A Chance to Feel Good All Day, Every Day: Is This Already the Soundtrack of Summertime '16?!

I TOLD YOU THIS WAS GOING TO BE A THING

He's Kanye's protégé, but he might have just dropped something hotter than the decidedly enigmatic Life of Pablo

No, we never did a review of it LoP, but that has more to do with Kanye being so wishy-washy as to what he wanted people to consume, but suffice it to say that there are really only two undeniably hot tracks, "Ultralight Beam" and "Famous."

Of course, the better of those two, "Ultra Light Beam," isn't really a Kanye song at all. The intro is absolute FIRE, Kelly Price absolutely kills it, but it's Chance erupting into the spotlight with some of the slickest rhymes on that entire album that ultimately make that song. 

But for a number of reasons, Chance the Rapper's new mixtape, Coloring Book, is exactly what we need in life. 

Consider the climate, both socially and culturally. He's a Chicago-based rapper getting shine from a Kanye track, and Chicago's a tumultuous, dreary place right now namely because of the miserable tragedy that is American gun violence. 

Now, it's always going to be a debate of the role of the artist in effecting social change. Tupac was big on it, but Young Thug seems, at best, a little lukewarm about embracing social responsibility. So, let's not touch that.

Let's take this on a scale. 

From Aubrey (never forget: Drake's name is Aubrey); the loneliest millionaire in Canada, to Kendrick; giving #BlackLivesMatter an undeniably gorgeous and uplifting theme, with Yeezy dangling somewhere in the middle as this mid-life-criserazzi dadbod producing hot beats while still weirdly talking about his d*ck (decidedly unbecoming of a married man), Chance delivers something entirely unique. 

Something up-lifting. Something for everyone. Something with everyone. Something that touches on almost every experience you've had, will have, worth having, worth knowing, worth remembering, worth forgiving, worth the pain of holding onto. Who knows exactly what it all is, but damn, it is something. 

It's spiritual and religious without doing too much to make you forget that this is still rap. It balances Chance's legitimately solid singing voice and unimpeachable writing skills with the autotune sensibilities and doin-too-much production qualities we've all unfortunately become accustomed to. 

[anad]

It features talents and names you know, but there are many moments where you crave privacy. Digging into new music can still be a very intimate experience if you let it, and Chance almost doesn't give you enough of him. 

Particularly with songs like "Mixtape." Personally, I don't want Lil Yachty or Young Thug to speak at all. This track feels and sounds like a bougie trap cash grab. It's overbearing. It detracts from the rest of the vibe Chance puts out. 

But rather than delving deep into the foray of full-on album review, we're going to dig into it with emoji shorthand.

Good idea? Who knows? But check it out anyway. It's an emoji album review for Chance the Rapper's dope mixtape, Coloring Book


1. All We Got (feat. Kanye West & Chicago Children's Choir)


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There are so many words for this song and it starts with featuring the talents of the CHICAGO CHILDREN'S CHOIR. 

But we'll just keep to emojis. 


2. No Problem (feat. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz)



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3. Summer Friends (feat. Jeremih & Francis & The Lights)



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4. D.R.A.M. Sings Special



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There isn't an "I've got the chills" emoji. 


5. Blessings



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Okay, so this was just supposed to be emojis, but these verses are so so so so original. It's like the novelty of Lil Wayne's ridiculous rhymes a decade ago, but this shit actually makes sense in a magically poetic way. 

It's been a long time since we've heard rhymes that make us go, "Now how the hell did he do that?"


6. Same Drugs



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7. Mixtape (feat. Young Thug & Lil Yachty)



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8. Angels (feat. Saba)



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9. Juke Jam (feat. Justin Bieber & Tokwio)



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10. All Night (feat. Knox Fortune)



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11. How Great (feat. Jay Electronica & My cousin Nicole)



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So we do need to say something about this one. If you're really, really feeling the Gospel vibes on this album, then this will keep you going. 

[anad2]

On the other hand, the "How Great Is Our God" goes on for nearly three minutes. That's a little much, but the spirituality of this whole tape is deeply moving.


12. Smoke Break (feat. Future)



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13. Finish Line/ Drown (feat. T-Pain, Kirk Franklin, Eryn Allen Kane & Noname)



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14. Blessings (feat. Ty Dolla Sign)



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Chance. Come back. Soon.

Check out This NYC Band Went from Homeless to Governors Ball in Just One Year.

[Feature Image Courtesy Youtube] 

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