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Coloring Book (mixtape)

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Coloring Book
Mixtape by
Chance the Rapper
ReleasedMay 13, 2016 (2016-05-13)
StudioCRC (Chicago)[a]
GenreGospel rap
Length57:14
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

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 mixtape 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. The mixtape won Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards. It was also the first streaming-only album ever to win a Grammy.

Writing and recording

[edit]

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.[1]

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."[1] His method of making the mixtape was inspired by West taking over an entire studio to make Pablo.[2]

Music and lyrics

[edit]

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.[3] 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.[4]

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".[5] 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.[6]

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".[7]

Marketing and sales

[edit]

Coloring Book's release date was revealed by Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon after Chance's May 6 performance of "Blessings" on the show.[8] The mixtape was released exclusively to the Apple Music streaming service at 11 p.m. EST on May 12,[9] the same day its second single "No Problem" was released;[10] the lead single "Angels" had been released on October 27, 2015,[11] while its finale single "Summer Friends" was released on August 17, 2016.[12] Coloring Book was leaked to DatPiff, a mixtape distribution website, one hour after its release; it was removed from the site the following day.[9]

In the first week of release, Coloring Book 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.[13] It was the first release to chart on the Billboard 200 solely on streams.[14] The mixtape was available only on Apple Music through May 27, when it was released to other streaming services.[13] 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.[15]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[16]
Metacritic89/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
The A.V. ClubA−[19]
Chicago Tribune[20]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[21]
The Irish Times[22]
NME4/5[23]
Pitchfork9.1/10[24]
Rolling Stone[6]
Spin9/10[25]
Vice (Expert Witness)A[26]

Coloring Book was met with widespread critical acclaim. 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.[17] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[16]

Reviewing for the Chicago Tribune in May 2016, Greg Kot hailed the album as "a celebration of singing, harmonizing, human voices making a joyous noise together",[20] 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".[24] 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.[26] 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.[27] In the opinion of Slate journalist Jack Hamilton, Coloring Book was "the first true gospel-rap masterpiece".[28]

Accolades

[edit]

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.[29] Christgau ranked it as the ninth best album of the year in his ballot for The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.[30] The album won Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards. It was the first streaming-only album to win a Grammy.[31]

Select year-end rankings of Coloring Book
Publication List Rank Ref.
American Songwriter American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2016
12
[32]
Chicago Tribune Greg Kot's Top Albums of 2016
8
[33]
Complex The 50 Best Albums of 2016
2
[34]
The Independent Best Albums of 2016
11
[35]
The Irish Times What Were the Best Albums of 2016?
9
[36]
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 2016
40
[37]
NME NME's Albums of the Year 2016
9
[38]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2016
6
[39]
Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2016
3
[40]
The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time
105
[41]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2016
3
[42]
Awards and nominations for Coloring Book
Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2016 BET Hip Hop Awards Best Mixtape Won
[43]
2017 BET Awards Album of the Year Nominated
[44]
Grammy Awards Best Rap Album Won
[45]
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Album Nominated
[46]

Track listing

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the album's vinyl liner notes.

Coloring Book track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."All We Got" (featuring Kanye West and Chicago Children's Choir)
3:23
2."No Problem" (featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz)
5:05
3."Summer Friends" (featuring Jeremih and Francis and the Lights)
4:50
4."D.R.A.M. Sings Special"
  • Chance the Rapper
  • DRAM
  • Fox
  • Segal
  • Ware
1:41
5."Blessings" (featuring Jamila Woods)
3:41
6."Same Drugs"
  • Chance the Rapper
  • Lido
  • Francis and the Lights
  • CottonTale
  • Segal
4:17
7."Mixtape" (featuring Young Thug and Lil Yachty)
  • Chance the Rapper
  • Landfair
  • Barnett
4:52
8."Angels" (featuring Saba)
  • Chance the Rapper
  • CottonTale
  • Fox
  • Segal
  • Lido
3:26
9."Juke Jam" (featuring Justin Bieber and Towkio)
  • Chance the Rapper
  • Rascal
  • CottonTale
3:39
10."All Night" (featuring Knox Fortune)
2:21
11."How Great" (featuring Jay Electronica and my cousin Nicole)
  • Chance the Rapper
  • CottonTale
  • Fox
  • Lang
5:37
12."Smoke Break" (featuring Future)
  • Chance the Rapper
  • Garren Sean
3:46
13."Finish Line / Drown" (featuring T-Pain, Kirk Franklin, Eryn Allen Kane and Noname)
  • Chance the Rapper
  • CottonTale
  • Segal
  • Fox
  • Landfair
  • Franklin
6:46
14."Blessings" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign, Raury, BJ the Chicago Kid and Anderson .Paak)
  • Bennett
  • Wilkins
  • Fox
  • Osteen
  • Segal
  • Hammond
  • Chance the Rapper
  • CottonTale
  • Fox
  • Segal
  • Cam O'bi
3:50
Total length:57:14

