Chance The Rapper Added as Headliner at 2017 Essence Festival
Chance The Rapper has been known to tear up a festival stage and this year his summer schedule is packed. Essence Festival announced today (Mar. 1) that the Grammy-winning rapper will join Diana Ross, Mary J. Blige, John Legend as a headliner for this year's fest. Along with Chano, fans can catch Master P, Ari Lennox, Chaka Khan, India.Arie, Jazmine Sullivan, Jill Scott, Mystikal, Mia X and Silkk, Monica, Solange, BJ The Chicago Kid, Jhene Aiko, Remy Ma, Sir the Baptist, Teyana Taylor, Ro James, Doug E. Fresh and more at the New Orleans-based festival going down from June 30 to July 2.
2017 will mark Chance's first appearance at Essence Festival. The independent Chicago rapper is also set to headline Hangout Festival in Gulfshores, Al., Boston Calling Festival in Boston, Mass., Governor's Ball in NYC, Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tenn. and Firefly Festival in Dover, Del. this year. Not to mention he just announced a brand new 40-city tour to take Coloring Book on the road. Clearly, Chano has a busy schedule this year.
Chance sat down with Katie Couric recently to recap everything from his getting his first and only tattoo to crafting his Grammy-winning mixtape.
“What’s funny is I really remember, sonically, wanting to make more music that was righteous when I was in Los Angeles and I was living like crazy and I had a really, really bad Xanax addiction and I remember staring to feel like I wasn’t myself and I wasn’t doing something right and getting sick a lot,” Chance opened up. “I don’t remember what it was that made me start listening to Kirk [Franklin] again […] I grew up in the church, but I didn’t really know how good Kirk Franklin was until I was in L.A.”
Check out how many hip-hop heavy festivals Chance is headlining this year below.
Here Are the 2017 Hip-Hop Music Festivals You Need to See