Chance the Rapper likes to kick off his projects with a simple \u201cAnd we back.\u201d Despite some career struggles over the past few years, he was certainly back in Hollywood Monday night for the aptly named And We Back Tour.<\/p>\n
And Chance wasn\u2019t just back in L.A. in a literal sense; he was back to his old self, with the Chicago-bred rapper turning the clock back almost a decade to connect his Grammy-winning \u201cColoring Book\u201d with this year\u2019s heralded \u201cStar Line.\u201d<\/p>\n
This newest album, which critics called an \u201cextraordinary comeback from a generational force<\/a>,\u201d helped Chance move past his poorly reviewed 2019 album \u201cThe Big Day,\u201d a project that focused on his now-ended marriage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Chance the Rapper performs at the BET Awards on June 26, 2022, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The Grammy winner along with rapper Vic Mensa will host the inaugural Black Line Star festival in Accra, Ghana, in January 2023. The weeklong festival will feature events, panel discussions and performances on Jan. 6, from Chance, Mensa, Erykah Badu, T-Pain, Jeremih, Sarkodie and Tobe Nwigwe. (AP Photo\/Chris Pizzello, File)<\/p>\n During the show, Chance addressed the failures of the past several years just as he did in \u201cStar Line,\u201d with a quick rhyme near the beginning, then moving onto the positivity and gratitude for which he\u2019s known.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a F-minus, but that\u2019s behind us,\u201d he raps in \u201cStar Side Intro<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n For nearly two hours, Chance ripped through hits from \u201cColoring Book\u201d and tracks from \u201cStar Line,\u201d with a few loose tracks, \u201cAcid Rap\u201d songs and a rendition of his verse on Ye\u2019s \u201cUltralight Beam\u201d mixed in for the fans who\u2019ve been with him since his days as a high-school music phenom.<\/p>\n The rapper also made a point to highlight Black history and culture, with shoutouts to Black liberation activist Assata Shakur<\/a> and \u201cliving legend\u201d civil rights activist Angela Davis<\/a>, and he drew connections between Los Angeles and his native Chicago.<\/p>\n With immigration raids ongoing in the Windy City<\/a> as well as L.A.<\/a>, Chance led the crowd in chants of \u201cF\u2014 ICE,\u201d or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and flashed scenes of protesters and news headlines on the screen behind him.<\/p>\n When not making political statements, that screen displayed Chance\u2019s lyrics, servicing hearing-impaired fans and those who didn\u2019t want to miss any of his clever wordplay.<\/p>\n The only times the words weren\u2019t displayed was during hits like \u201cSame Drugs,\u201d when the audience had no trouble singing along.<\/p>\n During that performance, Chance also reminded the audience of the \u201cPeter Pan\u201d-themed song\u2019s advice: \u201cDon\u2019t forget the happy thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n After that high-energy set, Chance\u2019s fans probably didn\u2019t need the reminder.<\/p>\n Will Conybeare contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n