Album Review | Chance the Rapper – The Big Day

This album was released on July 26th this year. I have to be honest; I did not want to review this album. I didn’t want to listen to it. There really weren’t any reasons for me to check it out. It was universally panned by fans and… Well, some critics. I didn’t even like Chance’s previous project, which most people seemed to love at the time of its release. Speaking of Coloring Book, let’s talk about that project real quick. People were fucking hysterical with excitement when that project dropped, and they were acting like it was the greatest thing ever when they finally got their hands on it. So, what the fuck happened? What did Chance the Rapper do to have so many of his fans turn on him? It’s not just because this album is terrible. The attitude going into this project was extremely negative. A shit ton of people were making fun of him before it dropped. It didn’t seem like people were really looking forward to it. You know what I think it is? This might sound kinda fucked up, but I think people just grew up. A lot of his music sounds like it’s targeting little kids. Chance released a promotional single called GRoCERIES prior to announcing this project, and it was pretty bad. However, I picture kids Fortnite dancing to it whenever I hear it. Coloring Book had some great stuff, but a lot of it is similarly terrible to that GRoCERIES song. Well, actually… Never mind. I just remembered that Acid Rap exists. That’s still a really great project. Okay, yeah I have no idea why people did a 180 before this project dropped. Did he do something to get cancelled? Hmm… Well, fuck it. It doesn’t matter. Anyway, as I mentioned before, I really didn’t wanna listen to this album. There are honestly only two reasons I’m doing this. First of all, I pretty much forgot about this, but I actually did a Chance the Rapper marathon. It’s crazy to think about when you consider the caliber of the other artists I’ve covered, but, to be fair, Chance was a really promising artist at the time. He also only had three projects out, so it was quick and easy. But yeah, I realized I’d have to update it with my thoughts on The Big Day, so that’s part of why I’m doing this review now. The other reason is that people who follow me wanna see me tear it to shreds. It’s kinda sad. I get it though. It’s kinda like a trainwreck. It’s so ugly that you just can’t look away. Earlier in this preamble I mentioned that this record was widely panned. There are some people that really like it though. I’ve only ever spoken to one person who likes it. That person is also a brony. Do with that information what you will. Anyway, I’m not really someone who follows The A.V. Club, and I don’t think I’ve ever actually read one of their reviews. However, I want to point out that they gave this album a perfect score, which is fucking hilarious. To be fair, it’s also hilarious that I said Chance had the possibility to go down as “THE greatest Christian rapper of all time.” I don’t know why the fuck I said that. Honestly, it’s really disrespectful to the Christian Hip Hop community because I don’t even know more than five Christian rappers. It’s hilarious though because that statement was based off of a mixtape that I didn’t even fucking like. I think that’s all I have to say for now… Oh wait. One more thing; I just wanna say that I think it was corny as hell that Chance kept referring to this project as an “owbum” during his marketing run. I cringe literally every single time I see that. I was also kinda surprised by how fucking terrible the official album cover is. One thing I’ve loved about Chance’s work up to this point is how great all the cover art is, and he just went in a totally different direction for this project. It’s a damn shame. Anyway, I guess I should stop dicking around and finally talk about this album…

1. All Day Long featuring John Legend produced by Chance the Rapper, Darius Scott, Sax Williams, EB Butler, Greg Landfair, Nate Fox, Nico Segal, Peter Cottontale, Dwayne Verner Jr. & TrapMoneyBenny

I’m just gonna jump straight into it. I think Chance’s flow on the first verse of this song is pretty nice honestly. The issue is the actual writing.

A nigga up next like strongly scented colognes
I'm 'bout to book a show at the Dimmsdale Dimmadome

It comes off like he interviewed a class of kindergarteners, and then tried to write a verse that they would all think was really cool. Why is he just saying a bunch of random shit that either has no relevance or makes no sense?

I still could hit up Sony today and get a loan
And shout out to Miss Sylvia Rhone; we get along
But that boy advance gotta be bigger than Diddy Kong
I need stock and it gotta be Pippi Long

Multiple people have pointed out that Diddy Kong line, but nobody has been able to explain it. It’s been four months since this project came out, so I think it’s safe to assume that Chance literally just got Diddy Kong mixed up with Donkey Kong. The lyrics in the first verse literally made me say “what the fuck is this” out loud the first time I heard it.

Life is short as a midget, but mine's a little LeBron
Been a minute since Eminem was a blonde
I need a peace prize, mom invented the bomb
A nigga wanted more, I would only sit on the lawn

What in the fuck does Eminem being blond have to do with anything? His high pitched delivery felt more grating than it usually is on this song, and I also just can’t stand how ridiculously jolly this track sounds. It’s nothing new for him to make super cheerful music, but he takes it to an absurd level with this track. This sounds like if someone tried to make a parody of Chance’s music. The drum pattern on this song somehow sounds corny as hell. I’m not a fan of the hook from John Legend, but it’s not terrible or anything. It just didn’t do anything for me. I think the second verse is way more tolerable than the first one. The song is still pretty bad to me though. It’s far from the worst track on the album, but that’s obviously not saying much. I think it’s wack.

2. Do You Remember featuring Death Cab for Cutie produced by Chance the Rapper, Darius Scott, Francis Starlite, Justin Vernon, Nate Fox & Peter Cottontale

Death Cab for Cutie is an act I’ve heard of in the past, but I’ve never heard any of their music. Anyway, I actually like the production on this song a lot; it reminds me of the instrumental for Kanye West’s Good Night. I think Ben Gibbard’s singing on the hook was solid too. The first verse from Chance isn’t great, but it’s tolerable to me. Same goes for the second verse. I really don’t think this is a bad song at all. I mean, I personally wouldn’t say it’s “good” either, but it’s not really wack to me. I wouldn’t listen to it again personally because it just doesn’t have any replay value, but I think it’s decent.

