CHANCE THE RAPPER at the Hoxton, Monday, July 22. Rating: NNN
On several occasions during his first sold-out international show on Monday night, Chance The Rapper urged the crowd to “sing along if you know the words.” The rising 20-year-old Chicago emcee (whose real name is Chancelor Bennett) needn’t have bothered. Decked out in bucket hats and Stussy snapbacks, the audience knew every word to the songs from Acid Rap, Chance’s highly praised second mixtape.
He’s still working on his banter and how to put together a set list – it felt like he was picking songs as he went – but there’s no denying he’s entertaining to watch: his charisma and energy onstage were infectious as he danced like the Energizer Bunny in bright-red high-tops. Live, his nasally rhymes are more aggressive, which suited up-tempo songs like Juice and Smoke Again better than Chance’s more reflective, somber material (though the “fuck Fox News” line from the politically-charged Everybody’s Something received a rousing reaction).
The most telling moment came when his DJ dropped Kanye West’s All Falls Down. The young rapper has frequently cited his fellow Chicagoan’s debut The College Dropout as an influence. With soulful hooks and a Ye-like knack for rapping about the unexpected (see: Cocoa Butter Kisses), he’s on the right path – even if he’s still a ways out from filling stadiums.
