''Coloring Book'' is the third

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

by American rapper

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

. It was produced by his group The Social Experiment,

Lido Lido may refer to: Geography Africa * Lido, a district in the city of Fez, Morocco Asia * Lido, an area in Chaoyang District, Beijing * Lido, a cinema theater in Siam Square shopping area in Bangkok * Lido City, a resort in West Java owned by MN ...

, and

Kaytranada Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, ...

, among others. For the mixtape, Chance also collaborated with musicians such as

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

Francis and the Lights Francis and the Lights is an American pop project led by Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen. Starlite often uses the Francis and the Lights name when credit ...

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...

, Kirk Franklin, and the Chicago Children's Choir. ''Coloring Book'' was released on May 13, 2016, exclusively on

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

, before being made available to other

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

services on May 27. It was the first mixtape to chart on the US ''Billboard'' 200 solely on streams, peaking at number eight, while receiving widespread acclaim from critics who praised its fusion of hip hop and gospel sounds. The mixtape won Best Rap Album at the

2017 Grammy Awards The 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 12, 2017. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, ...

. It was also the first streaming-only album ever to win a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

Writing and recording

After releasing the well-received mixtape ''

Acid Rap ''Acid Rap'' is the second mixtape by American rapper Chance the Rapper. It was released on April 30, 2013, as a free digital download. In July 2013, the album debuted at number 63 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, due to bootleg dow ...

'' in 2013, Chance the Rapper went on tour with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. He subsequently relocated to Los Angeles from his hometown of Chicago that December. He rented a North Hollywood mansion, which he dubbed the Koi Kastle. While he worked on music in fits and starts, he mainly spent time socializing with friends he made—among them

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

and

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his d ...

. He also abused drugs, mainly Xanax: "I was Xanned out every fucking day," he told '' GQ'' in 2016. He also went through numerous relationships, and he began to feel unproductive and empty. He returned to Chicago and got back together with an old girlfriend. He grew more religious upon learning she was pregnant, and especially so after learning his daughter had an atrial flutter. "I think it was the baby that, you know, brought my faith back," he remarked later. On the subject of her heart condition, he said, " tmade me pray a whole lot, you know, and need a lot of angels and just see shit in a very, like, direct way." His daughter was born in September 2015. During this time, he began to mull over themes he wished to include in his next mixtape, including "God, love, Chicago, nddance." Before working on that, he contributed heavily to

's album '' The Life of Pablo''. ''Coloring Book'' was mainly recorded between March and April 2016. He rented out a room at a Chicago studio, and then another as he needed more space. He gradually came to more or less live at the studio during recording: "Eventually we decided to rent out the whole studio, and we just put mattresses in all the rooms and it became a camp." His method of making the mixtape was inspired by West taking over an entire studio to make ''Pablo''.

Music and lyrics

Chance the Rapper told '' Complex'' that ''Coloring Book'' would be a superior record to '' Surf'', the 2015 album that he had released with his group Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment. As with his other mixtapes, ''

10 Day ''10 Day'' is the debut mixtape by American rapper Chance the Rapper. It was released independently on April 3, 2012 as a free digital download. The mixtape was downloaded over 400,000 times on mixtape site DatPiff, and over 235,000 times on Mixt ...

'' and ''Acid Rap'', the cover artwork was painted by Chicago-based artist

Brandon Breaux Brandon Breaux is a multi-disciplinary artist from the South Side of Chicago whose work includes oil-on-canvas and digital art.

, who depicted Chance holding his baby daughter (below the frame) in order to capture the expression on his face. According to ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' music critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, ''Coloring Book'' is an upbeat

gospel rap Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip hop or holy hip hop) is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United S ...

album whose themes of spiritual fulfillment and worldly accomplishment are explored in music "that places gospel choirs and jazzy horns in a modern setting of

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

d hooks and crisp beats". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

''s Christopher R. Weingarten wrote that the gospel choirs were the foundation of the mixtape's music, functioning in the same way

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

interpolations had on the earliest rap records,

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

rhythms had for Public Enemy, and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

samples had for

. Chance discussed ''Coloring Book''s theme of

Christian faith Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global populat ...

in an interview with

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

. "I never really set out to make anything that could pretend to be new gospel or pretend to be the gospel", he said. "It's just music from me as a Christian man because I think before I was making music as a Christian child. And in both cases I have imperfections, but there was a declaration that can be made through going all the

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...

I've been through the last few years." Lowe himself believed the mixtape showcased how "faith in music and faith in God go hand-in-hand a lot of times".

