Chance The Rapper has opened up about his past struggles with substance abuse.
In a new interview with Complex, the rapper discussed the 10th anniversary of his Acid Rap mixtape, reflecting on how different his life was back then. According to Chance – real name Chancellor Johnathan Bennett – he “probably would’ve died” if he hadn’t changed as an artist.
“The way that I was living at that time, I had everything in excess,” he revealed. “So right after I dropped the project, I went on a few tours where I didn’t really make any money. But then I went on my first tour, my headlining on tour, where I made some money. And I went and bought a crib or rented a crib, this fat ass mansion in LA.”
Chance continued: “This is my first time living outside of my parents’ house in another city and having money and doing a lot of drugs, you know what I’m saying? A lot of Xans, you know what I’m saying? Too many Xans. And just becoming a different person, a lesser, lesser person than I am now. I think if I hadn’t had my spirit tugged on, literally, and a calling to become a better version of myself, then I would’ve died,” the rapper added.
The rapper further discussed how he left his acid use behind in that time, and how he remains thankful that he did. He felt that he was becoming “basically the spokesperson for drugs.”
April 30th marked the 10-year anniversary of the release of Acid Rap in 2013. The mixtape featured multiple other successful artists including Noname, Childish Gambino, Vic Mensa, Twist and Nate Fox.
The tracks continue to resonate with fans even a decade later. “I feel like that’s what Acid Rap is,” Chance shared. “It’s a whole bunch of questions and as time goes on, you find some of those answers.”
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Check out Acid Rap by Chance The Rapper:
