Chance the Rapper is known today as one of the most uplifting and spiritually complex hip-hop artists. Growing up in a bad part of Chicago formed everything about whom this artist is; he uses his platform to raise awareness about certain social issues such as racism, gentrification, cultural appropriation, and many more. However, the only work of his that represents the concerned social justice advocate into whom he has grown is his most recent. As listeners dive into his earlier music, it seems like they have discovered a totally new artist.
“Somewhere, Nowhere, USA” is a track from one of Chance’s high school mixtapes, Good Enough. As the title implies, this album is about his struggles: personal, mental, and professional. The first line of this particular track addresses his feelings of isolation and depression in this imaginary “nowhere” and features him seeming to search for anything that would make him feel that life is worth living again, whether that “somewhere” be a person or an actual place. Chance begins the first verse by keeping his competition in check and reminding the audience that he has been real since his beginning. “I’m a bag of kush, you’re bagged oregano,” and “Mistaking me for him is like Geico for gecko” shows how Chance views himself in comparison to other rappers; he implies that people mistake him for being an average rapper when in fact, he is more talented and unique than all the others.
The verse changes themes drastically halfway through with, “At night I sleep, all night you stay up. You’re afraid of nightmares, I’m afraid to wake up.” While the average person is scared of falling asleep and entering a nightmare, Chance fears waking up and facing reality every day. The juxtaposition between the first and second part of this verse almost implies that in the beginning, Chance was trying to compensate for his insecurities and now, he is accepting that he will have to deal with them and his worst fears.
“Pop pills, blame it was a mix up. Oh the box said 2-4? Coulda swore that it read 24. Damn Chance, you could’ve died if you popped anymore. Damn, just one more coulda let me go where maybe God intended me to grow here. Damn Chano, keep spacing off, I swear you so weird. You’re afraid of somewhere, I’m content with nowhere.” This line struck a chord deep within my being due to my past experiences with depression, anxiety, the resulting medication, and attempted suicides. This is Chance comparing how badly he wants to die with how terrified he is of what comes after and the reactions from his friends and family, and the degree to which I could relate to this line was terrifyingly emotional. This line also foreshadows the weight that Chance’s faith will carry in his future works even though this verse showcases how unstable he is in his relationship with God at the time. He is unsure if something exists after death and asks himself if it even matters or if he would be happy with spending the rest of eternity in an endless nothingness, which references back to the title of the track.
I miss this Chance. I’m still a fan of his recent work, but the vulnerability expressed on this track is something I long to hear in his newer music. I still have the utmost respect for Chance the Rapper, but I want to see him getting back to his roots.