Chance The Rapper covers the February 2017 issue of GQ magazine. The 23-year-old Chicago native explains why he won’t give in to irrational fears about a Donald Trump presidency:
“My dad’s the man. And I can’t say that enough,” Chance says about his father, Ken Williams-Bennett, who was an aide to former Chicago mayor Harold Washington and also worked for then-Senator Barack Obama.
Chance continued:
“[My father] has always stuck up for people. And he’s also always been a good dude. That’s who I want to be… That’s why I’m not afraid of a Trump presidency. You gotta just understand, like, shit has been f-cked-up, right? Like, ‘Make America Great Again,’ that’s not a real thing because shit ain’t really switched up for them. It’s not really going that bad for you. If you feel like you’re the under-represented, under-appreciated side of Middle America that is white — quote me — you need to, uh, toughen up, nigga! Somebody gotta punch you in the chest, because shit is sweet for you. You know what I’m saying? I would say to everybody, you know, the world is coming together. Like — there’s every day people are becoming more a more, I’m not using this world in terms of emotion, but sensitive to real issues… and aware. I would say the main reason not to be afraid is that I’m making music for your kids now. I’m coming so clean-cut with the message of hope and understanding, and the Word, that it’s like: What could you be fearful of?”
Read Chance’s full interview here.
Musician The Weeknd also covers the February issue of GQ magazine. The 26-year-old Canadian singer embraces comparisons to troubled rapper Kanye West.
The Weeknd tells GQ’s Mark Anthony Green of his musical idol Kanye:
“I don’t think I ever wanted to be like Kanye in personality. I think I definitely want to, have always wanted to, have his boldness or assurance in myself. But I’ve definitely seen Kanye do things where I was like, ‘I’d never do that’ I’ve always been able to defend Kanye… Like when he went onstage with Taylor, I was like… well… Beyoncé kind of deserved that. I’m rationalizing everything that he does, but I can’t say that in the same position I would do the same things… I always wanted to be more a person that people enjoy. Somebody that will make you laugh. I’m talking about just my personality, not necessarily how my music sounds. Because I believe I’m a disrupter like Kanye in a lot of ways.”
The February issue of GQ will be available on newsstands in New York and L.A. on January 17 and nationwide on January 24.
Cover photos shot by: Eric Ray Davidson for GQ magazine.
