Coloring Book (mixtape)

Coloring Book
Mixtape by Chance the Rapper
Released May 13, 2016 (2016-05-13)
Genre
Length 57:14
Label Self-released
Producer
Chance the Rapper chronology
Free (Based Freestyles Mixtape)
(2015)		 Coloring Book
(2016)		 Merry Christmas Lil' Mama
(2016)
Singles from Coloring Book
  1. "Angels"
    Released: October 27, 2015
  2. "No Problem"
    Released: May 26, 2016
  3. "Summer Friends"
    Released: August 17, 2016[1]

Coloring Book is the third mixtape by American rapper Chance the Rapper. It was produced by his group The Social Experiment, Lido, and Kaytranada, among others. For the mixtape, Chance also collaborated with musicians such as Kanye West, Young Thug, Francis and the Lights, Justin Bieber, 2 Chainz, Kirk Franklin, and the Chicago Children's Choir.

Coloring Book was released on May 13, 2016, exclusively on Apple Music, before being made available to other streaming services on May 27. It was the first album to chart on the US Billboard 200 solely on streams, peaking at number eight, while receiving widespread acclaim from critics who praised its fusion of hip hop and gospel sounds. It won for Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards.[2] It was also the first streaming-only album ever to win a Grammy.[3]

Background

After releasing the well-received mixtape Acid Rap in 2013, Chance the Rapper went on tour with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. He subsequently relocated to Los Angeles from his hometown of Chicago that December. He rented a North Hollywood mansion, which he dubbed the Koi Kastle. While he worked on music in fits and starts, he mainly spent time socializing with friends he made—among them Frank Ocean and J. Cole. He also abused drugs, mainly Xanax: "I was Xanned out every fucking day," he told GQ in 2016. He also went through numerous relationships, and he began to feel unproductive and empty.[4]

He returned to Chicago and got back together with an old girlfriend. He grew more religious upon learning she was pregnant, and especially so after learning his daughter had an atrial flutter. "I think it was the baby that, you know, brought my faith back," he remarked later. On the subject of her heart condition, he said, "[It] made me pray a whole lot, you know, and need a lot of angels and just see shit in a very, like, direct way." His daughter was born in September 2015. During this time, he began to mull over themes he wished to include in his next mixtape, including "God, love, Chicago, [and] dance." Before working on that, he contributed heavily to Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo. Coloring Book was mainly recorded between March and April 2016. He rented out a room at a Chicago studio, and then another as he needed more space. He gradually came to more or less live at the studio during recording: "Eventually we decided to rent out the whole studio, and we just put mattresses in all the rooms and it became a camp."[4] His method of making the mixtape was inspired by West taking over an entire studio to make Pablo.[5]

Music and lyrics

Chance the Rapper told Complex that Coloring Book would be a superior record to Surf, the 2015 album that he had released with his group Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment.[6] As with his other mixtapes, 10 Day and Acid Rap, the cover artwork was painted by Chicago-based artist Brandon Breaux, who depicted Chance holding his baby daughter (below the frame) in order to capture the expression on his face.[7]

According to Financial Times music critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, Coloring Book is an upbeat gospel rap album whose themes of spiritual fulfillment and worldly accomplishment are explored in music "that places gospel choirs and jazzy horns in a modern setting of Auto-Tuned hooks and crisp beats".[8] Rolling Stone's Christopher R. Weingarten wrote that the gospel choirs were the foundation of the mixtape's music, functioning in the same way disco interpolations had on the earliest rap records, James Brown rhythms had for Public Enemy, and soul samples had for Kanye West.[9]

Chance discussed Coloring Book's theme of Christian faith in an interview with Zane Lowe. "I never really set out to make anything that could pretend to be new gospel or pretend to be the gospel", he said. "It's just music from me as a Christian man because I think before I was making music as a Christian child. And in both cases I have imperfections, but there was a declaration that can be made through going all the [stuff] I've been through the last few years." Lowe himself believed the mixtape showcased how "faith in music and faith in God go hand-in-hand a lot of times".[10]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[11]
Metacritic89/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The A.V. ClubA−[14]
Chicago Tribune[15]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[16]
The Irish Times[17]
NME4/5[18]
Pitchfork9.1/10[19]
Rolling Stone[9]
Spin9/10[20]
ViceA[21]

Coloring Book's release date was revealed by Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon after Chance's May 6 performance of "Blessings" on the show.[22] The mixtape was released exclusively to the Apple Music streaming service at 11 p.m. EST on May 12,[23] the same day its second single "No Problem" was released;[24] the lead single "Angels" had been released on October 27, 2015.[25] Coloring Book was leaked to DatPiff, a mixtape distribution website, one hour after its release; it was removed from the site the following day.[23] In its first week, the mixtape debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 based on 57.3 million streams of its songs, which Billboard equated to 38,000 album units.[26] It was the first release to chart on the Billboard 200 solely on streams.[27] The mixtape was available only on Apple Music through May 27, when it was released to other streaming services.[26] Coloring Book became the first to surpass 500,000 with only streaming album equivalents. Since its debut in May, the album has stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for 33 consecutive weeks, peaking at number eight.[28]

