in a world without mac miller, i'm grateful for chance the rapper
musings from frank on chance the rapper's majorrr return to form, ky meets the wednesday cast (omg!) and ruel's got a fan's wisdom tooth??
pov of the week
AH!! AND WE BACK!! Chance the Rapper makes a triumphant return with STAR LINE.
I’ve been a diehard Chance the Rapper fan since 2013’s Acid Rap (aka the greatest mixtape of all time) dropped on DatPiff in Year 7 maths class. Around the same time, rappers like Tyler, The Creator, Mac Miller, and A$AP Rocky were all establishing their place among hip-hop’s new guard. It’s an era I hold very near and dear to my heart, and Chano positioned himself at the center of it all with soulful and jazzy beat selections, and a sporadic, sharp, lyrical wit.
Chance’s introduction to the mainstream arrived in 2016 with the streaming-only mixtape Coloring Book priming him to be hip-hop’s next it-guy. He won a Grammy (a first for a streaming-only album), voice-acted in a Disney movie, and even appeared on Ellen a few times (weirdly the pinnacle of corporate American stardom at one time!).
It seemed like nothing could ever go wrong — until The Big Day arrived in 2019. What was meant to be his triumphant debut album (and my most satisfying ‘I told you so’) resulted in one of the most abrupt flops in recent rap history. Honestly, it’s the most heartbroken I’ve ever been over an album and not in a ‘Wow this music is so good it’s making me emotional’ kinda way. So many elements of Chance’s music that I initially fell in love with — the balance of heart and humour in his wordplay, the creativity in production, and the Chicago community he brings to life with the team around him — were all absent here.
Chance’s stock dropped immediately and the world’s response was brutal. Under the misinformed impression that creativity and substance use are inextricably linked, fans’ memes and jokes quickly turned to blaming his sobriety and personal life as a father of two and a then-married man. Yes, the album fell victim to its commercial status and failed to meet fan expectations, but in hindsight it wasn’t a career ending fall off, just an ankle-rolling misstep. His run of singles in 2022, including ‘Wraith’ and ‘Child of God’, proved his pen was still sharp and his creative hunger hadn’t been satisfied. And now we have STAR LINE, his first full-length project in six years, which was released on Friday.
Named after Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Line, a steamship company that played a key part in the Pan-African movement during the early 1920s, the album is a rejuvenated return to form for the Chicago legend, and while his sophomore album doesn’t undo the flaws of his previous project, Chano addresses them openly and maturely. The 17-tracks feature a gratifying mix of what made his earlier works great — from the nostalgic tinge of Acid Rap to the gospel influence from Coloring Book and his Social Experiment days. But Chance’s rapping shines brightest on STAR LINE, flexing bars with peers like Vic Mensa and Joey Bada$$ (2014 me is so happy), and delivering powerful conscious rap reflections in ‘No More Old Men’, ‘The Negro Problem’, and ‘Letters’. There are verses on here that rival some of his best, and one example that’s stuck with me the most is ‘Speed of Love’ featuring Jazmine Sullivan.
In the opening lines, Chano raps: “I still get tweets saying: ‘I miss when you was not sober’/Mac died September, I cried in October.” (Mac Miller’s accidental drug overdose in 2018 is one of the few celebrity deaths that really struck me, to the point that I still grieve like I knew him personally. And while every part of me yearns to hear Acid Rap for the first time again, I would love even more to hear any new music from Mac.)
With some of this year’s best new releases coming from Clipse and Freddie Gibbs, 2025 is the year of maturity in hip-hop and STAR LINE fits that mold perfectly. It may not be the best album of the year but it’ll be a lot of people’s favourite because like all of us who are lucky enough, Lil Chano from 79th has grown up and realised: “Love was the fuel and the pen was the tool.”
In a world without Mac Miller, I’m grateful for Chance The Rapper.
— Frank
Heey, Alice jumping in here. It’s no secret that the world sometimes… sucks!!! While I love a good spiral, there’s nothing that can’t be solved by VIP tickets to Kendrick/Doechii (manifesting), an album drop dinner party, or discovering a new local fave (Aleksiah — you’re it) through our sucks!!! interview series. Each week junkee’s been dropping some of our fave moments from our latest interviews with artists we love that either made us laff, left us shaking our heads, or saw us crack open another Newtowner 3.5 and say “cheers to that, bestie!”
Built for all-day hangs, live gigs, park sessions, and anytime you want to keep the good times rolling — grab it here.
This week’s reminder to never miss a dental appointment… Ruel!!
Did you know you have to ask to get your wisdom teeth back?? No for real, after you have surgery to get your gnashers taken out, dentists don’t just give them to you — you have to specifically request them. It makes it even more strange, then, that Ruel has been gifted a wisdom tooth directly by a fan?? While it’s lovely to be thought of, the idea that someone has set aside a piece of their enamel for the specific moment when they’ll run into him after a show does strike him as more on the niche end of “fan art”.
