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. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
Show All-
Rolling Stone
Pulling from gospel tradition and his Chicago roots, Chance the Rapper delivers a hip-hop watershed.
-
Pitchfork
Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book is one of the strongest rap albums released this year, an uplifting mix of spiritual and grounded that even an atheist can catch the Spirit to.
-
Consequence
Life and death bring the young star's prayers into clearer, stunning focus.
-
The Verge
On Coloring Book, Chance the Rapper wades joyfully into new territory.
-
Spin
On Coloring Book, he displays the most joyful part of his universe, and invites listeners across the globe to share in the festivities. “I’m still at my old church, only ever sold merch / Grandma say I’m Kosher, momma say I’m culture,” he reiterates on “Angels.” Chance is the culture here and he is giving it to the world.
-
Hot New HipHop
I don't pretend to see eye-to-eye with Chance on everything, or comprehend a fraction of his brain activity, but he's made a project that leaves me awestruck.
-
Paste Magazine
Ultimately, although the volume of Chance’s piety may feel like evangelism, Coloring Book is far from gospel rap. Chance The Rapper feels that he has been blessed with family, friends, talent and opportunity, and few things give him more joy than extolling those blessings. This isn’t the music of someone who’s been born again. It’s the music of someone who is constantly thrilled to still be living.
-
AV Club
Chance doesn’t have that kind of vindictiveness in him, though; his default mode is wishing everybody well. He’s the kind of rapper who doesn’t just bask in his good fortune. He shares it.
-
USA Today
Coloring Book is an impressive evolution of both sound and sense of self. Chance doesn’t say, “Today I am a man” verbatim, but he comes pretty close on Angels, when he raps, “I’m the blueprint to a real man.” And after listening to him work through it for 14 songs, it’s hard not to agree.
-
Complex
On ‘Coloring Book,’ Chance the Rapper Is Destined for the Throne.
-
Slate
Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book Is the First True Gospel-Rap Masterpiece.
-
DJBooth
With the world watching Chance the Rapper delivers an album worthy of all the anticipation.
-
Tiny Mixtapes
Chance is no longer quite coming from that place of adolescence that was essential to 10 Day and Acid Rap, but on Coloring Book, he doesn’t yet sound comfortably settled into whatever it is that’s supposed to come next. I’m very happy to have this new release from Chance, but if we have to wait another three years for the next one, then I’m hoping for an album.
-
Crack Magazine
Sonically, this LP gathers the warmth of a Sunday choir at a Baptist church into forward-thinking hip-hop production, and feels like the gospel for the non-domination: come as you are, leave your burdens at the altar, and be thankful to witness another day. Coloring Book is an inspiration for younger generations, one that tells them to create from the heart, and to not allow rejection to become a permanent maker of where you are headed.
-
Refinery29
There are plenty of reasons you should download Coloring Book right now, but, like a coloring book, it's all about what you as the listener bring to the mixtape. So, if you haven't already, it's about time to take a chance on Chance.
-
The Young Folks
The tracks are built around having faith and loving the lord, despite your multiple imperfections. On this mixtape, Chance’s songs usually take the subject of sex, popping pills and smoking weed, or drinking, only to still hold himself on the path with the lord. It’s a gospel hip-hop mixtape that doesn’t feel too instilled, but is powerfully strong and smartly composed by the 23-year-old rapper. In a way it’s the perfect gospel hip-hop album that is also a perfect blend of everything.
-
NPR
Chance is walking the tightrope between secular and religious, with his devoted followers, who are legion on the Internet, looking up at him. Coloring Book isn't a complete gospel album. But with its myriad influences and creative directions, it's certainly praiseworthy.
-
The Highlighter
This album was great, and not only did it show many different sides that Chance the Rapper’s diverse sound, but it had a deeper meaning as well, which I love to hear in music.
-
Y101fm
It’s an album filled with love and positivity. A celebration of singing, harmonizing, human voices making a joyous noise together.
-
The Odyssey
It's rare that a mix tape like this comes around, a mix tape that looks at the current state of a genre and chooses to do something else entirely, a mix tape that takes chances (no pun intended). I think that because of this, you all owe it to yourselves to listen to this work of art. "Coloring Book" is a mix tape that takes chances with a genre that was really becoming stale; it is because of this that I give the mix tape an A.
-
HipHop DX
As a mix of the secular and spiritual worlds, Coloring Book is sure to perplex Chance The Rapper’s fickle fans and satisfy the more adventurous open to being thrown for a loop. Rather than cheap ploys to cross over, the questionable collaborations are more likely calculated concessions with the intent of sneaking his evangelical message to a greater audience. After the communion cup runs empty, Chance proves himself worthy of hero worship by subtly and subversively overthrowing the commercialized horrors of his town’s violent drill movement.