Coloring Book received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the mixtape received an average score of 89, based on 21 reviews.[12] In the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot hailed it as "a celebration of singing, harmonizing, human voices making a joyous noise together",[15] while Kris Ex from Pitchfork named it "one of the strongest rap albums released this year, an uplifting mix of spiritual and grounded that even an atheist can catch the Spirit to".[19] Writing for Vice, Robert Christgau believed Chance's already irrepressibly cheerful voice sounded more attractive and substantial than before because of how the music's gospel elements had encouraged a stronger "vocal muscle" and controlled pitch.[21] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times argued that Chance had drawn on the spirituality and consciousness present in West's music while "blossoming into a crusader and a pop savant, coming as close as anyone has to eradicating the walls between the sacred and the secular". He found his flow melodically and rhythmically dense yet deft and effortless, while deeming his narratives both intimate and universal, touching on familial duties, the violent crime in Chance's native Chicago, and being an independent artist in the modern music industry era.[29] In the opinion of Slate journalist Jack Hamilton, Coloring Book was "the first true gospel-rap masterpiece".[30]

Year-end rankings

At the end of 2016, Coloring Book appeared on a number of critics' lists ranking the year's top albums. According to Metacritic, it was the seventh most prominently ranked record of 2016.[31] Christgau ranked it as the ninth best album of the year in his ballot for The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.[32]

Publication Rank Ref.
American Songwriter
12
BBC Radio 1 N/A
Chicago Tribune
8
Complex
2
Consequence of Sound
2
Esquire
2
The Independent
11
The Irish Times
9
Mojo
40
NME
9
Paste
15
Pitchfork
6
Rolling Stone
3
The Skinny
14
Stereogum
3
Variance
1

Track listing

Songwriting credits adapted from American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).[49]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."All We Got" (featuring Kanye West and Chicago Children's Choir)
  • West
  • The Social Experiment
3:23
2."No Problem" (featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz)
Brasstracks5:05
3."Summer Friends" (featuring Jeremih and Francis and the Lights)
Francis and the Lights4:50
4."D.R.A.M. Sings Special"
  • The Social Experiment
  • Ware
1:41
5."Blessings"
The Social Experiment3:41
6."Same Drugs"
  • The Social Experiment
  • Lido
4:17
7."Mixtape" (featuring Young Thug and Lil Yachty)
  • CBMIX
  • Stix
4:52
8."Angels" (featuring Saba)
  • Lido
  • The Social Experiment
3:26
9."Juke Jam" (featuring Justin Bieber and Towkio)
  • Rascal
  • Cottontale
3:39
10."All Night" (featuring Knox Fortune)
Kaytranada2:21
11."How Great" (featuring Jay Electronica and My Cousin Nicole)
The Social Experiment5:37
12."Smoke Break" (featuring Future)
Garren Sean3:46
13."Finish Line / Drown" (featuring T-Pain, Kirk Franklin, Eryn Allen Kane and Noname)
  • C. Bennett
  • Fox
  • Cottontale
  • Greg Landfair
  • Faheem Najm
  • Eryn Allen Kane
  • Rajiv Halim
The Social Experiment6:46
14."Blessings" (Reprise; featuring Ty Dolla Sign, Raury, BJ the Chicago Kid and Anderson Paak)
  • C. Bennett
  • Osteen
  • Fox
  • Cottontale
  • Hammond
  • The Social Experiment
  • Cam O'bi
3:50

Notes[50]

  • "All We Got" contains vocals from Francis Starlite, Grace Weber, Isaiah Robinson, Jack Red, Sima Cunningham, Teddy Jackson and Vasil Garnanliever
  • "No Problem" contains vocals from HaHa Davis, Jaime Woods, Jonathan Hoard, Lakeitsha Williams, Rachel Cato and The Mind
  • "D.R.A.M. Sings Special" contains vocals from DRAM and Elle Varner
  • "Blessings" contains vocals from Jamila Woods
  • "Same Drugs" contains vocals from the Chicago Children's Choir, Eryn Allen Kane, Francis Starlite, Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham
  • "All Night" contains vocals from HaHa Davis
  • "How Great" credits Nicole Steen as "My Cousin Nicole"; and contains vocals from the Chicago Children's Choir, Isaiah Robinson, Sima Cunningham and Vasil Garnanliever
  • "Finish Line / Drown" contains vocals from the Chicago Children's Choir, Grace Weber, Isaiah Robinson, Jack Red, Macie Stewart, Sima Cunningham and The Mind
  • "Blessings (Reprise)" contains vocals from Nico Segal, Lolah Brown and HaHa Davis

Sample credits[50]

Personnel

  • Brandon Breaux – artwork
  • Jeff Lane – mixing
  • Elton "L10mixedit" Chueng – mixing[51]
  • Dave Kutch – mastering

