Chance the Rapper dismisses albums as 'obsolete'

Chance The Rapper anticipates recorded albums will soon become a thing of the past.

The hip hop artist gained major recognition following the release of his second mixtape Acid Rap in 2013 and the critically acclaimed follow-up Coloring Book in May (16).

Since his debut, Chance has been determined to make his mark on the music industry, and has made some intriguing career choices, such as refusing to sell his music through paid streaming subscriptions like Tidal or album rollouts as well as eschewing deals with mainstream record labels.

During an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday night (03Oct16), Chance shared that he primarily supports himself through touring.

“I’m on tour right now, I’m a touring artist,” he told host Jimmy. “As music grows there’s always new ways of releasing, there’s visual albums and full concerts and big Broadway musicals. And so many ways that music moves around now. I feel like trying to fit it into a 'for sale' album is kind of obsolete now.”

Chance, real name Chancellor Johnathan Bennett, adds not being tied to a label gives him “more space” to create music.

The strategy seems to be working for the Chicago native, as his mixtape Coloring Book, which was exclusively released on Apple Music, was streamed over 57.3 million times in the first week, the equivalent to 38,000 units sold, causing the record to debut at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart.

Chance is continuing his Magnificent Coloring World Tour trek as well, which started in San Diego in September (16) and winds up in London on 22 November (16).

Meanwhile, the rapper reveals that he much prefers intimate concert venues to playing at large festivals.

“Honestly, (with) festivals there’s a lot of logistical problems... There’s too many artists and you’ve got to find catering and all types of stuff. I like it when it’s just my show y’know? I show up and do my thing,” he smiled.