Chance The Rapper is gearing up to drop Star Line Gallery in spring of 2024, fans believe, and this new track “I Will Be Your” is a great indicator of that. Moreover, the song is dedicated to his Black Star Line Festival in Ghana, and as such, themes of community, perseverance, support, and hope in the face of adversity are very present. It makes for one of the Chicago rapper’s most emotionally resonant singles in his post-The Big Day run, although these other cuts did not have a lack of meaning. Instead, this song amplifies it with a light-hearted tone, both delivery-wise and production-wise, even if its artist is speaking on large issues. What’s important is that he tackles them with the care and levity with which you’d speak to a family member.
Furthermore, a soulful sample provides the bed in which Chance The Rapper lyrically lays, proclaiming that “I will be your everything.” By cutting out the last word, he switches between being different roles for a loved one, all of which communicate the idea of him as a leader. Think what you will of the “Writing Exercise #5” MC’s last project, but don’t doubt that he has this capacity. Sure, some may read this as a little too savior-complexed, but we’d be lying if we said that it wasn’t an inspiring sonic pallet. Lyrically, he’s colorful, charismatic, clever, and seems very focused on building a lively and comforting narrative.
Meanwhile, as Chance The Rapper continues to reflect on Acid Rap‘s ten years in the culture and speak out against pay disparity for Black women in Hollywood, we’re sure he has a lot to say on Star Line Gallery. As is typical for him, he’s building up one of his most important artistic skills: the ability to relate and draw connections between people. If you haven’t heard “I Will Be Your” yet, check it out above, as it’s only available on YouTube at press time. Peep some notable lines down below and, as always, come back to HNHH for more great hip-hop releases around the clock.
Quotable Lyrics On this path, we all each other have, So if it starts to go down, we put on each other’s masks, This a carpool, so it turn into a raft, This a warship, it could turn into a draft
Chance The Rapper is bringing the Black Star Line Festival to Jamaica. Last year, Vic Mensa and Chance announced the original festival, which was to take place in Ghana. At the time, Chance and Vic accompanied eight Chicago students to Ghana, aiming to educate them about their origins. It marked their second trip there together in 2022. The two Chicago-born artists revealed their plans for The Black Star Line Festival at the flagship location of Free The Youth in July. The festival ended up bringing out 50,000 attendees in Ghana and featured performances by Erykah Badu, Jeremih, and T-Pain.
In a press release about the festival, the duo explained the meaning behind it and the inspiration for the name. “Founded in 1919, and operated by Black people, the [Black Star Line] would link America, the Caribbean and Africa, to global shipping and tourism opportunities,” they explained. “The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, but also for Black people in all ports of call. After nearly 40 years, the Ghanian government launched their fleet with the same name, in homage to Marcus Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag.”
Bringing The Black Star Line To Jamaica
Ambassador Perry met with @ChanceTheRapper as part of his birthday trip to Jamaica. The two discussed the rapper’s upcoming plans to host the Black Star Line Festival in Jamaica. pic.twitter.com/MzHpVgRizb
Back in March, Chance The Rapper spoke about future plans for the festival in an interview on The Tonight Show. “We’re actually thinking about hosting the next one in Kingston, Jamaica,” he said during the interview. “We’re still working it out in our heads. And we love the city of Accra and Ghana and West Africa as a whole. We just want to continue to, like, create community in other spaces.” It would appear those plans are well under way now since Chance stopped by the US Embassy in Jamaica to talk about it.
The official Twitter account for the Jamaican US Embassy tweeted out a photo of Chance’s visit to the office. The photo features a friendly smile from the ambassador as he shakes hands with the rapper. “Ambassador Perry met with @ChanceTheRapper as part of his birthday trip to Jamaica,” the tweet read. “The two discussed the rapper’s upcoming plans to host the Black Star Line Festival in Jamaica.” What do you think about Chance and Vic expanding the Black Star Line Festival? Who do you hope performs this time around? Let us know in the comments!
Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa organized the Black Star Line Festival in Ghana, hosted a week ago. While the festival was a celebration of art, culture, and unity in the Black community, it did receive some criticism. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Chicago MC addressed concerns over inviting Dave Chappelle and other issues.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 02: Chance the Rapper performs on ‘Hip Hop Nation’ at the SiriusXM Studios on August 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Moreover, Chappelle’s inclusion comes after years of a controversial history regarding jokes towards the LGBTQ+ community. Such issues permeate Ghana, where an anti-LGBTQ+ bill is supported by a large party coalition. Also, there’s the issue of outsiders exacerbating local issues of economic inequality and poor living conditions in Ghana. Many believe that the Black Star Line Festival only adds fuel to this fire.
While all these elements provided inflammatory public discourse, the “No Problem” rapper spoke to Rolling Stone about the festival’s success.
“It was a really dope and deep moment,” the artist expressed. Also, he made a comment of how his sets ended up delayed. By the time Chance performed at 5 a.m. local time, many had already left. However, that mean there was room for more unticketed guests.
“And by that time, obviously the crowd going from 50,000 to 1,500 — it’s a lot of space. I think by that time the guards and everybody are like…there’s no real reason to keep people out at that point. I think they let a few hundred people in that had stayed all night because the video towers also allowed you to see the show from outside of the square. I’m still processing the whole thing, everything. It didn’t go all as planned, but it went perfectly.
