Six years is a lifetime in hip-hop. Honestly, for Chance the Rapper, it probably felt even longer. After the collective internet turned The Big Day into a meme in 2019, Chano didn’t just pivot; he essentially vanished into a lab of his own making. He spent half a decade traveling between Accra and Kingston, obsessing over Marcus Garvey’s history and getting his pen back in shape.
The result is Star Line, a project that feels less like a traditional album and more like a high-end gallery exhibit you can actually hear. It officially hit streaming services on August 15, 2025, and if you’ve been paying attention to the "writing exercises" he’s been posting on Instagram for years, you know this isn’t the guy who made a whole album about loving his wife. This is something much heavier.
What Star Line Really Is (And Isn't)
Most people expected a direct sequel to Acid Rap. We’re all suckers for nostalgia. But Star Line—originally teased as Star Line Gallery—is a 17-track deep dive into the Black diaspora. It’s named after the Black Star Line, the shipping line Marcus Garvey founded in 1919 to connect Africa with the Americas.
Chance isn't just rapping here. He's curating. The project is executive produced by DexLvL, but the DNA of the album is tied to visual artists like Brandon Breaux, who has done every one of Chance’s iconic covers. This time, the physical release even includes NFC chips. You tap your phone to the CD, and it unlocks exclusive content. It's a bit tech-heavy, but it shows how much he wanted this to be a "vessel" rather than just a collection of MP3s.
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The features are a curated list of heavy hitters and Chicago legends:
- Lil Wayne and Smino on the lead single "Tree."
- Vic Mensa, his longtime SaveMoney brother, appearing on "Back To The Go."
- Jazmine Sullivan closing things out on "Speed of Love."
- Joey Bada$$, Young Thug, and Jay Electronica adding layers of lyricism that Chance hasn't touched in a decade.
The Writing is Just... Different
You can tell Chance was hurt by the "corny" allegations. He raps on the intro about getting an "F-minus" on his last project, but he says it's behind him now. The writing on "No More Old Men" (featuring Jamila Woods) is legitimately heart-wrenching. He talks about the life expectancy of Black men in Chicago, reflecting on a concept his cousin Tanikia Carpenter brought to him. It’s a sobering meditation on the lack of grandfathers in his neighborhood.
Then you have "Drapetomania." It’s a wild track title. For those who aren't history buffs, it refers to a pseudo-scientific "illness" 19th-century slave owners invented to explain why enslaved people wanted to run away. Chance flips it into an anthem about modern liberation. It’s aggressive. It’s smart. It’s the kind of high-concept stuff that made people fall in love with him during the Coloring Book era, but with a much sharper edge.
Why the Rollout Took Forever
Let's be real: we’ve been hearing about this project since 2021. Between his stint as a coach on The Voice and organizing the Black Star Line Festival in Ghana, fans were starting to think the album was a myth. Chance even hosted intimate listening sessions called "Writings on the Wall" at Art Basel in Miami just to prove the music existed.
He needed the time. Between 2019 and now, his life shifted. He went through a public divorce from Kirsten Corley, which he addresses with surprising vulnerability on the track "Space & Time." It’s not the "I love my wife" Chance; it's a man reckoning with growth, failure, and the reality of being a father in a changing world.
Key Tracks to Listen to First
- "Tree" (feat. Lil Wayne & Smino): It interpolates India.Arie’s "Video" and feels like a warm Chicago summer.
- "The Negro Problem" (feat. BJ The Chicago Kid): A soulful, gritty look at intersectionality and systemic pressure.
- "Just A Drop" (feat. Jay Electronica): If you want pure lyricism, this is the one. Jay Electronica doesn't show up for just anyone.
Does it actually rank?
On the charts, Star Line debuted at No. 22 on the Billboard 200. Some might call that a "flop" compared to his previous heights, but he did it completely independent. No major label machine. Just 22,000 units moved through pure grit and a dedicated fanbase. For an artist who was essentially written off by the "internet critics" in 2020, it’s a massive win.
The "And We Back Tour" kicked off in late 2025 and is still rolling through 2026. If you're going to catch a show, expect a lot of Chicago energy. He’s been playing the old hits, but the new material is where he seems most alive.
Practical Steps for Fans
If you want to experience Star Line the way Chance intended, don't just shuffle it on Spotify.
- Watch the visuals: Each major single has a music video directed by Chance himself. "Tree" was filmed in a Black-woman-owned dispensary and it looks like a painting.
- Check the "Writing Exercises": Go back to his Instagram and YouTube. There are dozens of verses that didn't make the album but provide the context for his new flow.
- Grab the physical copy: If you can find the "Shipping Co." merch, the NFC integration is actually a cool way to see the behind-the-scenes art process with Brandon Breaux.
The narrative that Chance the Rapper "fell off" is officially dead. He just grew up. Star Line is the proof that sometimes you have to lose the crowd to find your voice again.