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Three Marketing Takeaways From Chance The Rapper's 'Coloring Book' Roll-Out

This article is more than 7 years old.

Chance The Rapper decided early in his career to release his music at no cost and without the help of a record label. “I don’t agree with the way labels are set up,” he stated in a recent Beats 1 interview with Zane Lowe.

In December 2015, via FORBES, I posed the question, “Is Chance The Rapper Independent Artists’ New Team Captain?” following his feat as the first artist to perform on Saturday Night Live without any major label affiliation. In the subsequent months, the anticipation for the Chicagoan’s third mixtape, Coloring Book, swelled after he made another appearance on Saturday Night Live, this time with Kanye West, and held a guest verse on The Life of Pablo’s introductory track.

Though he dubbed himself as “Kanye’s best prodigy,” Chance never signed a deal with G.O.O.D. Music. Instead, he and his retinue created Chance The Rapper LLC and mastered a few techniques including establishing value in a free product, keeping his friends close and figurative enemies closer, and successfully grasping the concept of scarcity marketing.

Free Adds Value

The term “mixtape,” by this generation’s standards, often refers to an original or semi-original batch of songs that is released by musicians to the public at no cost. The initial objective of a mixtape was to be free of a stuffy executive’s input regarding what tracks to record, which producers to work with and what song will become a lead single.

Over time record labels figured out the incalculable value that quality mixtapes bring to an artist’s credibility with fans. Now, the trend in major label business models is to sign a relatively new artist and secretly back their mixtape releases.

However, when Chance The Rapper released his third mixtape, Coloring Book, exclusively on Apple Music (accompanied by a promotional commercial during Game 2 of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals) without a major record company backing his decisions, it seemed as though the mixtape culture had been exposed to the mainstream in an authentic fashion - one that would make the most avid fan of underground hip-hop proud. 

The combination of a primetime commercial spot with social media word-of-mouth pushed Coloring Book to reach No. 8 on Billboard’s charts and was credited as the first streaming-exclusive album to ever do so with an equivalent of 38,000 units sold.

Keeping Friends Close

Since his second mixtape (2013’s Acid Rap) Chance has established relationships with a number of hip-hop’s elite. Though it’s highly probable that he denied a deal with Jay Z’s Roc Nation label, he is still in good graces with the Carter family - enough to refer to Beyonce as “Auntie ‘Yonce” in Coloring Book’s lead-off song.

From Kanye West to Justin Bieber, Coloring Book features a lineup of artists affiliated with major labels. Still, Chance admitted that collaborations with rappers J. Cole and Big Sean were scrapped due to their label’s unwillingness to clear the songs. “I’ve been getting blocked just trying to make songs with friends, labels told me to my face that they own my friends,” Chance recited in his song “Finish Line.”

Scarcity Marketing

Before Coloring Book, Chance The Rapper had not released a self-branded project since 2013. For most artists, a three-year hiatus would drastically hinder any chances at a momentous comeback. In Chance’s case, however, his absence made fans’ hearts grow fonder.

When the album’s artwork and release date was revealed, supporters took to his website to purchase the corresponding promotional posters. In the subsequent days, Chance retweeted a string of photos displaying his posters plastered on bedroom walls, buildings and bathroom stalls. Implementing the unofficial, yet universal, street team tactic is a byproduct of Chance’s time spent watching his father, Ken Bennett, work for then-Senator Barack Obama.

Despite the fact that he has signed and promoted a petition prompting NARAS (the National Association for Recording Arts and Sciences) to make free music and mixtapes eligible for Grammy nominations, Coloring Book will not receive a nod. The mixtape is not eligible for consideration because, for now, NARAS does not accept submissions from unsigned artists or non-commercial releases. Regardless, from meeting with President Obama to end racial injustice to providing 1,000 coats to homeless Chicagoans, Chance’s intentions with music seem to aim beyond selfish ambitions.

It’s uncertain when Chance will release another full-length project, but when he does, fans can be sure that it will most likely be free from gimmicks, free from labels and free of charge.