Chance the Rapper: 5 Things You Didn't Know About 2017 BET Humanitarian Award Winner

Hip-hop artist is so much more than this year's breakout musical sensation

By McKenna Aiello Jun 24, 2017 11:00 AMTags

Chance the Rapper is taking the music industry by storm. 

In the first week of its May 2016 release, the 24-year-old Chicago native's third mixtape, Coloring Book, was streamed a whopping 57 million times. Longtime fans of the hip-hop artist would consider his overnight success story long overdue, and in no time at all, Chance quickly became mainstream music's breakout sensation.

He took home the coveted Best New Artist award at the 2017 Grammys (plus Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance), embarked on a sell-out tour, all while remaining independent from a major music label. Not to mention his activism work, which will be recognized during Sunday's 2017 BET Awards. Chance the Rapper will accept the BET Humanitarian Award for "positively impacting both local and national communities" and advocating for "impactful educational, social and political initiatives."

To learn more about what makes the "No Problem" rapper such a hot commodity these days, check out five things you (probably) don't know about him below:

photos
BET Awards 2016 Red Carpet Arrivals

He's a Proud Father to the Most Adorable Little Girl:

One look at Chance's social media, and it's obvious there's a special little lady who has this celeb's whole heart. Almost 2-year-old baby Kensli and her proud pops make the most precious father-daughter pair, and they spend every moment possible together. From family trips to Disneyland, courtside basketball games and simple moments at home, Chance's mini-me is no doubt his No. 1 priority.

Chance and Barack Obama Go Waaay Back:

Long before Chance the Rapper was collaborating with Kanye West and Justin Bieber, he was mingling with the former POTUS. As it turns out, his father Ken Williams-Bennett worked as Obama's state director when he was an Illinois Senator. According to Rolling Stone, Chance interned for Obama during his first presidential campaign. 

photos
Musicians Performing Live on Stage
BACKGRID

Giving Back Is His Life's Passion:

Not only is Chance the Rapper incredibly gifted in the music department, he's one of the most philanthropic artists around. In March, the Acid Rap artist donated $1 million to Chicago public schools, and he's raised more than $2 million to benefit his Social Works non-profit organization. Three years prior, Chance was dubbed Chicago's Outstanding Youth of the Year. No wonder he's now leveled up to Humanitarian of the Year!

He's Already Made Music History

Chance the Rapper is all about breaking records. To name a few, he became the first indie artist to perform on Saturday Night Live, and is the first-ever performer to debut on the Billboard charts without selling any physical copies of his record. Now we understand why they say streaming is the future... 

He's Super Tight With Hip-Hop Royalty:

Chance comes backed with an A-list squad of supporters. For starters, he refers to Beyoncé and Jay Z as "Aunt Yoncé" and "Unc." Then there's Yeezy, who took Chance the Rapper under his wing after meeting in 2014. Even Common has little-known ties to Chance—their grandmothers were friends back in the day, and Common shared some "words of encouragement" with the aspiring MC years ago. 

What a start to a career we can't see slowing down any time soon! BRB, listening to Chance on repeat for the rest of the day.