0:00
What's up, stranger? Good to see you, man. My dog. How you been? I'm being good, man.
Search this video
0:03
Even better now you're back. You know, there it is.
0:05
That's what Chance the Rapper does amongst many, many things that no one else can do, which is take something that is deep and emotional and obviously very moving for you and make people want to sing along. It's beautiful. How are you, man? Yo, thanks, bro. I'm good. I'm good. I'm very good. Yeah, great.
0:21
Yeah, you look good, man.
0:23
You got light in your eyes and there's music here and there's so much to dive into and we're going to we're going to start the ball rolling at least right now.
0:28
So, let's get into The Song of Tree with Wayne Smino.
0:29
Um, you know, this is uh this is another chapter in your life story, man.
0:33
This is this is just this is another few pages in your book, right? Yeah. No, 100%.
0:37
This is uh this song means a lot to me, man.
0:40
This is uh I mean, all music should mean a lot to you, but this song is like it's one of the ones I'm most proud of.
0:47
Uh it it is so many different pieces and people that came together to make this a thing happen.
0:54
And so like to see it coming to fruition.
0:56
This is a song that uh we made in 2022 or at least started on it.
1:01
And so for it to be coming out and the album be about to come out and everything like kind of just moving at the same time feels really good. Yeah.
1:09
And you got to go on waves with that, right?
1:10
I mean, when you start something, you fall in love with it straight away.
1:12
It's love at first sight. I know this. I know the story. I've made this demo. I love this thing. And then it's like, wow.
1:16
3, four years later, you're like, man, I've been through the mill on this. Is this good?
1:19
Is it, you know, you feel that way? Yeah.
1:21
No, it's like uh it's this is one of those ones like you said like as soon as I heard the beat I knew what this was going to be and uh you know uh Smino who's been you know one of my friends for years and years and years.
1:35
Uh he came through the crib like I said like 3 years ago and he brought his producer Groove.
1:39
Um me and Vic Men was there.
1:42
Vic Mel is not credited on the song but he's got you know backing vocals on the hook.
1:46
Um, but it came from like a session of us just like sitting around and like being creative.
1:50
And when I first heard this beat, um, it just took me back to sitting in the backseat of my mom's car and like it made me feel all these emotions and all these, you know, have all these memories but also feel empowered and and so I just sat with the song and I' it's been finished for a long time.
2:07
I've known, you know, I've I've rewritten parts and we've re-recorded the choir and, you know, Wayne eventually got on it and different things happened, but it was from when I first heard it, I knew what it was. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You were faithful. You were faithful.
2:19
It was a lifelong It was a lifelong relationship from the second you made it, right?
2:22
It's going to be with you, be part of your story.
2:23
Um, man, let's talk about your story, you know?
2:28
It's let's talk about the time you've taken to to return and and what Starline is, you know, and and we heard it was a mixtape. Is it an album?
2:34
Is there an album coming?
2:36
Like I guess this is a good chance as any now that you know we're speaking again to sort of get some clarity on cuz you've taken your time like okay what what do you know that you want us to know?
2:45
This is my favorite project that I've worked on. That's big. Yeah.
2:49
And like you said context is good to give to people.
2:53
I've been working on it for five or six years. Um it's 16 tracks long.
2:57
Um it's uh it's deeply personal, but it's also um forward- facing and like critical of everything that's going on.
3:09
It's it's happening at a critical time.
3:10
We always say it's a critical time, but like politically, you know, like internationally like the world is is is going through it.
3:20
You know what I'm saying?
3:21
And like we're really getting to see uh the elasticity and um and the bandwidth of like moral fiber, you know, community like everything is getting stretched to its limits.
3:36
And so this song and this project as a whole is very like very vocal and very like um righteously indignant.
3:47
And I think uh I think at this time like this is the best time in the world to do it.
3:53
One because like people need to hear it, but two like you don't know we don't know how long it's going to be legal to talk like how I'm talking on this album. Crazy.
4:03
I've been thinking about this.
4:04
You know, I've been thinking about the fact that art for the longest time has been, you know, the only form of communication.
4:09
Well, I am said this to me and he's right.
4:11
You know, that that is uninterrupted.
4:12
Ultimately, it is it is without barrier.
4:16
is without barrier. If you choose to say something um it's in your heart and you have a method to say it uh you can't be controlled like aspects of the media can now like social media can now and now are we starting to see the attention turned towards the arts it feels a
4:32
little bit like that right that's the next thing like uh it starts with uh is that AI is that the thing are we going to you know I'm not I'm I'm worried about AI I'm more worried about No but you know what I mean I'm not worried about AI progress is progress but I'm I'm saying like Okay. Do we now actively
4:45
Do we now actively go out there and promote AI as something for people's attention because that way it can be controlled.
4:51
The message can be controlled.
4:52
It's not a freethinking experience. That's Absolutely. Yeah. No, for sure.
4:56
No, they I I think the large language models and um tech and new media as a whole is being used to control people.
