7 Years Ago Today, Chance the Rapper Released His Long-Awaited Debut Album After One of Hip-Hop’s Greatest Mixtape Runs

Exactly 10 years ago, Chance The Rapper was on top of the world. He went from a mixtape darling with Acid Rap to the grand release of Coloring Book in 2016. He received the Kanye West cosign as a fellow Chicago MC and had an incredible verse on “Ultralight Beam”. “I made “Sunday Candy”, I’m never going to hell/I met Kanye West, I’m never going to fail,” Chance rapped.

With all the love for his mixtapes, he reckoned it was time to finally release a formal debut album. Consequently, he made The Big Day on this day in 2019, a record that followed Chance The Rapper on his wedding day. This was in reference to his real-life marriage to Kirsten Corley earlier that year.

This all sounds incredibly heartwarming; his first official album following themes of family and matrimony should’ve made for an incredibly sweet album. Moreover, it featured a litany of beloved actors like Keith David and John Witherspoon and legendary artists across hip-hop, R&B, pop, and rock. He collaborated with everyone from Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Durk to SWV and John Legend to Death Cab for Cutie and Randy Newman.

The Big Day should’ve continued the trajectory for Chance as one of hip-hop’s most relatable artists. However, there was just one problem: not a lot of people seemed to like the album at the time.

‘The Big Day’ Released on This Day Seven Years Ago

Initially, The Big Day came out to mild applause. Sure, it paled in comparison to his previous breakout mixtapes. But certain critics weren’t inclined to trash Chance’s good intentions. Instead, Sheldon Pearce merely said that he wished there was a bit more depth to the album’s themes for Pitchfork. He notes that Chance The Rapper was almost too chipper, to the point that it’s not only a little off-putting, but it becomes a drag after a while.

“These raps aren’t just duller and more rigid in motion, they’re dogmatic. He loves his girl, he loves his God, he loves his kid, and anyone who doesn’t share that love is a dissenter. He is so tenacious in his worship that it can feel contrived,” Pearce argued.

Fans themselves were a lot less kind. Chance’s eager demeanor was largely mocked in internet memes, making fun of his cartoonish love for his wife and Jesus Christ. In any other case, you would find this to just be miserable bullying from the internet. But it is worth noting that Chance The Rapper rapped about loving his wife a lot on a 77-minute album.

The backlash to The Big Day caused Chance to essentially leave the spotlight for years. He battled a number of personal issues behind the scenes with family and his manager alike. Progressively, he shared one-off singles and loose snippets that proved he was still the same rapper we all appreciated. Six years after The Big Day, he released Star Line to moderate, though improved, praise.

(Photo by Jeff Hahne/Getty Images)