Chance The Rapper & Lin-Manuel Miranda Cover Jun/Jul 2016 Issue Of Complex
by Staff Editor
Chance The Rapper and Lin-Manuel Miranda have had an incredible year thus far. Miranda’s rose to superstardom with the success of the Hamilton musical, while Chance played a key role in the creation of Kanye’s The Life Of Pablo, while also preparing to release his long-awaited Chance 3 project this Friday (May 13).
To add fuel to their fire, Chance and Lin-Manuel have graced the cover of Complex’s June/July 2016 issue deemed “Men Of Steel.”
For the cover story, Chance and Lin discussed both of their rises in hip-hop and in the music world, what to expect from Chance’s upcoming project, their thoughts on President Obama, this year’s election, the city of Chicago, their artistic approach, fatherhood, and the legacy they each aim to leave behind.
See some quotes below and read the full cover story here.
On leaving a legacy
Chance: I’d say it’s very forward. Everything you write as an artist is about your legacy and your catalog, and how you would look in a museum.
Lin-Manuel: So many of my lyrical heroes died way too young, so legacy is prevalent on my mind, particularly in terms of hip-hop.
Thoughts on President Obama becoming Mayor of Chicago
Chance: He makes a lot of great, nonpartisan decisions and he’s obviously spent a lot of time in Chicago on the South Side. This might sound weird, but Lin can probably attest to this—when you meet Barack, when you talk to him, you can tell he’s a very good man, you know? I met him when I was really young, and I still have that same impression when I see him nowadays. It would be awesome having a good man represent the city because I feel like we haven’t had that since Harold Washington. Mayor [Richard] Daley was sick too. But, yeah, it would be awesome. There are a lot of people that need him in Chicago and the city, overall, needs it.
On Chance 3 compared to Surf
Chance: Yeah. This stuff is way better than Surf. I’ll say that on record. Donnie [Trumpet] is awesome, and the project was awesome, but this is all of us focusing our efforts into some very hip-hop and very dance-y shit, and it feels good. So I’m excited about that.
On upcoming Hamilton mixtape
Yeah, the Hamilton mixtape in fall. And I’m just trying to get as many people to see Hamilton as possible. I know how tough it is to get a ticket in New York, so our priority is getting Chicago up and running, then West End, running in London fall of next year. Everyone is like, “Film it and put it on TV,” but that’s not the thing. The thing is seeing it live, so it’s about being able to get as many people to see that. We have 20,000 school kids through a generous grant from the Rockefeller Foundation that are going to be seeing the show this year and we’re duplicating that program in Chicago.