“Coloring Book” is Chance the Rapper’s third major mix tape and was released to Apple Music on May 27, 2016. Continuing down his own path, Chance has neglected to affiliate himself with any major record label during the production and release of this mix tape. According to Vanity Fair, he’s even done what no other artist has done before and landed himself #8 on the Billboard 200 chart with a streaming-only album. The idea of distributing his work directly to his fans has always been extremely important to him and was continued throughout the distribution of “Coloring Book."
Chance’s unique approach to the distribution of his work is something that is very well known about his artistry and presence as a musician. However, the style and thematic ideas of “Coloring Book” are something that is relatively new to the listeners and following of Chance. His newest addition of a gospel feel and style are confidently introduced on the first track of his mix tape, “All We Got.” Chance’s track also introduces this new confidence in himself that is more vibrant and apparent than ever. While referencing these new aspects of his life, Chance also incorporates his religious views both stylistically and lyrically, initiating the thematic ideas of “Coloring Book."
Structurally, this track is continuously growing in density in terms of rhythm, tempo, dynamics, instrumentation and musical tension. Initially, the track starts off with trumpet improvisation on top of digitized chords. About 14 seconds in, the intensity increases with the beat being accented with a click as well as one of Chance’s signature line, “And we back,” repeated. All of the elements introduced so far are very common and recycled throughout all of Chance’s work and structurally very common in popular/rap music generally. It isn’t until the first verse of the track starts at around 0:29 that gospel elements start to loosely appear. Once Chance begins the verse, it is apparent that there is a female soprano choir present in the background. Rather than being lyrical, the choir is accenting Chance’s lyrics through improvised sound. Both the use of a choir and improvisation are extremely common elements of gospel music. This new addition of voice is also adding to the dense build of the piece.
The first verse is also Chance’s way of confidently introducing himself and this new piece of work he’s created. This is evident in the lyrics “This ain’t no intro, this the entrée.”
What Chance is distinguishing here is the difference between an intro and this particular track and that they are in fact different. Usually, the introduction of something isn’t as thick and intriguing as the body of something. It’s more of a way of initiating rather than informing or entertaining. What Chance wants listeners to know is that although this is the introduction to his mix tape, this track is just as dense and heavy as the body and conclusion of his work. He is metaphorically showing the importance of every second of this project and diminishing the idea of there being any part that is stronger than the other.
The rest of the verse then continues with highlighting some of Chance’s greatest influences and closest figures in his life. These people include Andre 3000, Beyoncé, the mother of his child and Kanye himself. Something that is very interesting about this part of the verse is that unlike a lot of Chance’s lyrics, there aren’t any metaphors involved when mentioning these figures. Instead, when trying to compare these figures, he uses indirect comparison, such as a simile. This indirect comparison can represent the importance and influence of these figures to Chance and how they are in fact incomparable to anything else. I thought of this to be an extremely clever way to highlight their power and talent and how they use these gifts to drift from the crowd, which is another common theme on this track and in Chance’s general message to his listeners.
The second half of this verse is easily distinguishable due to the simple fact that instrumentally there is another increase in density. At 0:42 there is a dynamic increase initiated by Chance’s voice. The instrumentation also becomes denser by adding a tuba and trumpet improvisation. This increase is creating an instrumental build up of tension, which is soon released in the hook of the piece. Lyrically here, Chance is letting out his appreciation for his life, telling us that it’s perfect. He also mentions the “beam," which can be a direct reference the Kanye’s track “Ultra Light Beam” in which he’s featured on, portraying the strength of the light and God himself. And finally, the final lines of the first verse are Chance’s way of reaching out to the listeners that feel like they are different from everyone else and displays this guilty feeling as something powerful with the use of metaphor. This is evident in the lines:
“This is for the kids of the king of all kings
This is the holiest thing
This is the beat that played under the Word
This is the sheep that ain’t like what it herd”
By using such direct comparison, Chance is making the idea of being an outsider or feeling alone seem quite powerful. The combination of confidence and attention grabbing sound also make his words completely believable and motivating. Chance himself as an artist is proof that it is okay to be different and do things differently than everyone else, whether it causes you to be alone or not. Never giving up on yourself is what’s important, and Chance’s music is a huge result of that.
Next up is the hook of the track, which is where Kanye West is featured. Instrumentally, the release of tension is present here. The most obvious sign of resolution is the bass drop. The change in chords also sounds much more consonant to our ear, causing us to hear the resolution and feel emotionally satisfied. During the hook, there are several signs of improvisation in the vocals and trumpets over the chords. The choir also joins back in as they imitate Kanye. Lyrically, the importance of music to these artists is expressed. Beside the different sound effects, the main vocal line, “music is all we got," is heavily repeated and heterophonically expressed by the choir, Kanye and Chance. In this part of the song, it’s clear that what’s portraying the emotion is the density of the sound. Not only do we have 3 different voices singing this line, but this part of the song is also the loudest and has the most going on instrumentally. The hook also incorporates the elements of gospel music with the choir, the chanting and the overall emotion and density, which is what Chance was typically going for with this project.
The last part of material that isn’t repeated in Chance’s “All We Got” is his last verse. Structurally, this mirrors the first verse in terms of building density and tension. Lyrically, Chance releases the sacred theme through his words, making several religious references. This verse shows the importance of religion to Chance by telling his listeners that his words come from a sermon, a talk on a religious subject based off of a biblical passage. He also makes it clear that he is on God’s side when he says, “I might give Satan a swirlie." The second half of the verse talks about the struggles of overcoming the hardships of the music industry. Chance enforces that it’s really up to the artist to work hard and get what they want out of industry and what it offers. Once the final verse is completed, the hook is then repeated and the outro ends the track. Again, the resolution of tension takes place in the hook. As for the outro, the choir and Kanye continue saying, “we know we got it”, embracing confidence using gospel techniques, adding an additional element to the thematic idea of “All We Got”, the introduction to Chance’s third mix tape, “Coloring Book."
In this track, Chance is clearly testing the water with a new gospel feel. Without going in too deep, he uses this style to express his love and passion toward music, his family, his team and his religion through gospel instrumentation and techniques. Although this was something quite new for Chance, he was able to successfully grasp the concept of gospel music as it radiates throughout the entirety of “Coloring Book” while making sure the mix tape still consisted of his original charm and sound.