Samples

Personnel

[edit]

Vocalists

  • Chance the Rapper – lead vocals (1–3, 5–14), background vocals (1–3, 5–10, 12–14), vocals (4)
  • Kanye West – featured vocals (1)
  • Chicago Children's Choir – featured vocals (1), background vocals (6, 11, 13)
  • Lil Wayne – featured vocals (2)
  • 2 Chainz – featured vocals (2)
  • Jeremih – featured vocals (3)
  • Francis and the Lights – featured vocals (3)
  • DRAM – featured vocals (4), background vocals (4)
  • Jamila Woods – featured vocals (5), background vocals (5)
  • Young Thug – featured vocals (7)
  • Lil Yachty – featured vocals (7)
  • Saba – featured vocals (8)
  • Justin Bieber – featured vocals (9)
  • Towkio – featured vocals (9)
  • Knox Fortune – featured vocals (10)
  • Jay Electronica – featured vocals (11)
  • My cousin Nicole – featured vocals (11)
  • Future – featured vocals (12)
  • T-Pain – featured vocals (13)
  • Kirk Franklin – featured vocals (13), background vocals (13)
  • Noname – featured vocals (13)
  • Eryn Allen Kane – featured vocals (13), vocals (6)
  • Ty Dolla Sign – featured vocals (14)
  • Raury – featured vocals (14)
  • BJ the Chicago Kid – featured vocals (14)
  • Anderson .Paak – featured vocals (14)
  • Grace Weber – vocals (1)
  • Fred Hammond – vocals (5)
  • Sima Cunningham – background vocals (1, 6, 11, 13)
  • Vasil Garnanliever – background vocals (1, 6, 11, 13)
  • Teddy Jackson – background vocals (1, 6)
  • Josephine Lee – background vocals (1, 3, 6, 11, 13)
  • Jack Red – background vocals (1, 13)
  • Isaiah Robinson – background vocals (1, 6, 11, 13)
  • Jaime Woods – background vocals (2)
  • Lakeitsha Williams – background vocals (2)
  • Rachel Cato – background vocals (2)
  • Jordan Ware – background vocals (4)
  • Elle Varner – background vocals (4)
  • Karl Rubin – background vocals (4)
  • Macie Stewart – background vocals (6, 13)
  • Nicole Steen – background vocals (11)
  • Kirk Franklin's choir – background vocals (13)

Instrumentalists

  • Nico Segal – trumpet (1, 13)
  • J.P. Floyd – horns (5)
  • Rajiv Halim – saxophones (13)
  • Greg Landfair Sr. – guitar (6)

Additional side artists

  • Ha Ha Davis (2, 14)
  • James Francies (2)
  • Ashwin Torke (2)
  • Zarif Wilder (2)
  • Mitchell Owens (3)
  • Eric Pidluski (6)
  • Brian Beach (6)
  • Bridget Andes (6)
  • Scott Dickinson (6)
  • Meena Cho (6)
  • Ashley Simpson (14)
  • Benjamin Shepherd (14)
  • Joseph Lopez (14)

Technical

  • Nate Fox – recording (Grace Weber's vocals on 1), mixing (4)
  • Squirrel – engineering (4)
  • Rian – engineering (4)
  • Jeff Lane – mixing (1–3, 5–11, 14)
  • Elton "L10MixedIt" Cheung – mixing (12, 13)
  • Peter CottonTale – mixing (13)
  • Dave Kutch – mastering

Artwork

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Coloring Book
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[57] Gold 10,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Except Kanye West's vocals on "All We Got", recorded at Conway (Los Angeles, California); and "D.R.A.M. Sings Special", recorded at Shangri-La (Malibu, California) and The Himalayas (Los Angeles, California)

References

[edit]
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  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (May 20, 2016). "Chance the Rapper: Coloring Book – review". Financial Times. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Weingarten, Christopher R. (May 18, 2016). "Coloring Book". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
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  22. ^ 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.
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  57. ^ "Danish album certifications – Chance the rapper – Coloring book". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved May 18, 2018. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2018 to obtain certification.
[edit]
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