Chance estimated the album was “85 percent done.”
Chance The Rapper Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
Chance the Rapper has just dropped a major update on his upcoming release, Star Line, and it’s the news fans have been waiting for.
In a recent chat with Complex, the Chicago native revealed that his next studio project is about 83 percent complete, bringing us one step closer to hearing what he’s been working on.
Initially, Chance estimated the collection was 85 percent done but quickly adjusted his estimate.
“That’s a little generous. I’ma say 83. 83.5, 82.7, you know what I’m saying? We’re living in the project right now,” he joked, giving fans a peek into his creative process.
Reflecting on the journey from his debut album The Big Day (2019) to Star Line, Chance shared how different this experience has been.
“For my last project, I’d just gotten married, I just had a baby, I was about to separate from my management. Like, I had so many things going on. Now, it’s not like there isn’t a lot going on, but I’m really able to enjoy the creative process and be 100 percent myself.”
Star Line draws inspiration from Marcus Garvey’s historic Black Star Line, a shipping company aimed at connecting the global Black diaspora in the early 1900s.
Chance elaborated on this during a 2022 interview with Sway.
“He started and ran this very important, integral shipping line. He had a fleet of ships, these giant ocean liners which are the size of cruise ships, that he owned and funded with common Black folks’ money.”
Garvey’s vision of global Black connectivity deeply resonates with Chance, who aims to channel that spirit into his music. “When I think about the Black Star Line and all the spaces that it’s been in, the black star [on the line’s flag] is [also] the representation of Ghana, in their flag, in the fabric of how their country was set up,” he said.
“They believe in global Blackness, Black connectivity and a free Africa.”
Although the album was initially slated for a Spring 2024 release, Chance hasn’t confirmed a new date yet.
To keep fans engaged, he dropped “Together,” produced by DJ Premier, in May, and “Buried Alive” in April, a track that touches on his recent divorce and legal battles with his ex-manager.
In Buried Alive, Chance gets real with lines like, “Where’s his money now? Where his wife at?/ Where his manager? Where his hype at?/ Then they threw the dirt on the casket,” showcasing his raw, introspective side.
Earlier this year, Chance posted an IG Reel of “Buried Alive,” asking fans if he should drop a video. The clips he’s shared of his new direction have featured a darker tone, with black backgrounds and white subtitles, addressing the drama he’s faced since The Big Day.
“I’m really able to revel in the creative process and put everything into that and be 100 percent myself and present in the now,” he said.
