When Chance the Rapper visited West Africa earlier this year, he initially thought the trip with fellow Chicago hip-hop artist Vic Mensa would be just a vacation.
Instead, the Grammy winner bonded on a deeper level with Mensa’s father’s family in Ghana and other natives from his home country. Immerse yourself in the art scene and learn about the country’s rich history as the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to free itself from colonialism.
After making a few more trips to Ghana, Chance will launch a free concert series and visual arts show to allow others to experience the country’s vibrant culture as he did. During the summer, Chance and Mensa brought eight of his students from Chicago to Ghana to learn more about Africa. more:
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“I felt so free in Ghana…I want others to feel the same way,” said Chance, who will co-host the first Black His Line Star Festival with Mensa in Accra, Ghana in 2023. Told. The week-long festival includes events, panel discussions and a free concert on January 6th, with performances by Chance, Mensa, Erykah Badu, T-Pain, Jeremih, Sarkody, Tobe Nwigwe, Asakaa Boys and M.anifest. It is done.
Chance the Rapper creates his series of free concerts and visual arts shows to help others experience Ghana’s vibrant culture as he did. The event is held at Accra’s Black Star Square, commemorating the political freedom Ghanaians won in 1957. The festival’s title is a tribute to civil rights leader Marcus Garvey, founded in 1919 and run by blacks who helped connect global shipping and tourism opportunities between the Americas, the Caribbean and Africa. Inspired by the Black Star line.
Garvey inspired his Chance’s ‘YAH Know’ music video featuring King Promise and his upcoming album ‘Star Line Gallery’ due out next year. He has already released several other new music videos, including Child of God and A Bar About a Bar.
At first, it was difficult to get promises to travel and perform in West Africa from well-known music artists. With few sponsors, much of the cost of the free concert was self-financed, and his The Highs & Lows starring Joey Bada$$ called it “album art” to highlight popular African artists. is. But the Chance team found a way to make travel more affordable for travelers through a partnership with United Airlines, which has been offering discounted fares to Ghana for a year.
It took a lot of work to put on such a short time, but Chance believes the festival will thrive for the next 50 years. In the future, we would like to organize festivals in other countries such as Jamaica and Haiti.
But for now, Chance’s focus is on attracting more people to Ghana, a place he envisions where his family will live after his daughters go off to college.
“I wish I could live there now,” said the rapper, who has lived in Chicago all his life. “I want people to see the convergence and similarity of all these black lives.
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