2025 has been a year of the unexpected, and you can add a career revival for Chance the Rapper to the list of surprises. After a six-year hiatus, Chance is finally back with a new full-length project. On Aug. 15, Chance released his second studio album, STAR LINE. The album is a follow-up to his highly polarizing 2019 album, The Big Day.
When you look back at the landscape of rap just a decade ago, you'd be hard-pressed to find an artist with as bright a spotlight on them as Chance. With the mainstream success of his Coloring Book (2016) mixtape, a Grammy award win, and his appearances on other big rap stars' albums, it seemed like the sky was the limit for him.
That all changed when he released The Big Day — a concept album about his wedding day. Coming into its release, Chance had something that most up-and-coming artists can only dream of. Before even dropping a debut album, Chance had already built a loyal fanbase with three mixtapes: 10 Day (2012), Acid Rap (2013), and Coloring Book (2016). Needless to say, the expectations were high for his first official album.
Chance the Rapper's STAR LINE: A possible career-reviving new album?
Unfortunately, Chance lost it all when the album was a huge disappointment and was met with countless bad reviews. Chance lost a majority of his fanbase, who did not appreciate the huge tonal shift between his previous work and this brand new album. Many (including myself) wrote off Chance and threw him in the category of rappers who fell off before reaching their true potential.
The album severely damaged his reputation, with social media dubbing him the 'I love my wife' guy. But no one was harder on Chance than himself, as the album's failure seemed to deeply affect his career. Instead of rushing into a new project, he took a step back to process both the disappointment of the album's reception and his difficult divorce.
Fortunately, time heals all wounds, and based on STAR LINE, it looks like Chance has had time to reflect on everything from his struggles with self-confidence, dealing with his audience's expectations, and the unfortunate loss of his marriage.
It's no secret that throughout his career, Chance has constantly named Kanye West as one of his biggest musical inspirations. Despite Chance recently mentioning their relationship has grown apart in recent years (we all know why), West's musical influence is still very much present on this project.
This is especially clear in the album's intro track "Star Side Intro." The intro has very Kanye-esque production, with Cleo Sol’s church choir-style harmonies layered behind Chance’s rapping. The sound closely resembles the choral style that West popularized with songs like "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1."
This style of production continues on other tracks like "Space & Time," "Speed of Light," and "Just A Drop."
Unlike on The Big Day, Chance touches on a variety of topics on this album. The album has a lot of introspective tracks like that touch on Chance's personal life. One of the main things Chance covers on the album is the unhealthy pressure that he has felt from his fans, who seem to wish for him to fall back into his previous bad habits for the sake of making the music they enjoy.
Chance has been very open about his past struggles with substance abuse, which his early music reflects. As Chance's fame grew with the success of Acid Rap, Chance's substance abuse only became stronger. He has gone on record saying that had he continued down that path, he most likely would have wound up dead.
Thankfully, Chance turned his life around in 2015 after the birth of his first daughter, after which he moved back to Chicago to rebuild his life. Spirituality became a big part of his life from then on and that became reflected in his music.
For some of his early listeners, this was an unwanted shift, with some constantly suggesting that he go back to taking drugs in order to achieve the quality of music he used to. On "Speed Of Love," Chance takes a moment to address this, saying, "Here, you take the acid since you concerned / They talk about it like it's some sort of super serum."
In the next line, Chance continues to push back at the narrative that drugs were responsible for the music he used to make, saying, "Look, love was the fuel and the pen was the tool / It's been that way since the lunch tables in school."
Standout tracks
My standout tracks for this album are “No More Old Men," “Back To The Go,” "Pretty,” “Just A Drop,” and “Speed Of Love.” When it comes to these tracks, "Pretty" is one of my favorites. The song samples DeBarge's "All This Love," which is one of my favorite '80s R&B hits.
One of my favorite aspects of hip-hop is its use of samples, as it's always fun recognizing a sample or even discovering an old gem that perhaps you hadn't heard before. Therefore when I heard the chorus of DeBarge's 1982 single being sampled, I couldn't help but smile.
Another standout is "Back To The Go," featuring Vic Mensa. The song is yet another display of vulnerability. On this track, Chance speaks about his divorce, forcing him to be separated from his children.
The track reflects Chance's struggles with self-confidence in the face of personal hardship, summed up by the chorus: "Tell momma I'm back in my room / I'll be packing up soon I just need to lay low / Anyone ask, if you see me say 'No.'"
I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the album's two lead-singles, “The Highs & The Lows” and “Tree,” which are my favorite tracks. "The Highs & The Lows," which features Joey Bada$$, has been out for a while. Chance originally released the song back in June of 2022.
The song is a powerful reflection from both artists, who talk about the ups and downs they've experienced both in their personal lives, and their careers. Not only is this a great track (which has been one of my comfort songs since its release), but it also was the first sign that Chance still had the potential to drop another classic project.
The album's next single came out earlier this July, when Chance released "Tree" featuring Smino and Lil Wayne. In my opinion, this may be Chance's catchiest song since 2016's "No Problem," which also featured Wayne. The song has a fun, joyful vibe that makes it a perfect track for the summer.
Overall, STAR LINE is an impressive return to form for Chance the Rapper. This album is Chance's redemption after the huge mess that was The Big Day. Rather than surrendering to the expectations of those who want "the old Chance" back, however, Chance has decided to stay true to the person he has become.
With this album, we are presented with a mature version of Chance, who has experienced trial and error, as well as personal hardships.
Chance wears his heart on his sleeve throughout this album, delivering an incredible showcase of vulnerability. Fortunately for him, that openness has paid off, as the reception has been a complete 180 to that of his previous project.
Building on the momentum, Chance has already announced the And We Back tour across North America, set to kick off on Sept. 26. With this new chapter, it feels like we may be witnessing the start of a second prime for Chance the Rapper.