Marketing and sales

''Coloring Book''s release date was revealed by '' Tonight Show'' host

Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...

after Chance's May 6 performance of "Blessings" on the show. The mixtape was released exclusively to the

streaming service at 11 p.m. EST on May 12, the same day its second single "

No Problem ''No problem'' is an English expression, used as a response to '' thanks'' (among other functions). It is regarded by some as a less formal alternative to ''you're welcome'', which shares the same function. Informality Some people find the expre ...

" was released; the lead single " Angels" had been released on October 27, 2015, while its finale single "Summer Friends" was released on August 17, 2016. ''Coloring Book'' was

leaked A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usuall ...

to DatPiff, a mixtape distribution website, one hour after its release; it was removed from the site the following day. In the first week of release, ''Coloring Book'' debuted at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' 200 based on 57.3 million streams of its songs, which ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' equated to 38,000 album units. It was the first release to chart on the ''Billboard'' 200 solely on streams. The mixtape was available only on Apple Music through May 27, when it was released to other streaming services. ''Coloring Book'' became the first to surpass 500,000 with only streaming album equivalents. Since its debut in May, the album has stayed on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for 33 consecutive weeks, peaking at number eight.

Critical reception

''Coloring Book'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the mixtape received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 89, based on 21 reviews. Aggregator

AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...

gave it 8.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Reviewing for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' in May 2016,

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

hailed the album as "a celebration of singing, harmonizing, human voices making a joyous noise together", while Kris Ex from '' Pitchfork'' named it "one of the strongest rap albums released this year, an uplifting mix of spiritual and grounded that even an atheist can catch the Spirit to". Writing for ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

believed Chance's already irrepressibly cheerful voice sounded more attractive and substantial than before because of how the music's

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

elements had encouraged a stronger "vocal muscle" and controlled pitch. Jon Caramanica of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' argued that Chance had drawn on the spirituality and consciousness present in West's music while "blossoming into a crusader and a pop savant, coming as close as anyone has to eradicating the walls between the sacred and the secular". He found his

flow Flow may refer to: Science and technology * Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid * Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology * Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set * Flow (psych ...

melodically and rhythmically dense yet deft and effortless, while deeming his narratives both intimate and universal, touching on familial duties, the violent crime in Chance's native Chicago, and being an

independent artist Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

in the modern

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

era. In the opinion of ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

'' journalist Jack Hamilton, ''Coloring Book'' was "the first true gospel-rap masterpiece".

Accolades

At the end of 2016, ''Coloring Book'' appeared on a number of critics' lists ranking the year's top albums. According to Metacritic, it was the seventh most prominently ranked record of 2016. Christgau ranked it as the ninth best album of the year in his ballot for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

''s annual

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

critics poll. The album won Best Rap Album at the

. It was the first streaming-only album to win a

Track listing

Credits are adapted from the album's vinyl liner notes. Samples * "All We Got" contains interpolations from "Good Ass Intro", written by J. Bennett,

, Bryan J. Sledge,

Lili K ''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award for ...

, Kiara Lanier, Peter CottonTale, Will Miller, J.P. Floyd, Cameron Osteen, Stefan Ponce,

Lonnie Lynn Lonnie Lynn Jr. (May 24, 1943 – September 12, 2014), nicknamed "Pops", was an American basketball player. Life and career Lynn was born on May 24, 1943 in Chicago, the son of Mabel and Lonnie Lynn, a construction worker. At 6'7" and 215 ...

and Dewayne Julius Rogers Sr. * "Summer Friends" contains a sample from "

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

", written by

Rostam Batmanglij Rostam Batmanglij ( fa, رستم باتمانقلیچ, ; born November 28, 1983), known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whos ...

, Justin Vernon,

BJ Burton BJ Burton is an American record producer, songwriter, engineer, and mixer. He is known for his work with Bon Iver, Francis and the Lights, Low, Charli XCX, and The Japanese House, and has also worked with the likes of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, ...

Francis Farewell Starlite Francis Farewell Starlite (born Abe Morre Katz-Milder; 14 June 1981) is an American musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is best known as the founder and lead vocalist of the pop band Francis and the Lights. He is prim ...

, Aaron Lammer, Ariel Rechtshaid, Benny Blanco and Cashmere Cat. * "Juke Jam" contains samples of "Adriatic", performed by Mount Kimbie. * "All Night" contains a sample of "Dealer's Corner", performed by Sven Torstenson. * "How Great" contains an interpolation from "

How Great Is Our God "How Great Is Our God" is a song written by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves and Ed Cash. It was originally featured on Tomlin's album ''Arriving'', that reached No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Christian Songs chart. It is also featured live on Tomlin' ...

