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Chance The Rapper is the newest face to grace the cover of Billboard magazine. In the story he talks about police brutality, recording on acid and why he doesn’t care for the competition in rap music.

chance the rapper billboard cover

Chance the Rapper‘s profile continues to skyrocket. After a memorable performance at the ESPY’s where he was charged with delivering a tribute to Muhammad Ali, the Chicago rapper is mere inches away from becoming a household name.

In his first ever Billboard cover story Chance is dubbed as a “new pioneer” who has become the face for new music industry. One where albums are released for free, streams count as sales and the Grammys have to acknowledge and crown free streaming albums the same way they do traditional ones.

He’s already made history becoming the first unsigned artist to perform on Saturday Night Live and is probably poised to make even more history as he remains independent. The piece talks much about Chance’s rise so far, but there is one part of the story Chance offers his unique opinion on Hip Hop and its competitive nature.

Per Billboard:

Chance developed his craft at a downtown after-school program called YOUmedia and at an open-mic venue called Young Chicago Authors. These spaces exposed him, in hyper-segregated Chicago, to music heads traveling from every corner of the city. He hooked up with the members of Kids These Days, a rock-rap-jazz band that included Nico Segal, who performs with Chance as Donnie Trumpet, and the rapper Vic Mensa. “We all became friends, and that collaborative process has been the blueprint for our careers,” says Segal. Chance seems to view all his musical counterparts with the same familial spirit, eschewing beefs and rap battles. “I never really liked the idea of rap being a competitive thing. It’s not. I can’t gain anything off of anyone else not succeeding,” he says.

Chance’s views sound pretty rare in genre that was built off battling artistically. What do you think of that way of thinking? Do you think the culture could use more it?

Can Chance be considered a new great if he doesn’t get down with battling and competing?

Check out the rest of the story here.