The Redemption of Chance the Rapper

When Chance the Rapper declared “I met Kanye West, I’m never going to fail” on “Ultralight Beam,” the opener from West’s 2016 album, “The Life of Pablo,” the sentiment seemed self-evident. West was at the height of his cultural influence and had handpicked Chance, a fellow Chicago native, as his protégé—the successor to the soul-drenched, worshipful hip-hop that West had popularized in the mid-two-thousands. Already one of the genre’s most vibrant young talents, Chance had established himself as a clever and perceptive lyricist who sang as dynamically as he rapped, his nasally, animated voice skirting and snapping over brightly colored beats that blended gospel and blues, jazz and R. & B., drill and funk.