Sunday night Chance the Rapper took home three Grammys. It felt like a victory for black music, especially as the night ended with the Album of the Year award going to Adele for a project that came out in 2015 over Beyoncé's Lemonade. The Chicago rapper's story already felt like a win; five years ago he was a high schooler with a promising mixtape, and now he's being mentioned among music's greats. It was beautiful, on Grammy night, to see an artist whose rise runs so parallel with the changing rules of the music come away with honors for Best Rap Performance, Best New Artist, and Best Rap Album. The acceptance speech for Best New Artist was joyous, as Chance spoke about the freedom he strives for as an independent artist. Yet it was also difficult to watch as he laid on heavy religious overtones.
Chance's openness about his religious beliefs have also run parallel to his arc of achievement over the past year. His guest verse on Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam"—the most overt gospel song on an album West said would be fully gospel—defended his beliefs against naysayers and drew inspiration from the Bible's Luke 23:34, which states "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." The verse was Chance's "I've arrived" moment, where he cited finally working with his idol, West, as a sign that his career would continue flourishing and solidified his case for eternal life by referencing works like gospel-leaning "Sunday Candy." It was also in this verse that Chance rapped about challenging the old guard and making his then-forthcoming mixtape Coloring Book eligible for a Grammy without selling it commercially. His three awards last night cannot be separated from that unwavering faith and work ethic. One of the most valuable functions of his "Ultralight Beam" verse is the message that if you believe in something hard enough and dedicate your life to it, you will be rewarded. Life isn't always that simple for believers or nonbelievers, but like with church sermons, it's the conviction in the message that resonates with a congregation or, in this case, a digital audience. This religiosity sometimes makes being an all-in fan of Chance challenging; while any fan of independent music, black achievement, and black visibility should be happy for all of Chance's accomplishments, his constant invocation of God is jarring because of the way Christianity has been used as a weapon against the black community in America.
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