-
Daily Dot
Chance the Rapper’s ‘Coloring Book’ is a star-studded big bang.
-
Sputnik Music
Disjointed and overly preachy, "Coloring Book" is a massive disappointment from Chance the Rapper.
-
HeadStuff
Overall, Coloring Book feels like something of a missed opportunity. So many of the songs on here are excellent in isolation, but become harder to enjoy when considered in context. It’s a bizarre feat and it’s hard to think of another album or “mixtape” in recent memory that achieves the same thing. Chance is incredibly talented and for all its problems, Coloring Book is well worth devoting time to. More consistency and cohesion is needed for the overall quality to live up to his reputation, but he’s not far off.
-
DIY Magazine
Exactly the kind of record necessary to elevate an artist from viable to visionary.
-
Howl & Echoes
Chance The Rapper’s “Coloring Book” Is A Remarkable, Religious Celebration.
-
Rap Reviews
Chance The Rapper does not completely flop on this project, but he does little to earn the camaraderie many have given him. If Chance is to be considered a future great, then "Coloring Book" is a stepping stone project at best. Good work, Chance, but better luck next time.
-
PopMatters
Coloring Book is another exceptional release from a vital artist only now coming into his own. In that, the future for Chance the Rapper is wide open to seemingly unlimited potential. Let’s hope he continues to capitalize on it, bringing positivity to the masses.
-
The Current
Whether he's rapping about a flirtation on the skating rink ("Juke Jam"), refusing to sign to a label ("No Problem"), using Peter Pan to describe a fading friendship ("Same Drugs"), or even The Lion King's Simba and Mufasa ("How Great"), the gospel according to Chance the Rapper shines out as a positive blessing and only gets better with every listening.
-
The Line of Best Fit
Chance is still just 23 years old, but Coloring Book is a staggeringly mature record, and while it isn’t on par with Acid Rap in terms of unforgettable lyricism, it also has a different mission. Acid Rap’s goal was to show the world who Chance The Rapper was, and now that we know him he wants nothing more than for us all to celebrate together.
-
Oxford Stories
Coloring Book is one of the strongest rap albums released this past year, and the music industry also thought so because Chance the Rapper won “Best Rap Album Of The Year” at the Grammys. Coloring Book is a more rewarding listen than most rap albums, and has such a fearless and adventurous side. Chance’s album is personal and well-rounded.
-
Patheos
As long as you aren’t expecting the breadth of Acid Rap or the experimentation of Surf, you’ll have a great time with this record. And, as I believe is Chance’s intention, it just might make you pause for a moment and think about what you are grateful for in life – and just who you should thank.
-
TGC
It is clear, then, that Coloring Book is as much an act of worship as my private journals are: an unharnessed insight into a young man’s heart who, knowing the joy of being in Christ as well as His call to wisdom, is learning to fight the darkness both around and inside him. Throughout the mix tape, we witness the experiences of a Gen Y young adult fighting sin, opening his lips in praise, penning worship tracks, and reflecting on worldly trappings – all the while doing so amidst a culture that is hostile to the true gospel.
-
EW
Though it doesn’t eclipse the LSD-inspired brilliance of Acid Rap, Coloring Book affirms Chance’s place as one of hip-hop’s most promising — and most uplifting — young stars. As he notes during his intricate verse on the mixtape’s closing reprise of “Blessings,” his music will “make you remember how to smile good.”
-
Indie Shuffle
Through his freedom, he expresses his admiration for many of his musically talented friends, the unending strength of his Christian faith, his love for his hometown and his never-ending belief in the art form that is the mixtape. These are the facets of Chance’s being as he expresses them to us. And for this, we have to thank him. Chance 3, Coloring Book, was definitely worth the wait.
-
PlayNetwork
I loved this album because of its overall sound, subject matter, and tactic to put in religious connotations throughout and in between songs that listeners are used to hearing from Chance. Enhancing that with amazing production from Brasstracks, The Social Experiment, Lido, & Kaytranada and you pretty much have a project that’s difficult to pass up. I’m pleased, or should I say “blessed”, that Chance gave a refreshing album to Hip-Hop listeners and music lovers throughout.
-
VultureHound
In fact it’s hard to find one moment on this tape where I wasn’t smiling or feeling some kind of joy in the music. 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.
