Chicago hip-hop star Chance the Rapper to headline the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press
·1 min read
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Chicago hip-hop star Chance the Rapper will return to the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Aug. 23.

Tickets are priced from $148 to $48 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Etix or by phone at 800-514-3849.

The man born Chancellor Johnathan Bennett would have gone into politics if it was up to his father, who worked in the Department of Labor during President Barack Obama’s first term. But Chance, 30, fell in love with hip-hop after hearing Kanye West’s 2004 debut album, “The College Dropout.” He recorded his first music while he was a senior in high school.

He got his big break when Childish Gambino, aka actor/rapper Donald Glover, invited Chance to open for his 2012 tour. The following year, Chance’s mixtape “Acid Rap” earned nearly universal acclaim and more than 1 million downloads.

Chance spent the rest of the decade touring heavily, collaborating with numerous other artists and establishing himself as a feel-good rapper and philanthropist. He made his Grandstand debut in 2013 opening for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and went on to play First Avenue, Soundset, Rock the Garden and, in 2017, Xcel Energy Center.

In 2017, he won three Grammys, including best new artist.

Inspired by his marriage, Chance released his debut studio album, “The Big Day,” in 2019. It featured an array of guests including John Legend, Megan Thee Stallion, Gucci Mane, Death Cab for Cutie, Randy Newman, Shawn Mendes and Nicki Minaj.

More recently, Chance has focused on other pursuits, including releasing his 2021 concert film “Magnificent Coloring World” through AMC Theatres and serving as a coach on NBC’s “The Voice.”

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