5:04
I'm talking specifically about our governing bodies and uh the backbone or lack thereof uh when it comes to making sure that there's access and freedom for people in uh media and in the press cuz I look at artists as a part of the press. Yeah. Yes.
5:22
And so the first thing that they come after is the uh the educational systems and then it's the legal systems, the judges and the lawyers.
5:33
And then the most important line of defense or offense um at the fall or rise of any uh power is is the media.
5:41
And so you know what I'm saying?
5:44
Like pretty soon, like I said, it's not going to be legal to talk like how I'm talking on this project.
5:49
And so I'm very careful in what I'm saying.
5:51
um very intentional in what I'm saying.
5:53
It's not all trauma drenched or super super serious, but it is we're in a serious time and so the music is like, you know, it's reflective of that.
6:04
It's reflective of my journey in the past few years.
6:06
And even on this song, Tree, which you know what I'm saying?
6:09
Like at first glance, it might feel like it's, you know, a fun weed song. This is what you do.
6:15
This is what you do though. That's what I'm saying.
6:19
It's the sugary medicine.
6:19
You got to feed it, you know, the you got to give it to people in a way that feels good.
6:24
Music is first a recording art.
6:24
So the I think the ability to make sure that it's artsy and that it feels good and it sounds good is number one for me.
6:31
But also like as people break down this song, um it's incredibly radical.
6:35
It speaks about um we which has been a a defining um sort of motif in hip-hop music for as long as I can remember but was also very otherized in the beginning.
6:50
So shout out to Whiz Khalifa, shout out to Snoop, shout out to like all the people that took, you know, yeah, they took the negative connotation in the beginning and and created, you know, a space for us to to act like it is what it is. You know what I mean?
7:05
and Bob Marley and there's a hint of that in there as well with the India RE man.
7:09
I feel like to some degree you're 100% paying respect to that era and to that to that music. Absolutely. Yeah.
7:14
No, the the uh the Rosafaris were extremely uh um influential in this whole project making and I think the thing that I really love about this record is that it's true and it's real and and and like you were saying earlier like I think this is the time for artists to make what they love and what they what they need to say. You know what I mean? Yeah.
7:40
Well, we we love it when you do, man. We really do.
7:42
And um like I said, I love it that you've taken your time.
7:44
Um that being said, I'm going to get into the sticky now. So, put on your skates.
7:48
Do we have a release date?
7:51
We're not saying the release date yet, but it is coming this month. And Okay.
7:54
Oh, that's a release date.
7:56
You say it's coming this month. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right. It's coming this month. That's good news.
7:59
Do you want to tell us a little bit about who else has joined you on this ride?
8:03
Give us a little bit more to get people excited, get everyone talking.
8:05
Jasmine Sullivan's uh vocals came in last week. Um that's beautiful.
8:09
I can't wait to hear that.
8:11
I'm I'm extremely proud about that.
8:13
That's enough in it right there. Shout out to Jazz.
8:15
She's a legend that's gonna be amazing and incredibly talented and I think everybody that's on the project was, you know, they were tailorade for this project and it feels like everybody tonally, lyrically, you know, even producers wise, everybody came in and did did their thing.
8:34
It's kind of important to ask this question.
8:38
And you mentioned something before when you were talking about like how you've changed in the time during the making of this album because because we we were getting to know the changes in real time.
8:46
Every album you put out it be like okay step by step but there's been a lot of time for growth between the last project and this one.
8:51
So who are you today that you that you weren't when we when we saw you last?
8:54
How how has life changed for you and how have you adapted to it?
8:58
Well, that's a good question.
8:58
I think I change every day but I'm still it's not like I forget anything.
9:02
So, I'm all of my experiences and and a lot more.
9:07
And I think in the past 6 years, I learned a ton about uh friendship, community, loyalty, um you know, the power of prayer, the importance of relationship.
9:24
I think I just got older.
9:26
You got to realize like I was I was 20 when came out.
9:28
I was I was 21 when I had my first kid. I'm 32 now.
9:35
So, I have a I've I've lived an adulthood at a really young age.
9:39
I was touring and traveling, supporting multiple family members, businesses, friends, like everything from a a young age.
9:48
I'm damn near a child star.
9:48
You know what I'm saying?
9:50
So, like I've I I think I had a matured um understanding of things from a young age and went around the world, but I've done it over and over again now.
10:00
And so, you know, I'm not I'm not the, you know, the final version of myself right now either.
10:09
I think every day we just we're just getting older and growing and learning more and more, but I am very happy with this with with today's me.
10:18
You know, it's it's going to be a beautiful experience when this project comes out very very soon.
10:20
Starline's the name of the project. Chance the rapper. It's great to see you.
10:24
A tree, important song for an important time.
10:25
Little Wayne Smino joining you on the ride.
10:27
And man, thanks for a few minutes.
10:29
We always appreciate the fact you touch base with us here at Apple, bro. You know, we love you. Of course. Appreciate y'all.
10:32
I'm going see you soon, man. [Music]