meta-scriptChance The Rapper Announces The Big Day Tour | GRAMMY.com
Chance The Rapper Announces The Big Day Tour

Chance The Rapper 

Photo: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Spotify

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Chance The Rapper Announces The Big Day Tour

The tour is in support of the rapper's full-length debut, 'The Big Day,' which features guest spots from Ari Lennox, En Vogue and more

GRAMMYs/Jul 30, 2019 - 01:54 am

Fans have been praising GRAMMY winner Chance The Rapper on social media for his highly anticipated full-length debut The Big Day, which dropped on Friday, July 26. Now they'll have a chance to hear it all live; the rapper has released dates for his supporting tour of the same name. 

The Big Day tour will kick off in San Francisco on Sept. 14 and then head to Las Vegas, Chicago, Nashville,. Austin, Texas, Omaha, Neb., and more before closing out in Miami on Nov. 10.

The Big Day, featuring guest spots from Ari Lennox, En Vogue and more, is the follow-up to the GRAMMY-winning mixtape Coloring Book. "Thank you for supporting the album so much so far. It’s the most open and personal I’ve been and some responses I’ve seen have been really open and personal. I appreciate getting to grow with yall #TheBigDay," Chance tweeted

Tickets for the tour available on Friday. For more information, visit Chance's website

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How Lin-Manuel Miranda Bridged The Worlds Of Broadway & Hip-Hop
Lin-Manuel Miranda

Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images

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How Lin-Manuel Miranda Bridged The Worlds Of Broadway & Hip-Hop

"A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop" airs Sunday, Dec. 10. During the two-hour live concert special, Miranda will offer an inside look at how and when he fell in love with hip-hop.

GRAMMYs/Dec 6, 2023 - 07:58 pm

Lin-Manuel Miranda has consistently been between worlds. 

Whether it was growing up spending the school year in Manhattan and summers in Puerto Rico; spending the early 2000s teaching seventh grade English by day while refining "In the Heights" at night; or translating parts of one of the most beloved musicals of all time into the language half of its characters would have actually spoken, Miranda has constantly been navigating a cultural and sonic divide.

But his most consistent bridging of worlds has been between Broadway and hip-hop, most notably via the groundbreaking "Hamilton." As someone equally well-versed in Sondheim and Biggie, Miranda is uniquely positioned to bring rapping to the stage, and vice-versa. 

Miranda will expound on this best-of-both-worlds mindset during a special segment on the once-in-a-lifetime "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" live concert special in which he'll give both musical theater and rap fans an inside look at how and when he fell in love with hip-hop. Airing Sunday, Dec. 10, at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on the CBS Television Network and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+, "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" features exclusive performances from Public Enemy, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, T.I., Gunna, Tyga, Too $hort, Latto, E-40, Big Daddy Kane, GloRilla, Three 6 Mafia, a highly anticipated reunion from hip-hop pioneers DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, and many more. The two-hour special celebrates the impactful history of hip-hop and showcases the genre's monumental cultural influence around the world.

Below are five of the ways Lin-Manuel Miranda has bridged Broadway and hip-hop culture.

Explore More Of "A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop"

Convincing Stephen Sondheim That Rap Is The Future Of Musical Theater

Yes, musical theater's Shakespeare was aware of rap before he met Miranda. His character of the Witch in "Into the Woods" — originally brought to life by Bernadette Peters — spits some rhymes (he respectfully called his efforts an "imitation" of the genre). 

But in his 2011 memoir/book of lyrics Look, I Made a Hat, Sondheim revealed that Miranda was the one musical theater composer who might show others how to incorporate rap into the art form.

"I was never able to find another appropriate use for the technique [after 'Into the Woods'], or perhaps I didn't have the imagination to," he wrote. "Miranda does. Rap is a natural language for him and he is a master of the form, but enough of a traditionalist to know the way he can utilize its theatrical potential: he is already experimenting with it in a piece about Alexander Hamilton. This strikes me as a classic example of the way art moves forward: the blending of two conventional styles into something wholly original… It's one pathway to the future."

Starting Freestyle Love Supreme

Back in the early 2000s, during "In the Heights" rehearsals, then-recent college grads Miranda, Thomas Kail, and Anthony Veneziale used to loosen up by freestyling.

"Anthony would come in and distract us, 'Let's rap about our day!' . . . And we would just freestyle," Miranda recalled years later on "The Tonight Show." Soon, Veneziale had a second idea: they should do that in front of people. Thus, Freestyle Love Supreme was born.

The idea was simple: it was a mash-up (again with the bridge-building) between an improv troupe and a rap cipher. The extended crew of regulars and special guests eventually grew to include talents like "Hamilton" standouts Daveed Diggs and Christopher Jackson, and even Wayne Brady. The idea became so successful that FLS had its own Broadway show and Vegas residency, with Miranda still popping up frequently as a special guest. 

Making The Hamilton Mixtape

Miranda teamed up with Questlove to make "Hamilton" even more hip-hop with The Hamilton Mixtape. The project features not just covers of "Hamilton" songs by well-known pop artists, which would have been noteworthy enough. 

But more importantly for our concerns, it has a number of hip-hop reinterpretations of numbers from the show. Check out, for example, "Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)," by K'naan, Snow Tha Product, Riz MC, and Residente, which turns one line from the musical into an absolute banger. 

The project also features Nas, the Roots, Joell Ortiz, Busta Rhymes, Dave East, and many more. To make the whole thing even more hip-hop, it's mixed together by an actual mixtape DJ, J.Period. You can listen to him discuss his role here

Appearing On The Cover Of Complex With Chance The Rapper

By mid-2016, there were few rappers on the planet more perfectly positioned between success and innovation than Chance the Rapper. The Chicago emcee captured tastemakers with his exquisite 2013 mixtape Acid Rap, before jumping into the mainstream with the May 2016 release of Coloring Book. But before all that, he was just a kid who loved going to poetry open mics. 

So it made a certain kind of sense when Complex decided to pair him with Miranda for their June/July 2016 cover story. The two had a ton in common (and Chance, it turned out, was a huge "Hamilton fan" who would soon cover "Dear Theodosia" for The Hamilton Mixtape). But even more than their conversation, it was the mere fact of its public existence that ended up drawing Broadway and hip-hop a little bit closer together than they had been before that issue hit the stands.

Writing "Hamilton"

We saved the best — and most obvious — for last. Hamilton more than lived up to the potential to theatricalize rap that Sondheim saw in it. It showed that rapping could be a key, perhaps the key, part of a major musical, and that show could not only be great, but also be a giant, world-beating, Disney+-streaming hit. 

Its quotations and interpolations of classic rap songs served multiple purposes. They were in-jokes for the rap fans in the audience, an acknowledgement that this theater guy was one of us. They also provided Easter eggs for the Broadway set, a hope that maybe one day they would figure out that it wasn't originally Alexander Hamilton who described himself by saying, "I'm only 19, but my mind is old" or Thomas Jefferson who boasted, "If you don't know, now you know." 

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GRAMMY Rewind: Chance The Rapper Thanks SoundCloud For "Holding It Down" After Winning Best Rap Album In 2017
photo: Getty Images

photo: Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: Chance The Rapper Thanks SoundCloud For "Holding It Down" After Winning Best Rap Album In 2017

As one of the most prolific independent musicians, Chance the Rapper couldn't help but thank streaming and distribution platform SoundCloud after 'Coloring Book' won a GRAMMY.

GRAMMYs/Oct 20, 2023 - 05:00 pm

The 2017 GRAMMYs were certainly a life-changing evening for Chance the Rapper. The hip-hop star walked into the ceremony with a whopping seven nominations and took home three golden gramophones, including Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance for his single "No Problem," featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, revisit the moment Chance the Rapper took home his third win of the evening for Best Rap Album for his mixtape Coloring Book

"I didn't think that we were going to get this one, so I don't have cool stuff to say this time," he quipped as he hit the stage alongside his former manager Pat Corcoran and music director Peter CottonTale.

Chance began by expressing his appreciation to God "for everything He's ever accomplished for me" before showing love for his family and friends.

"This is for every indie artist — everybody who's been doing this mixtape stuff for a long a— time," the rapper exclaimed. "Shout-out to Soundcloud for holding it down. It's another one, baby!"

Press play on the video above to watch Chance the Rapper's gracious speech for Best Rap Album at the 2017 GRAMMY Awards, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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GRAMMY Rewind: Kendrick Lamar Honors Hip-Hop's Greats While Accepting Best Rap Album GRAMMY For 'To Pimp a Butterfly' In 2016
Kendrick Lamar

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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GRAMMY Rewind: Kendrick Lamar Honors Hip-Hop's Greats While Accepting Best Rap Album GRAMMY For 'To Pimp a Butterfly' In 2016

Upon winning the GRAMMY for Best Rap Album for 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' Kendrick Lamar thanked those that helped him get to the stage, and the artists that blazed the trail for him.

GRAMMYs/Oct 13, 2023 - 06:01 pm

Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

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He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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GRAMMY Rewind: Chance The Rapper Highlights Faith And Gratitude As He Wins A Best New Artist GRAMMY In 2017
Chance the Rapper holds his GRAMMY Award after winning Best New Artist in 2017.

Photo: The Recording Academy

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GRAMMY Rewind: Chance The Rapper Highlights Faith And Gratitude As He Wins A Best New Artist GRAMMY In 2017

At the 59th GRAMMY Awards, Chance the Rapper brought home his very first trophies — and as he accepted his Best New Artist GRAMMY, he made sure God and his longtime supporters were given the spotlight.

GRAMMYs/Dec 9, 2022 - 06:08 pm

The 2017 GRAMMY Awards marked a big career moment for Chance the Rapper. Not only did he walk in as a seven-time nominee, but he won his first GRAMMYs that night — and not just one, but three.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, revisit Chance the Rapper’s acceptance speech for his Best New Artist GRAMMY. Flanked by his then-manager Pat Corcoran and his music director Peter CottonTale, the rapper — whose birth name is Chancelor Bennett — expressed gratitude for both of those team members in his speech, but put his faith front and center. 

"Glory be to God. I claim this victory in the name of the Lord," he began. "I wanna thank God for my mother and my father, who supported me since I was young."

The Chicago-born star then listed the names of more people who helped him get to where he is today, offering special thanks to "all of Chicago" for being his geographic launchpad into his musical career. "And I wanna thank God for putting amazing people in my life like Pete and Pat, who have carried me since 2012," Bennett continued, pointing to the two men standing behind him.

As music started to play — indicating that it was time for the rapper to conclude his speech — he joked that he wasn't going to stop talking until he'd finished what he wanted to say. "Oh, I'm gonna talk. Y'all can play the music if you want," he said with a smile.

After giving God one more shout-out, Bennett thanked his team for helping him remain an independent artist — a very successful one at that. "I know people think independence means you do it by yourself, but independence means freedom. I do it with these folks right here."

That night Bennett also won GRAMMYs for Best Rap Performance for "No Problem" (with Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz) as well as Best Rap Album for his 2016 mixtape, Coloring Book

Press play on the video above to watch the rapper's full Best New Artist acceptance speech, and check back to GRAMMY.com every Friday for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind. 

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