Chance the Rapper Releases New Album The Big Day: Listen

The Chicago rapper’s official debut album features contributions from Bon Iver, Randy Newman, Benjamin Gibbard, Nicki Minaj, Gucci Mane, CocoRosie, and many others
Chance the Rapper
Chance the Rapper, photo by Nolis Anderson

After three wildly successful self-released mixtapes, Chance the Rapper has released his long-teased debut album. Listen to The Big Day below. (Pitchfork may earn a commission from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.)

The Big Day is stacked with big-name contributions. Benjamin Gibbard sings on the second track “Do You Remember?,” which also has contributions from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Francis and the Lights. (A Death Cab for Cutie collaboration was teased all the way back in 2016.) Plus, Chance raps about Donald Glover’s Lion King role on the song. Vernon and Francis later contribute to the title track and “Town on the Hill.”

The third song, “Eternal,” features Smino and also Chance’s dad Ken Bennett, who was in the Obama Administration. Other guests on The Big Day include CocoRosie (“Roo”), Randy Newman (“5 Year Plan”), Timbaland (“Big Fish”), Shawn Mendes (“Ballin Flossin”), Pi’erre Bourne and Lil Durk (“Slide Around”), MadeinTYO and DaBaby (“Hot Shower”), Murda Beatz (“Found a Good One (Single No More)”). Nicki Minaj also appears on “Slide Around” and the closing track “Zanies and Fools,” which also credits legendary Broadway duo Rodgers and Hammerstein. Megan Thee Stallion crops up on “Handsome,” while Gucci Mane features on “Big Fish.”

The Big Day follows Chance’s 2016 mixtape Coloring Book. Chance earned the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for Coloring Book and Best Rap Performance for the tape’s “No Problem.” He also won Best New Artist at that year’s ceremony.

After Coloring Book, in December 2016, Jeremih and Chance collaborated on Merry Christmas Lil’ Mama. They returned with the Re-Wrapped edition in December 2017.

In September 2017, Chance debuted a new song with Daniel Caesar called “First World Problems” on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” Then, in 2018, Chance released six singles: “I Might Need Security,” “Work Out,” “Wala Cam,” “65th & Ingleside,” “My Own Thing,” and “The Man Who Has Everything.” This year, Chance collaborated with TisaKorean and Murda Beatz for “GRoCERIES.”

Chance the Rapper has spent years discussing his debut album and how it differs from his self-released mixtapes. “My mixtapes have been confused for albums for a long time so it has to be something different,” he said in November 2016. “Something that you can consider an album, it might not be physical, or a disc or something, but an album that comes with its own live show is important.” In March 2017 he added, “I might actually sell this album.”

Chance has seen his star rise immensely since releasing Coloring Book. He’s been in commercials (for Kit Kat and Doritos), movies (like Slice, The Lion King, and the forthcoming Trolls World Tour), and “Sesame Street.” He’s also done philanthropic work (donating millions to fund Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Mental Health Services), met with Illinois’ governor, and been thanked by President Donald J. Trump. (Chance rejected the praise.)

In 2016, Chance performed on “Saturday Night Live” and ended up getting nominated for an Emmy in 2017 for his contributions to the song “Last Christmas” from the sketch “Jingle Barack.” He then hosted “SNL” in 2017 and was once again nominated for Emmy Awards.

Along with the extracurricular activities, Chance has made several high-profile guest appearances in recent years. Notably, he’s been on DJ Khaled’s No. 1 singleI’m the One,” 2018’s “No Brainer,” and Ed Sheeran’s “Cross Me.”

Recently, Chance made his 2012 debut mixtape 10 Day and his 2013 breakout Acid Rap available on streaming platforms. Those tapes, along with Coloring Book and The Big Day, are coming to vinyl.