Chance the Rapper Opens Up About Anxiety, Kanye West, The GRAMMYs & Potentially Selling His Next Album

Chance the Rapper has given a candid interview where he opened up about dealing with his anxiety, Kanye West, The GRAMMYs (Chance won three this year), and maybe even selling his next album. (All of Chance’s full-length releases to date, including last year’s Coloring Book, have been released for free.)

Check out what Chance had to say in Complex’s latest cover story – now also featuring a video cover story – below.

On anxiety

“Anxiety is now something that I’m just getting exposed to, it’s a big conversation and idea that I’m getting introduced to now,” Chance said.

“For a long time that wasn’t a thing that we talked about, I don’t remember people talking about it… when I was growing up…”

“I’m starting to get a better understanding of that part of my life. I’m kind of scared of medication. I’m cool with self-medication. I like to smoke weed and sh*t to chill out.”

He continued: “But now that I’ve gone through so many different stages in a short period of time, like really just high school through now, I’m not really trying to try no new drugs, even if they’re prescribed. I’m chilling.”

Chance also said that he “could have PTSD” after the deaths of close friends, but doesn’t “ever want to convince myself that I’m hindered by anything in any of my experiences because I also believe in G-O-D”.

Read ‘What Is Anxiety And How To Get Help’ here.

On Kanye West

"'Ye is like a comedian in a lot of ways. He writes stuff that is painfully funny and painfully true, and that's why you respect comedy and that's why you respect his work.

“His best lines are just lines that are funny, whether it's like a word being mispronounced, or a weird take on something that a lot of people wouldn't necessarily say out loud, or not making light of, but in a clever way -- exposing something that's socially wrong."

On the GRAMMYs

"When you win a GRAMMY, you don't get to take it home ... It's so important to look at everything like milestones, and not the grand achievement. I never made music so that I could win GRAMMYs or so that I could play SNL or so that I could throw a festival. Those are all really, really important things, but checkpoints along the road to heaven."

On potentially selling his upcoming album

"I might actually sell this album. That's a big step in itself. And I hate the fact that I can't chart really… I can chart, but the way they have the stream sh*t set up is weak as fu*k. It's unfair.

“It's like 1500, 1700 streams is equivalent to one unit. That's unfair…nobody listens to their songs 1700 times when they buy it. Fu*k outta here. It makes it hard. I can't compete with other people. Not that the charts matter at all, but come on.”

“Anyways, I think having it for purchase would be dope… and this is all hypothetical, there is no album. This is an idea. I have songs recorded but I'm not working on a Coloring Book or an Acid Rap... I want to make something that's kind of wider-scope.”

In other news, Chance the Rapper is about to set off on a mammoth US tour. Sadly, further UK dates, following his Brixton and Roundhouse shows late last year, are yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, Chance, Stephen Colbert and Ziggy Marley (son of Bob Marley) remixed the Arthur theme tune. Watch here. It will send joyous thoughts rioting through your brain.

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