“I’ve thrown five festivals and this is the second or third free one that I’ve done,” he continued. “But none of them have been to the scale of 50,000 plus people. Then for it to be overwhelmingly black and for it to be on the continent. And for a lot of people that was their first time in Ghana, whether they were American or of the diaspora. It was completely organized and put together by black folks on the continent. I think everybody was just very happy.”
Later in the interview, Chance addressed the concerns of outsiders impacting the quality of life for Ghanan citizens.
“Most of those festivals are native to Ghana,” he said. “There’s only myself and Vic’s Black Star Line Festival and Afro Nation are the only two that I know of that aren’t actually posited by people that are from Ghana. But that was something that was on my mind from the jump when we made it. I always wanted this festival to be something that, for one, provided access to people that don’t typically get to go to these concerts because a lot of the events around that time do price people out.”
Chance also said he “wanted to work with a 100% Ghanaian team in terms of not even just the production managers or directors, but also all the stagehands, all the equipment coming from production companies in Ghana. I can’t speak for all the festivals, but our festival created a whole lot of jobs and put a lot of people to work.
“That ancestry connection has been stolen away from us.”
“The goal overall is to just create community. I think that within this trip… a lot of the people that came from the diaspora, most of the people, if not all of them, were very respectful of the space and a lot of relationships were built. A lot of people created substantial relationships and connections that I think will live long after this festival… It’s something that we just have to remain in conversation about. I think it’s important that those issues are raised, and those conversations are had.”
Afterwards, Chance spoke on Chappelle’s inclusion in the festival and how they reached different conclusions to what many assume.
“I think it’s something that Dave was actually shining a light on,” he stated. “That’s where that conversation came from. Dave was making a comment about the comedy scene in Ghana when he said, “I bet gay jokes go over so well here,” to which everybody laughed about. And he was making a point to say that in Ghana, you can make jokes about things that are about gay people, about trans people, about a lot of social constructs, just about anything in the world. But you can’t make a comment about the government there. That’s not funny and that’s not respected, and it can be dangerous. It’s the complete opposite where we come from, where we can speak about the government all we want.
“I can’t really all the way speak for Dave. I don’t want to say what he thinks or what he feels, but what I think I know about him is that he loves everybody, especially his people, meaning Black people, meaning Black people that are trans, Black people that are gay, Black people that are gender non-conforming, people period. And I think that in that space, I would say I don’t believe that he bashed trans people or gay people at all throughout the entire conversation.”
What do you think of Chance the Rapper’s comments about the backlash to his Black Star Line Festival in Ghana? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments and check out the full interview below. Also, as always, check back in with HNHH for more important conversations surrounding the community.
Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa’s 2023 Black Star Line Festival in Accra, Ghana made its historic, inaugural debut with a jam-packed week of events and panels at cultural centers throughout Accra, all culminating in an explosive concert –– combining music, art, and culture. The free gatherings provided opportunities for education, enrichment and cultural diffusion. On Friday, January 6, 52,000 fans attended the monumental concert. The music & arts festival was set in the historic Black Star Square and aims to be a bridge between Black people and artists of the Diaspora and the globe with the continent.
“The Black Star Line Festival is more than just a celebration of Black culture and music, it’s a chance for the Diaspora to come together as a community and remind ourselves of the power that lies within us,” says Chance the Rapper. “It’s an opportunity to honor the legacy of those who came before us, and to inspire and uplift each other. It’s a historic event and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Black Star Line Festival.”
The historic Black Star Square is a monument to the political freedom that was fought for and won by Ghanaians in 1957. Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan African country to free itself from colonialism, under the leadership of its first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah –– many nations on the continent soon followed. Dr. Nkrumah was inspired by Jamaican-Born revolutionary Marcus Garvey, who believed in a free Africa and a global connection between the people of the continent and Black people globally. When Dr. Nkrumah developed Ghana’s flag and principles, he insisted that these principles were key to the forward mobility of its people.
The festival title’s origins were inspired by civil rights leader Marcus Garvey’s iconic Black Star Line. Founded in 1919, and operated by Black people, the line would link America, the Caribbean, and Africa, to global shipping and tourism opportunities. The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, but also for Black people in all ports of call. After nearly 40 years, the Ghanian government launched their fleet with the same name, in homage to Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag.
Mensa, whose father is from Ghana, referred to the festival appearance as a homecoming.
“I had a dream about connecting the African people of the globe – to unify us as one people,” Mensa said on stage.
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN- AUGUST 12: Chance The Rapper performs at Way Out West Festival in Slottskogen on August 12, 2022 in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Rune Hellestad- Corbis/ Corbis via Getty Images)
On stage, Mensa and Chance also performed their classic track, “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” together, among other hits. Prior to the festival, the two spent a week in Ghana with eight students from Chicago.
“When Vic and I started our careers and started touring, we did shows all over the US,” Chance said at the time. “Eventually we started touring in Europe. We did shows in Asia, South America, Central America, but we never had a chance to play our music for the people who support us the most.”
The festival also featured performances from several local artists, including Sarkodie, Manifest, and The Asakaa Boys.
“Founded in 1919, and operated by Black people, the [Black Star Line] would link America, the Caribbean and Africa, to global shipping and tourism opportunities,” a press release previously explained. “The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, but also for Black people in all ports of call. After nearly 40 years, the Ghanian government launched their fleet with the same name, in homage to Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag.”
Check out clips from Chance and Mensa‘s inaugural music festival below.
(@AccraGuyy) 