Unfortunately we didn’t get to the bottom of where Ruel stores all his mementos and memorabilia from his years of touring, but rest assured all the fan art is lovingly collected for future reference. As to what ended up happening with the tooth? Look, idk, but I like to think he brings it out as ‘show and tell’ at dinner parties when the convo loses steam. (For the record, we at junkee support ALL forms of fan art, so feel free to send anything our way <3.) Cheers to that.
Follow @younghenrys to stay in the loop on all things mates, music, mischief and booze.
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some things on my radar this week:
It’s been a big few weeks in the sad girl corner of the internet because Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain have been beefing. Yes, you read that right. Never in all our Tumblr dreams did we think this could ever be real. What started with Lana sharing a snippet of a new song ‘Track 13’ (believed to be the unreleased song ‘All About Ethel’) where she sings “Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post” has now evolved into Lana blocking Ethel Cain, saying she fat shamed her and made fun of her “behind closed doors”. Also, Clairo is somehow involved and Nicki Minaj is diving into Lana’s discography only to discover that she is, in fact, a Lana stan. It’s getting weird. (Leaving my Lana Del Rey vid essay here for u).
Speaking of Tumblr, Halsey’s life-changing (for me specifically) album Badlands turns 10 this year. Yeah, woof. Anyways, Halsey’s proving just how much she still loves that album, and her fans, and is dropping two new music videos for ‘Gasoline’ and ‘Drive’. This is very personal to me and I will be speaking to everyone I know about it.
ICYMI, I had the immense privilege of interviewing the divas of Wednesday Season 2 when they were in Sydney last week! I got to chat with Jenna Ortega, Emma Myers, and Gwendoline Christie. Here’s the full interview for you to watch!
Also: Lia got to speak to fkn Jay Park!!! Like hello??? Icons meeting icons fr.
aux
songs to add to your playlist rn:
Hiii, it’s Talecia and this is what I’ve been spinning this week!
Thirst Trap - Aubrey Hobert
A Frank Tremain (and Swiftologist) rec first up. Aubrey Hobert’s debut album Who’s the Clown? sounds like if girl in red and Sabrina Carpenter had a biological child and was raised in a polycule with her parents, Ayo Edebiri and Sugar Motta from Glee. ‘Thirst Trap’ is all about tryna get someone’s attention but being so self-aware that you’re cringing at yourself going through the stereotypical motions.All This Love - Cat Burns
Oh, Cat Burns. Cat has been teasing like, maybe four to five new songs and this is one of them. Even though this song is about grief, it doesn’t leave you w a gaping hole in your chest, it feels hopeful. Cat’s voice is so buttery smooth and her cadence in the pre-choruses is such an earworm that it’s incredibly easy to listen to on repeat.Sweet n’ Low - Peach PRC
Peach performed at Wednesday Island in Sydney on the weekend and it was SO fun to watch how confident she’s gotten on stage. I remember watching her first performances at Dulcie’s in Kings Cross while she was basically training to perform live and she was super super nervous. This song feels like such a testament to her growth and confidence in herself as an artist. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s incredibly well-written with double/triple entendres AND it’s catchy as fuck. And gay. Ok go listen and have fun <3333
(Save this playlist btw, updating every week!!)
Real Housewives of New York City (Season 9) | i miss old RHONY, sue me
To prepare for the newest season of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, I’m back on my bullshit. And by bullshit I mean my rewatch of different Real Housewives franchises. So far I’m up to Season 9 of New York which is when we first meet Tinsley and god, I love these unhinged women. They are all so problematic and rich and annoying and fascinating I’m obsessed. Women screaming at each other at a fancy NYC restaurant will always be a comfort watch for me.
Trixie’s Great Big Amish Powerpoint! | my fave drag queen talking about my niche interest!
Now this is probably so incredibly out of pocket but I will watch anything Trixie Mattel does. She’s maybe the most entertaining person alive. But for her to make a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation about the Amish felt a little too close to home. My friends and I have been fascinated by the Amish since we studied them in Year 11 Society and Culture. We yearn to churn butter and live off the grid (I know they do more than that, okay). I’m also known for my love of PowerPoint presentations so this video was literally made for me.
Is Lana Del Rey a Feminist? | shameless plug I know, but guys I love my vid essay
Yes, I do in fact star in this video essay but with all the conversation about Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain, I think it’s the perfect time to watch the second part of this deep dive. I unpack all of the accusations that’ve dogged Lana for over 10 years, including the idea that she’s not a feminist and she glamourises abuse. What I discover, however, is that a lot of the arguments made against Lana are actually rooted in anti-feminist rhetoric. It was a fascinating look back at an artist I’ve followed for almost half my life.
Junkee Media acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where this newsletter was produced, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.
