Monday night, Chance The Rapper debuted a brand new song with breakout r&b multi-instrumentalist Daniel Caesar. Untitled at first and written only two days before the performance, Chance went on name the track “#FirstWorldProblems.
Daniel Caesar’s buttery smooth guitar and backing vocals are the backbone to the track, as Chance drifts in and out of flow, at times rapping, singing, and even utilizing spoken word and poetry. Minimal at first, the song crescendos to a full drum set and choir, while Chance speaks his mind candidly through his unmistakable squawk.
Chance’s lyrics have leaned toward his newfound religion since Coloring Book, and this track is no exception to that. He goes into biblical references, how tough it is to tour and leave behind his new daughter, and how fame isn’t always as exciting as it seems from the outside. He then brings in the idea of First World Problems, supposedly made up by bored and privileged people who take their blessings for granted. The Chicago rapper seems to be incredibly aware of the position he’s been put in, as both a representative of underprivileged youth as well as a model citizen through his philanthropic and forward thinking attitude.
If this is a sign of things to come, we should be able to expect more new music from Chance soon, whether it be a studio recorded version of this track or something completely fresh. That said, it would be hard to blame the guy for taking a break to spend time with his daughter and recenter himself. Either way, we’re happy Lil Chano from 79th is still around and becoming more popular by the minute.
Watch Chance and Daniel perform the song above.