Taking a Chance on Style

Chance the Rapper’s recognition at the Grammy Awards last week was long overdue. In my opinion, it’s no question that he deserves Grammys in Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Album for Coloring Book. But, it seems a bit late for Chance to receive a Grammy for Best New Artist, when he started making waves in the music industry with Acid Rap in 2013. Regardless, I’m so proud of Chance. My personal hero is finally getting the recognition that he deserves! And, judging by the look on his face on the Grammy stage, he’s pretty ecstatic about it too.

Sometimes, I wish I had come to Northwestern earlier so that I could have seen him live at Dillo Day. I would have been introduced to his music a lot sooner than I was: I’m, unapologetically, sort of a bandwagoner, and only recently found out about him through my spontaneous download of Coloring Book over the summer. After I found out about him and his music, I had “No Problem” on repeat. Always. (Well, with a few iterations of Summer Friends here and there. Oh, Cocoa Butter Kisses is good too.) Either way, my life was quickly overtaken by Chance’s music. And, since then, Chance has been my personal hero. He does absolutely everything. He’s championed participation in our political system by holding a free concert in Chicago and leading a parade to the polls on Election Day, he became the king of my indie-loving heart when he turned down $10 million post-Grammy offers from record labels so that he could continue to stay independent, and he’s gained the Barack Obama stamp of approval: his song Acid Rain was on Obama’s 2016 summer playlist. But, those aren’t even my favorite things about Chance the Rapper. The absolute best thing about Chance the Rapper is the way he presents himself through his sense of style.

My first experience with Chance the Rapper’s style was when I saw pictures of him at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. I was honestly alarmed at first.

For one, he wore long overalls to the Video Music Awards. That’s like wearing a sarong to brunch on the Upper East Side. Not to mention, they were khaki colored, a color reminiscent of a painter’s outfit - not of red carpet apparel. To top it all off, he matched the color of his shoes and even his iconic hat to that of his overalls. It was overwhelming. It wasn’t a look that incited Vetements-esque feelings of general confusion, but rather it was an outfit that was just...weird, for lack of a better term! But, as I watched videos of him on the red carpet talking casually to fellow cool person Jaden Smith and flailing around in his overalls like an air dancer, I noticed something important: Chance was completely comfortable in his own skin. He wasn’t afraid of looking like an idiot withhis dance moves, and he certainly wasn’t afraid of his bold outfit choice either. He didn’t fight back when Twitter users hypothesized that he was the third Mario brother. He completely owned it. Wearing a coordinated outfit consisting of a khaki snapback and a khaki pair of overalls wasn’t a scandal; it was a power move. Chance isn’t afraid of embracing his eclecticism, and it’s so inspiring. It seems like it liberates him. He wears what he wants to wear, without caring what other people think. Hell, he dressed up like a bear for a Kit Kat commercial and wasn’t even fazed. Chance does what he wants, and doesn’t let anyone else get him down for it.

Originally, I wanted to write a piece on how to gain fashion inspiration from Chance’s eclectic outfits. Now, after a long reflection on Chance’s style and aesthetic (read: gushing to my roommate about my admiration of Chance), I realize that I couldn’t pinpoint Chance’s style to exclusively overalls or fun-patterned sweatshirts. The key to Chance’s style is in his refusal to be anyone but himself. It’s through this that he gains his effortlessly cool vibe that I desperately wanted to analyze, not through a vibe or an aesthetic that I could make a mood board of. So, Chance lovers, take note: there’s no need to head to H&M and try on dozens of pairs of long denim overalls. Don’t throw out all of your current favorite clothing pieces for the sake of aesthetic reinvention and a cool-guy or cool-girl vibe. Only buy a Chance 3 Hat if you really want to, not because you need to. Live by Chance’s example, and know that trying to be cool is unnecessary. As cliché as it is, being yourself, above all other things, is the coolest thing of all.