-
Albumism
As it turns out, Chance doesn’t even need language to get his message across, much less poetry. “And we back” are the first words he speaks on Coloring Book, but they aren’t actually the first sound he makes. About ten seconds into “All We Got,” we hear one of Chance’s signature vocal bursts (I wouldn’t know how else to describe it, but you’ll know it when you hear it). He almost could have stopped right there. That opening gesture is full of such energy and commitment that it already signals a point made abundantly clear throughout Coloring Book—Chance the Rapper is back, and he isn’t going anywhere.
-
Spectrum Culture
Chance created a vibe that was thrilling, inclusive, mystical and untouchable. Coloring Book extends that feeling beyond a verse, sustaining it for its entire run. Once an indie-rap darling with obvious talents and interesting quirks, Chance has grown into something new and mighty. Now he’s on a mission from God.
-
Bonafide
Moving and joyful, Colouring Book paints the portrait of a precocious emcee wearing his hat like a halo, and – enamoured with his artistry – we are all basking in his glow.
-
Fact
Chance The Rapper is on an ultralight beam on the gospel-influenced Coloring Book.
-
Pursuit of Dopeness
Coloring Book has all of the elements of a full-fledged major record label release, somehow packaged as a mixtape on the biggest online music retailer because only Chance The Rapper can pull off something like that. This project is a defining moment in the career of young Chance. He has ascended to the pinnacle of the Hip Hop game with the album also nicknamed #Chance3, proving with each track his artistic depth, his penchant for masterful lyricism, and an effortless ability to craft timeless rhymes. This is the culmination of an unrelenting vision first conjured up by a young man from the Southside of Chicago, now standing among the elite of the genre.
-
JagNews
Coloring Books was everything I was hoping for and more. I’ve listened to Chance for years and this topped any projects he has done in the past, like 10 Years and Acid Rap. Chance the Rapper has fought his way from the streets to Chicago, to the ears of the millions who will download this mixtape. Coloring Books is and will be the best music project of 2016.
-
Hypebeast
Coloring Book is an ecstatic, star-studded, holy-ghost-saturated experience that oozes with relatability and unbridled jubilation. At this point, Chancellor Bennett is wholeheartedly indulging in the glory days of his life thus far, and it shows in both his assertive, directional artistic decisions and his optimistic, previously uncharacteristic tranquility. Even if a selection of his intricate verses are laced with razor-sharp shards of barbed doubt, pointed warnings and pessimistic truth, Chance is always quick to return to his new overarching mantra: there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. There’s still blessings falling into his lap. Salvation is already here.
-
The High End Theory
Chance personifies both rapper and pastor in this mixtape, showcasing his growth and prowess as an independent artist that’s staggering to witness and listen to. This is that feel-good music, no matter what you believe in.
-
Mind Equals Blown
But no matter how many genres he traverses, Chance the Rapper’s joyous rap style will always be right with him, bursting at the seams. At many times on Coloring Book, you can hear him smiling as he glides through a verse. He’s made it, and he knows it.
-
The B-Side
CHANCE THE RAPPER’S COLORING BOOK IS A MUSICAL BLESSING.
-
Reveille
Chance the Rapper's "Coloring Book" lives up to its name.
-
Mashable
Chance the Rapper's 'Coloring Book' is an early contender for rap album of the year.
-
The West Review
The album is a seriously impressive collection of songs, some of which are easily Chance’s strongest material- both tracks entitled Blessings, Finish Line/Drown, How Great, Summer Friends, and No Problem are just some of them. However, it doesn’t feel as complete or ‘altogether’ as Acid Rap, or indeed Surf. Reasons for this can come from minor things such as oddly abrupt endings to most songs on the album, to more obvious faults such as the aforementioned mixing issues. As well as this, the inclusion of one of the worst songs in Chance’s catalogue- Mixtape, as well as the trend-hopping trap/autotune bore Smoke Break upsets the otherwise exceptional album that Coloring Book is.
-
Exclaim!
Coloring Book is a spirited musical sermon, and Chance's fellow MCs will covet its perfect union of gospel and rap. Those other rappers had better speak now, or forever hold their peace.
-
The New Yorker
“Coloring Book” is, above all, a showcase for its creator’s preternatural understanding of the elements that make up a mood.
-
Under the Gun
‘COLORING BOOK’ IS CHANCE THE RAPPER AT HIS BEST, MOST REVERENT.
-
Daily Emerald
Chance the Rapper’s “Coloring Book” is one of the year’s best rap albums.
-
Vinyl Me, Please
In a year when the entire rap internet has gone to war over Drake’s VIEWS and Kanye’s The Life of Pablo, the one thing we can agree on is that Chance is great, and so is his album.
-
Chase Woodford
Coloring Book is easily the best rap album release so far in 2016. You can’t listen to it and not find yourself smiling. It’s lyrically brilliant, musically a masterpiece and overall has a much welcomed positive and uplifting feel to it. Chance the Rapper is slowly working his way into the mainstream, and I’m loving it. I’m excited to see where his success takes him. You can’t help but root for him. And I can’t wait to see what’s next!