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[61] Gold 10,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Rys, Dan (August 17, 2016). "Chance the Rapper Launches 'Rapper Radio' Campaign to Promote Independent Music". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  2. ↑ Billboard Staff (February 12, 2017). "Grammy Awards 2017: See the Full Winners List". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  3. ↑ Havens, Lyndsey (February 13, 2017). "Chance The Rapper's 'Coloring Book' Is First Streaming-Only Album To Win a Grammy". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Zach Baron (August 24, 2016). "How Chance the Rapper's Life Became Perfect". GQ. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  5. ↑ Ben Austen (August 11, 2016). "The New Pioneers: Chance the Rapper Is One of the Hottest Acts in Music, Has a Top 10 Album and His Own Festival – All Without a Label or Physical Release". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  6. ↑ S., Nathan (May 11, 2016). "Chance the Rapper: "Chance 3" Will Be "Better Than 'Surf.' I'll Say That on Record"". Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ Breaux, Brandon (May 5, 2016). "Meet Brandon Breaux, The Artist Who Brings Chance The Rapper's Mixtape Covers To Life". The Fader (Interview). Interviewed by Jordan Darville. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  8. ↑ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (May 20, 2016). "Chance the Rapper: Coloring Book – review". Financial Times. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Weingarten, Christopher R. (May 18, 2016). "Coloring Book". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ Sarachik, Justin (May 26, 2016). "Chance the Rapper Losing God Helped Him Create Music as 'Christian Man'". Rapzilla. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Reviews for Coloring Book [Mixtape] by Chance the Rapper". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  13. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Coloring Book – Chance the Rapper". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  14. ↑ Rytlewski, Evan (May 16, 2016). "Chance the Rapper takes us all to church on Coloring Book". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  15. 1 2 Kot, Greg (May 13, 2016). "Chance the Rapper makes freedom sing on 'Coloring Book'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  16. ↑ Brown, Eric Renner (May 16, 2016). "Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book: EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  17. ↑ Carroll, Jim (May 26, 2016). "Chance the Rapper: Coloring Book – Ambitious, compelling, and joyful". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ Cooper, Leonie (May 16, 2016). "Chance the Rapper – 'Coloring Book' Review". NME. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Ex, Kris (May 17, 2016). "Chance the Rapper: Coloring Book". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  20. ↑ Julious, Britt (May 18, 2016). "Review: Chance the Rapper Turns Atheists Into Believers on 'Coloring Book'". Spin. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  21. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (June 17, 2016). "Praise to the Most Blessed: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Archived from the original on June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  22. ↑ Goddard, Kevin (May 6, 2016). "Chance the Rapper Announces Release Date For "Chance 3"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  23. 1 2 "Chance the Rapper Switches Up His Release Strategy With 'Coloring Book'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Chance the Rapper Returns with 'Coloring Book' Mixtape". Vibe. May 13, 2016. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Check out Chance the Rapper's new song, 'Angels'". Sun-Times Media Group. October 27, 2015. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  26. 1 2 "Drake's 'Views' No. 1 for Third Week on Billboard 200, Meghan Trainor Debuts at No. 3". May 22, 2016. Archived from the original on May 23, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Chance the Rapper's 'Coloring Book' is First Streaming-Exclusive Album to Chart on Billboard 200". May 22, 2016. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Nielsen Releases 2016 U.S. Year-End Music Report". www.nielsen.com. January 9, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  29. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (May 19, 2016). "Chance the Rapper Releases 'Coloring Book,' With Spirit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  30. ↑ Hamilton, Jack (May 16, 2016). "Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book Is the First True Gospel-Rap Masterpiece". Slate. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  31. ↑ Dietz, Jason (November 28, 2016). "Best of 2016: Music Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 11, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  32. ↑ Christgau, Robert (n.d.). "The Village Voice's 44th Pazz & Jop Music Critics' Poll". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  33. ↑ "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2016". American Songwriter. December 1, 2016. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  34. ↑ "The 12 Best Albums of 2016 as Picked By Annie Mac". BBC Radio 1. December 3, 2016. Archived from the original on December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Greg Kot's top albums of 2016". Chicago Tribune. November 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  36. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Complex. December 5, 2016. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2016". Consequence of Sound. November 28, 2016. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  38. ↑ "The 30 Best Albums of 2016". Esquire. December 1, 2016. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Best Albums of 2016". The Independent. November 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  40. ↑ "What were the best albums of 2016? Here are our top 10". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  41. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Mojo. November 22, 2016. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  42. ↑ "NME's Albums of the Year 2016". NME. November 24, 2016. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  43. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Paste. November 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  44. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. December 13, 2016. Archived from the original on December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  45. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2016". The Skinny. December 1, 2016. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  47. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Stereogum. December 1, 2016. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  48. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2016". Variance. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  49. ↑ "ACE Repertory". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  50. 1 2 Lucas G. (May 16, 2016). "All 74 People Credited on Chance The Rapper's "Coloring Book"". DJBooth. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Engineer Elton Chueng Talks Working On Chance The Rapper's 'Acid Rap' and 'Coloring Book'". Pigeons & Planes. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Chance the Rapper Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  53. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 22, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  55. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  56. ↑ "Chance the Rapper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  57. ↑ "Chance the Rapper Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  58. ↑ "Chance the Rapper Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  59. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  60. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  61. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Chance the rapper – Coloring book". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved May 18, 2018. Click on næste to go to page if certification is from the official website.
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