Chance the Rapper’s latest explores faith, masculinity, Blackness

Star Line

Chance the Rapper (Self-released, 2025)

I am 45 years old, so my taste in music, especially hip-hop, is suspect to my teenage son’s generation. He likes the emotionally turbulent distortion of underground rappers such as OsamaSon, Playboi Carti, and Travis Scott. I prefer thoughtful lyrics and soundscapes rooted in neo-soul, gospel, blues, and jazz, from acts such as The Roots, Common, and A Tribe Called Quest.

So there are few disagreements between us as deep as over Chance the Rapper. I liked Chance’s 2012 Acid Rap (especially the track “Acid Rain”), loved Chance’s 2016 mixtape Coloring Book (the entire beautiful mess), and was disappointed by the 2019 follow-up, The Big Day. (At least we agreed on that one.) I had mostly written Chance off. I shouldn’t have: Star Line is an excellent album by a singular artist who takes risks in his own idiosyncratic corner of hip-hop.

Starline explores the complexity of Chance’s Chicago Black pride along with his ever-roaming, kaleidoscopic sound, all filtered through his heart overflowing with energy, creativity, and compassion. Not just with the album title, which evokes Marcus Garvey, but with the narrative clarity and lyrical introspection into maturity, faith, masculinity, and Blackness. Tracks such as “The Negro Problem” and “No More Old Men” shine bright, along with the emotionally existential “Speed of Light” and “Space & Time,” not to mention the questions of faith raised by “Letters” and “Just a Drop.”

I don’t know if Star Line will have the same staying power as Coloring Book, but it doesn’t need to. Chance is not only back in form lyrically, rhythmically, and sonically; he has matured and developed his artistry beyond the high point of 2016 and the letdown of 2019. He has created a solid album in a way only Chance can. And maybe, just maybe, my son will agree.