Chance The Rapper – “Child Of God” (Feat. Moses Sumney)

Chance The Rapper – “Child Of God” (Feat. Moses Sumney)

Hey, remember Chance The Rapper? The guy with the 3 on his hat? You don’t want no problems want no problems with me? He met Kanye West, he’s never going to fail? That guy? He’s back! Chance The Rapper didn’t actually disappear from public life completely when The Big Day caught a brick, even if it did feel that way. Just a few months ago, Chance teamed up with Dionne Warwick for the long-teased collaboration “Nothing’s Impossible.” But Chance’s new single feels like it’s being positioned as the man’s big return. We’ll see!

As for that new single, it’s called “Child Of God,” and it’s got backup vocals from Moses Sumney. Longtime Chance collaborators Peter CottonTale and DexLvL co-produced the song with Al Hug, and it’s got the same gospel overtones as plenty of past Chance tracks. On the song, Chance still sound very much like himself, antic and playful and prone to overthinking, but his delivery is different. His voice sounds wizened and tired, which fits with the theme of the song.

“Child Of God” is a song all about being doubted and hated by the world: “I try to break shackles, now they ankles in shambles/ I can’t expect them to be grateful and thankful/ They thought I had a manual like Hansel/ Leave your plans in man’s hands and it gets manhandled.” On the hook, Chance repeats a line to himself: “Just do your thing, child, do your thing.” It sounds very much like he’s giving himself a pep talk after a hard experience with massive backlash. Below, check out the video, where Chance films as the Gabonese artist Naïla Opiangah paints the single’s cover art.

An exhibit featuring that cover art is currently on display at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

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