elevate an artist from viable to visionary.
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XXL Mag
Spirituality and triumph are the two calling cards of Coloring Book
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Howl and Echoes
A Remarkable, Religious Celebration
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Rap Reviews
Stylish, catchy and most of all it brought something new and fresh to the table: a new type of rap
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Pop Matters
It’s this type of positivity and optimism that has informed Chance’s work from the start
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The Current
Check out the rush of positivity from Chance the Rapper
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The Line Of Best Fit
Now that we know him he wants nothing more than for us all to celebrate together.
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Oxford Stories
Reveals a vibrant changed life
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Patheos
Nearly every song here is joyous.
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The Gospel Coalition
As much an act of worship as my private journals are: an unharnessed insight into a young man’s heart.
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Electric Sloth
This album is one of my favorites.
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Rapzilla
I appreciate the artistry and some of the content of Coloring Book.
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EW
Coloring Book affirms Chance’s place as one of hip-hop’s most promising — and most uplifting — young stars.
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Indie Shuffle
A piece of music that fully encompassed and defined the artist
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Playnetwork
I loved this album because of its overall sound, subject matter, and tactic
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Vulturehound
Chance’s voice so full of the life and love of the city that made him that he can’t help but return the favour – and neither can we.
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Albumism
Particularly impressive is the way in which the album consistently nails the smallest details of orchestration
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Spectrum Culture
Chance has grown into something new and mighty
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LA Music
Gospel influences and raw lyrics into this instant summer classic
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Bonafide
His latest effort, exploring the varying shades of his engaging personality and beguiling music.
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Rapisnewrockandroll
Arguably one of the best albums of the year
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Expose
It’s nice to listen to something happy for once.
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Fact Mag
We have hope that the sun will come out tomorrow; until then, there’s Coloring Book.
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Pursuit of Openess
He has ascended to the pinnacle of the Hip Hop game with the album also nicknamed #Chance3,
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Jag News
It’s amazing.
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Vibe
It’s a jam session that won’t stop; it’s a good mood that you can’t shake.
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YR Album
He’s able to do what he does best: use his rhythm and words to fill in every remaining corner of the beat.
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The Fresh Committee
Chance the Rapper has never shone brighter.
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Hypebeast
An ecstatic, star-studded, holy-ghost-saturated experience that oozes with relatability and unbridled jubilation.
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The Fresh Committee
Conscious but never self-conscious; uplifting but never overbearing, Coloring Book is truly free
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The High End Theory
The boy from 79th brings us the gospel music we’ve been waiting for
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Sound Opinions
One of the most ambitious records in hip hop right now.
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Daily Campus
It’s not easy to find someone that emits more positivity
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Mind Equals Blown
The result is a 14-track celebration packed with unexpected guests, surprising sounds, and infectious beats
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The B Side
His reflective, matured side is revealed
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Freelancer Mag
Chicago’s own Chance The Rapper blesses the universe with his third solo mixtape.
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WZND
From his clever bars during the verses to the energetic hooks during the choruses.
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LSUNow
The mixtape painted a vivid collection of artistry with each head-bobbing song.
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Mashable
Chance genuinely seems to feel the spirit within him, not in a haughty way, but a humble one.
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The West Review
The more gospel-flavoured songs on the album are enough to convert the stubborn atheist I am
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Exclaim
A spirited musical sermon, and Chance's fellow MCs will covet its perfect union of gospel and rap.
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New Yorker
Above all, a showcase for its creator’s preternatural understanding of the elements that make up a mood.
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Saint Audio
Part of Coloring Book‘s magic is its’ innately symbiotic productions and features.
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Inverse
Few rappers have as distinct and expansive a musical identity in hip-hop as 23-year-old Chancellor Bennett
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Under the Gun Review
It’s fun, insightful, uplifting, thought-provoking, and everything else that we know Chance The Rapper can be.
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Daily Emerald
One of the year’s best rap albums
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Vinyl Me Please
The one thing we can agree on is that Chance is great, and so is his album.
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The Alternative Outfit
Easily making for one of the most disciplined and complete releases this year.
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LAUT
That's another reason why the mixtape is one of the most exciting things to hear in Hip Hop this year.
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Noiseika
There are spectacular, breath-taking moments
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Chase Woodford
Does Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book live up to all the hype? Yes
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SAmusicscene
The soulful samples that people were thirsting for in Kanye’s music are present here.
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Tattler
His lyrics are not vulgar, nor are they repetitive. They are real.
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Tattoo
Chance certainly laced up his J’s, put his creative idiosyncrasies onto the pad with a pen and shot nothing but net.
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Glide Mag
Coloring Book is making history
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Qmunicate Mag
Vibrant kaleidoscope of sounds which is always changing but never confused.
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Flood Magazine
Coloring Book feels like a gift, a door open to a room full of people anxious to meet you.
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Eastside Online
Truly an uplifting, spiritual masterpiece.
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Straitstimes
He celebrates his spirituality without being preachy.
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Rhyme Junkie
It will put a big ol’ smile on your face
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Teal Cheese
He shows us that time is only relative, that patience and attention to detail make a big difference when it comes to quality.
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Verve Magazine
Proclaiming his perspicuous truths to us: the listeners and the learners.
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Playback Society
MODERN GOSPEL-RAP MAGIC
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The Northern Light
Coloring Book is full of dynamic melodies, cold bars, and a spirit lifting sound.
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The What
Chance has reinvested his momentum back into the musicians that helped him create his music, the city he lived in, and his sonic foundation.
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Drowning Man
I would still rate it Near Perfect. Great Job.
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Uinterview
Chance the Rapper has also upped his game when it comes to his classic R&B sound.
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Rap Vineyard
A triumphant testament to what music is all about – expressing oneself to his or her best creative ability.
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Where Y'at
It draws elements of soul, trap, blues, and gospel all into one project.
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Empty Lighthouse
Completed in a style that only Chance could pull off.
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XFDR Mag
It’s impossible not to love Chance the Rapper.
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Indiestyle
Diverse, original and shows that Chance The Rapper can contribute something new to the current hip-hop scene
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The Santa Clara
Chance proved to us that he is here to stay. All we’re left wondering is, “What’s next?”
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Augustine
Joy is at the core of almost everything that happens in Coloring Book
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Nappy Afro
This tape is a mix of Hip-Hop, pop, soul, and a lot gospel and I feel as if it all meshes well.
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Transistor
Alert everyone: we’re living in the golden age of Hip Hop.
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