-
SA Music Scene
Chance the Rapper may be the rap version’s modern day Rocky. We are familiar with the struggle and we are thankful to now join in the celebration as well.
-
The Tattler
Chance the Rapper makes music that makes you feel good. His lyrics are not vulgar, nor are they repetitive. They are real. Whether rapping about drugs or his mother, he does not stray from the truth. Chance does not aim to appeal to the masses; he aims to make music of quality and sentiment. This album is far more laidback than Acid Rap in particular. As he abstains from catering to the mainstream, he abstains from making music for the club and ignores the common desire to not identify the negative. Instead, he faces it head-on and comes to terms with it in this soul-searching work. The lyrics and beats in Chance’s trilogy of 10 Day, Acid Rap, and Coloring Book are far from those of his contemporaries. As Chance the Rapper continues to defy industry standards, he is setting the bar for accessible and meaningful music.
-
Qmunicate
Coloring Book really delivers on this front – with ubiquitous choir runs, organs, and wall-to-wall references to Christianity, this release sees Chance reach a notably more content and hopeful standing without sacrificing the introspection integral to his style of stream-of-consciousness Hip-Hop.
-
Eastside Online
Chance the Rapper’s “Coloring Book” is a bonafide Gospel-Rap Masterpiece.
-
The Straits Times
Chance The Rapper's Coloring Book is a rap masterpiece minus the ego.
-
Rhyme Junkie
This is probably one of the best records I have heard in a long time and it’s FREE — don’t forget to buy his merchandise, which you can customize, though. Chance The Rapper is doing it right both in and outside the studio.
-
Teal Cheese
Using all the resources and experiences he’s amassed over the past 3 years and channeling them made for one of the best projects of the year so far. He shows us that time is only relative, that patience and attention to detail make a big difference when it comes to quality.
-
HomePlayback Society
In all, congrats on Chance for making such a fun and diversely spiritual mixtape whilst not being dictated by any major labels.
-
The Northern Light
Coloring Book is full of dynamic melodies, cold bars, and a spirit liftng sound. Chance is solidifying himself among the Drakes and the Kendrick Lamars of the rap game today. Fans of all different types of rap and R&B will love this one. It’s extremely versatile in the sense that it hits on all types of genres of music.
-
The Drowning Man
In general, Chance gave us good music and of course we would give a good rating. Although not every single song was perfect and there were some minor negligible flaws with production as well as the consideration that the mixtape could’ve been better (Like everything in the world), I would still rate it Near Perfect. Great Job.
-
uInterview
Coloring Book is one of those hip-hop albums that strike with their wholeheartedness and authenticity. Chance the Rapper clearly ups his rap game and he does so flawlessly and unobtrusively.
-
Where Y'At
Nostalgic lyrics reminiscent of rolling at the rink and summers at grandma’s house take listeners on a journey reflecting not only his personal growth, but the development of his sound. This one is very different from his previous projects, 10 Day and Acid Rap, which were about a kid going through experimental phases. With this project, it seems as though Chance the Rapper has come into his own, while pushing the limits of hip-hop music
-
Empty Lighthouse Magazine
The mixtape is quite fulfilling to a listener and thanks to a star-studded lineup, stellar production and positive vibes and messages, Coloring Book is just what we were looking for from Chance The Rapper.
-
Crossfader
Chance is a self-made rapper who’s ducked conventional avenues to success, has seemingly managed to win over his baby mama, has had a daughter who he loves deeply, and is humble enough to be grateful for all of this. There’s so much to admire, respect, and value on COLORING BOOK, despite all the rough patches where Chance colored outside the lines.
-
Nappyafro
Solid production. Solid features. A lot of creativity and some nice variety. This is really a free album disguised as a mixtape. If you like Chance The Rapper, give this a listen, If you don’t like Chance then I’d still say give it a shot, you might find something you like in here. If you’ve never really gotten into Chance’s music then I’d recommend going back to some of his earlier stuff first and then head over to this one here. I cosign this tape. I’d love to buy it if he ever decided to release it on vinyl. (HINT HINT just in case you see this Chance.)
-
Transistor
In a year that has had albums dropped by some of the biggest names in the industry, it’s nothing short of a surprise to have Chance deliver the best hip hop album of the year as well as providing one of the best releases of the decade so far. Chance has a sniper level of accuracy to execute exactly what he sets out to achieve. Alert everyone: we’re living in the golden age of Hip Hop.
Rate This Album and Leave Your Comments