Chance The Rapper hasn’t released a solo project since his breakthrough 2013 mixtape, Acid Rap, which was so hotly coveted it leaked to the internet days before its official release. Since then, the Chicago native has become an international star, and rewritten the rules on how to blow up as an independent artist. (Case in point, he became the first-ever international artist to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live late last year. Then, he did it again two months later, still no album in stores.) Though he’s continued to put out music as a part of his and Donnie Trumpet’s Social Experiment band, which broke iTunes records last March with the release of their free Surf album, it looks like Chance is ready to hit the solo scene again, three years to the month since Acid Rap.
An Esquire reporter says that at Chance’s pop-up Soundcloud Go show in New York City last week, The Rapper said he’d be releasing his “third mixtape next month.” Considering the show took place the night of March 31, April appears to be when that project will crash land. It would make sense, given the fact that Chance’s only previous two solo projects were both April affairs, and Chance has been teasing his third mixtape since he performed its lead single, the Jeremih and R. Kelly-featured “Somewhere In Paradise,” on Saturday Night Live in December. Chance was also featured on Kanye West‘s The Life of Pablo intro, “Ultralight Beam,” where he rapped “I met Kanye West I’m never going to fail/He said let’s do a good ass job with Chance 3/I hear you got to sell it to snatch the GRAMMYs,” further teasing that his third solo is very much on its way (and involves Yeezy).
While Chance has been mum on the project’s release date at least for now, let’s hope April brings us more than NBA Playoffs and Spring showers. Below is some footage of Chance performing “Ultralight Beam” at the Soundcloud show.
