Chance the Rapper could be ditching the free streaming for his next release, but fans don’t need to get their pitchforks ready just yet.
The charitable MC told Complex he is developing a plan for his follow-up to 2016’s “Coloring Book” mixtape, which would be an album.
“I think I might actually sell this album,” he said. “That’s, like, a big step in itself. I kind of hate the fact that I can’t chart, really. I can chart, but the way they have the streaming s— set up is weak as f—. … 1,500 streams is the equivalent to one [album sale], and that’s just, that’s unfair. Nobody listens to their songs [1,500] times when they buy it — f— outta here!
“So, it makes it hard. I can’t really compete with other people. Not that the charts matters at all, but like, come on.”
Chance, whose “Coloring Book” tape was the first streaming-only release to debut in the Billboard 200 top 10, added that while making his first album available for purchase “would be dope,” nothing is set in stone.
“This is all hypothetical. There is no album,” he added. “I can feel fans squirming in their chair, like, ‘Oh s—, he’s changing!’ This is an idea.”
No matter how he decides to disseminate the effort, Chance, who already has songs recorded, wants to make the album less conceptual than his mixtapes.
“’10 Day’ was all about getting suspended. ‘Acid Rap’ was a lot about acid. ‘Coloring Book’ was a lot about being a father and God. I think whatever this album is, it wouldn’t be so centered,” the independent artist said. “Whatever my next thing is, it’ll be a bit bigger. Like, maybe there’ll be some type of visual component to it. Like it’ll be a movie or it’ll be a play or some type of tour.”
One thing fans can seem to count on is that Chance won’t be going the label route and he’s continuing to empower other artists to remain independent, too.
“You can bring on your friends and professionals that you know and build a business where you’re the upper management,” he said. “Where you’re the creative and you are the last decision maker and you don’t ever have to feel compromised. [When] you sign to a label, you get a boss and that shit’s just f—– up to me. Why should you have a boss?”
“[When] you sign to a label, you get a boss and that s—‘s just f—– up to me. Why should you have a boss?”
