From a teenage mixtape made during school suspension to Grammy-winning gospel rap and beyond, Chance The Rapper carved out one of Hip Hop’s most distinctive lanes. His lyrics have always been the engine behind his rise — playful and witty one moment, deeply spiritual or politically urgent the next. With 10 Day, he announced himself as a Chicago kid with a wild imagination; with Acid Rap, he proved himself a generational storyteller who could weave nostalgia, joy, and grief into the same verse. Coloring Book took him global, pairing church-soaked choirs with bars about independence, community, and faith. Even in the polarizing turns of The Big Day and the grown-up reflections of STAR LINE, Chance continues to drop lines that spark conversation, memes, and admiration in equal measure.
Across his catalog, Chance has shown that a single lyric can shift perception of his artistry, of his city, or of rap itself. Here are 15 of his most game-changing bars, each one a snapshot of how he’s grown from a suspended high schooler to a voice of faith, family, and freedom.
1. Ultralight Beam (Kanye West’s The Life Of Pablo): “You can feel the lyrics, the spirit coming in braille, Tubman of the underground, come and follow the trail”
Chance’s verse on Kanye West’s gospel centerpiece is still hailed as one of the greatest guest spots of its time. With bars about faith, freedom, and Chicago roots, he turned spiritual conviction into pure rap brilliance.
2. Missing You (10 Day): “Brown boys are dying, and none of ’em were for business, And all of ‘em love they mommas, and all of they mommas miss ‘em”
Chance rapped about the death of his friend Rodney Kyles Jr., turning grief into a raw meditation on Chicago violence. Lines like “Brown boys are dying…” marked one of his earliest socially conscious and heartbreaking moments.
3. We Go High (The Big Day): “My baby mama went celibate, lies on my breath, she say she couldn’t take the smell of it.”
On one of his most vulnerable tracks, Chance confronted marital struggles, rumors, and personal failings. The above candid line showed a grown-up Chance unafraid to admit flaws while grounding redemption in faith.
4. Pusha Man / Paranoia (Acid Rap): “Cause everybody dies in the summer, wanna say ya goodbyes, tell them while it’s spring...”
After the playful chaos of “Pusha Man,” Chance flipped into “Paranoia,” a chilling portrait of Chicago summers. “Everybody dies in the summer…” remains one of his most haunting lines, cementing his voice as urgent and unforgettable.
5. Blessings (Reprise) (Coloring Book): “Are you ready for your blessings? Are you ready for your miracle?”
Closing Coloring Book with a gospel crescendo, Chance turned spoken word into testimony. The repeated call — “Are you ready for your blessings?” — transformed into a communal prayer, cementing his legacy as one of rap’s most joyful preachers.
6. The Negro Problem (STAR LINE): “Nowadays you 13, you gotta think 30, can't be out here sitting waiting on the next man...”
One of Chance’s sharpest social critiques, the track laid bare systemic injustice with lines like “Nowadays you 13, you gotta think 30.” It’s a sobering reminder of how Black youth are forced into premature survival.
7. All We Got (Coloring Book): “Man, I swear my life is perfect, I could merch it, if I die, I’ll prolly cry at my own service...”
Chance kicked off Coloring Book with bold self-assurance, joking he’d “cry at [his] own service.” It’s the kind of witty, larger-than-life bar that set the stage for an album rooted in joy, faith, and Chicago pride.
8. Cocoa Butter Kisses (Acid Rap): “Cigarettes on cigarettes, my momma think I stank, I got burn holes in my memories, my homies think it’s dank...”
“Cigarettes on cigarettes, my mama think I stank…” Chance distilled youthful recklessness and guilt into a single line. It’s funny, it’s raw, and it perfectly captured that space between nostalgia and growing pains — when vices start replacing innocence.
9. Blessings (Coloring Book): “I don’t make songs for free, I make ‘em for freedom, don’t believe in kings, believe in the Kingdom...”
On this gospel-soaked standout, Chance turned his faith and family into his muse. The lyric captured how his music became a vessel for both worship and resistance, and a declaration that his art serves a higher purpose than charts or fame.
10. Juice (Acid Rap): “God give me one sentence more, maybe I just gotta get suspended more?”
On his breakout single, Chance flexed wit and wordplay while reflecting on his youthful recklessness. The track’s hook cemented “I got the juice” as a generational rallying cry... equal parts swagger and survival.
11. Acid Rain (Acid Rap): “My big homie died young, just turned older than him...”
Chance’s most introspective cut painted grief, faith, and survivor’s guilt in stark detail. The song balanced youthful imagination with haunting reality, making it one of his rawest lyrical moments — so powerful, President Obama even added it to his summer playlist.
12. Summer Friends (Coloring Book): “JJ, Mikey, Lil Derek and them, 79th Street was America then...”
Chance contrasted childhood memories of bike rides and block parties with the heartbreak of losing friends to Chicago’s summer violence. Another line, “our summertime don’t got no time no more,” echoed as a haunting eulogy for fleeting youth.
13. No Problem (Coloring Book): “If one more label tryna stop me, it’s gon’ be some dreadhead n**gas in your lobby...”
“If one more label try to stop me...” This defiant anthem cemented Chance’s independence, flipping industry resistance into Grammy-winning triumph and rallying cry for artists staying free.
14. Everybody’s Something (Acid Rap): “I know somebody, somebody loves my a**, 'cause they help me beat my demon’s a**”
Chance flipped vulnerability into uplift, rapping, “I know somebody, somebody loves my a**, ’cause they help me beat my demon’s a**.” The track balances social critique with affirmation, leaving listeners with a mantra: Nobody’s nothing, and everybody matters.
15. Speed Of Love (STAR LINE): “If you look up, that star gon’ shine, I’m always in my glow, run the light, no telling what life will be, but start and life will go.”
Closing out STAR LINE, Chance offered one of his most poignant reflections on legacy, love, and resilience. The track felt like both a farewell and a renewal, leaving listeners with a lasting feeling of elevation.