", written by Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash and

Chris Tomlin Christopher Dwayne Tomlin (born May 4, 1972) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, and worship leader from Grand Saline, Texas, United States, who has sold over 7 million records. He is a member of Passion Conferences an ...

. * "Blessings" (reprise) contains a sample from "Let the Praise Begin (Chapter II)", performed by Fred Hammond.

Personnel

Vocalists *

– lead vocals , background vocals , vocals *

– featured vocals * Chicago Children's Choir – featured vocals , background vocals *

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

– featured vocals *

– featured vocals * Jeremih – featured vocals *

– featured vocals *

DRAM Dynamic random-access memory (dynamic RAM or DRAM) is a type of random-access semiconductor memory that stores each bit of data in a memory cell, usually consisting of a tiny capacitor and a transistor, both typically based on metal-oxid ...

– featured vocals , background vocals *

Jamila Woods Jamila Woods (born October 6, 1989) is a Chicago-based American singer, songwriter and poet. Woods is a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and Brown University, where she received a BA in Africana Studies and Theater & Performance Studies. H ...

– featured vocals , background vocals *

– featured vocals * Lil Yachty – featured vocals * Saba – featured vocals *

– featured vocals *

Towkio Preston Oshita (born June 26, 1993), better known by his stage name Towkio, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He was previously known as Young P, Preston San, and Tokyo Shawn. He is a member of the Savemoney crew. His debut studio alb ...

– featured vocals * Knox Fortune – featured vocals * Jay Electronica – featured vocals * My cousin Nicole – featured vocals *

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

– featured vocals * T-Pain – featured vocals * Kirk Franklin – featured vocals , background vocals * Noname – featured vocals * Eryn Allen Kane – featured vocals , vocals * Ty Dolla Sign – featured vocals * Raury – featured vocals *

BJ the Chicago Kid Bryan James Sledge (born November 23, 1984), better known by his stage name BJ the Chicago Kid (or simply BJ), is an American singer and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. Sledge is best known for frequently collaborating with Top Dawg Entertainm ...

– featured vocals *

Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

– featured vocals *

Grace Weber Grace Weber (born June 28, 1988) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and producer from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. She is currently based in Los Angeles, California. Over her career, she has written for and collaborated with artists featuring Chance th ...

– vocals * Fred Hammond – vocals * Sima Cunningham – background vocals * Vasil Garnanliever – background vocals * Teddy Jackson – background vocals * Josephine Lee – background vocals * Jack Red – background vocals * Isaiah Robinson – background vocals * Jaime Woods – background vocals * Lakeitsha Williams – background vocals * Rachel Cato – background vocals * Jordan Ware – background vocals * Elle Varner – background vocals * Karl Rubin – background vocals * Macie Stewart – background vocals * Nicole Steen – background vocals * Kirk Franklin's choir – background vocals Instrumentalists *

Nico Segal Nico Segal (born June 25, 1993), formerly known by his stage name Donnie Trumpet, is an American trumpeter and record producer from Chicago, Illinois. He is part of the hip hop collective Savemoney with Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa, among ...

– trumpet * J.P. Floyd – horns * Rajiv Halim – saxophones * Greg Landfair Sr. – guitar Additional side artists * Ha Ha Davis *

James Francies James Francies (born 1995) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, composer, and arranger. He grew up in Houston but moved to New York to continue his musical studies. Following performances and recordings with various musicians, his first albu ...

* Ashwin Torke * Zarif Wilder * Mitchell Owens * Eric Pidluski * Brian Beach * Bridget Andes * Scott Dickinson * Meena Cho * Ashley Simpson * Benjamin Shepherd * Joseph Lopez Technical * Nate Fox – recording , mixing * Squirrel – engineering * Rian – engineering * Jeff Lane – mixing * Elton "L10MixedIt" Cheung – mixing * Peter CottonTale – mixing * Dave Kutch – mastering Artwork * O.J. Hays – design *

Brandon Breaux Brandon Breaux is a multi-disciplinary artist from the South Side of Chicago whose work includes oil-on-canvas and digital art.

– cover artwork

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes

References

External links

chanceraps.com

Coloring Book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coloring Book (mixtape) 2016 mixtape albums Chance the Rapper albums Self-released albums Grammy Award for Best Rap Album Albums produced by Kanye West Albums produced by Kaytranada Christian hip hop albums