3. Eternal featuring Smino produced by Chance the Rapper, Darius Scott, Garren Langford, Greg Landfair, Nate Fox, Nico Segal, Peter Cottontale & Smoko Ono

I’m not really crazy about the production on this song, but it’s not terrible. Unfortunately, the content of this song does not interest me even a little bit. It’s kind of a weird track. It’s like an anti-cheating PSA. It’s inclusion on this record just feels strange. I don’t wanna make any false accusations, but it makes Chance come off slightly insecure about how faithful his wife is. Either that, or he’s desperately trying to convince himself that he should remain loyal to her.

Side chicks can't take out splinters
Side chicks make they Kool-Aid with Splenda
Side chicks can't come to Auntie Linda's house
They gon' send her off; they gon' send her out
To buy more things that they hid in the couch

What the fuck is this nigga talking about, man? Does he not realize how much of a pussy he sounds like talking about needing other people to take out splinters for him? I think the featured verse from Smino kinda sucked honestly. He sounds good vocally as always, but the lyrics are very questionable. I just don’t understand why he thinks that side chicks are incapable of cooking grits. The way his verse ends sounds super awkward too. I thought the song was just mediocre on my first listen, but I hate it a lot more than I originally did. I think it’s wack.

4. Hot Shower featuring MadeinTYO & DaBaby produced by Chance the Rapper & Smoko Ono

This is the most infamous song from the album, and what makes it so sad is the fact that it’s far from the worst song on the project. That’s just a testament to how terrible this project is though. First of all, the beat on this song is fucking terrible. I don’t know why the fuck they thought this was okay. It’s probably the most skeletal instrumental I’ve ever heard Chance rap over. I kinda get why DaBaby rapped over it though because he usually spits over super simplistic, repetitive beats like this. I really don’t know what Chance was thinking with this one.

Hot! Hot!
Jumping out the grease!
It's a whole lotta degrees!
'Bout to come up out the fleece! Fleece! Fleece!
Shhhh, I don't wanna hear a peep
Tryna catch some sleep, yeah, tryna count some sheep
face

His first verse is terrible, but for some reason he decided to spit a second one. There are four whole verses on this song, man. The craziest thing is that the song is somehow less than four minutes, but it feels twice as long as it actually is. Chance’s rapping is complete and utter bullshit on this song.

Dude, I just called the plug and his phone was unplugged
I was lookin' at Doug, like
Dude, that shit don't even make no fucking sense
Like having fuckin' arguments for payin' fifty extra cents for barbecue
nigga what

Chance’s rapping is terrible enough, but the hook is virtually impossible to take seriously at this point. Although to be fair, the song probably wasn’t meant to be taken seriously in the first place. MadeinTYO’s verse was fucking awful, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. DaBaby’s verse is easily the most tolerable part of the song, but the way it ends is super fucking awkward. I noticed that being a common issue on this album for some reason. A lot of the featured artists end their guest verses on a really awkward note. Anyway, this is definitely one of the worst songs Chance has ever made. I actually think it’s far worse than anything from Coloring Book. It’s fucking dogshit.

5. We Go High produced by Chance the Rapper, Ben Lusher, Darius Scott, Nate Fox, Nico Segal & Peter Cottontale

This is one of the more tolerable songs on the album in my opinion. I actually don’t really think it’s bad at all. I think the low-key production is kinda nice. The first verse from Chance isn’t really that great, but it’s not terrible.

My baby mama went celibate
Lies on my breath, she say she couldn't take the smell of it
Tired of the rumors, every room had an elephant
Tryna find her shoes, rummagin' through the skeletons

I don’t think his singing towards the end of the verse sounded that great either, but it’s not particularly bad. In fact, nothing about this song is really that bad. There are some corny lines here and there, but I think the rapping is pretty solid for the most part. His flow did get a little repetitive at points, but overall I think it’s an okay track. As a matter of fact, it’s probably the best song up to this point on the project. However, it’s not really interesting enough sonically for me to wanna hear it again in the future. It’s decent though.

6. I Got You (Always & Forever) featuring En Vogue, Ari Lennox & Kierra Sheard produced by Carter Lang, EB Butler, Garren Langford, Nate Fox, Nico Segal, Peter Cottontale, TrapMoneyBenny & Dwayne Verner Jr.

This is one of three songs that I actually like from this album. I think this one is really dope. It’s definitely a flawed track, but I like it a lot. I’m not really a fan of the intro from En Vogue at all; however, as soon as the beat drops this shit gets really good. I think Ari Lennox sounds fantastic singing the hook. The production is really great too. Even the rapping from Chance is solid. His voice is slightly grating, but his flow is dope. It reminded me a lot of 2Pac during the first couple lines. In fact, this whole track reminds me of one of those 90s R&B/Hip Hop crossover hits. It’s not an amazing song or anything, but I fuck with it. I think it’s really good.

7. Photo Ops (Skit) featuring John Witherspoon produced by Dex Coleman & EB Butler

This skit is very unnecessary, but I guess it was kinda nice hearing from John Witherspoon again, especially given the current context. With that said, I’m never gonna listen to this shit ever again.

8. Roo featuring Taylor Bennett & CocoRosie produced by Greg Landfair, Nate Fox, Nico Segal & Dwayne Verner Jr.

This is easily the best song on the album up to this point on the record. The beat is dope as fuck. I really like the dark atmosphere of the track; it reminds me of something I’d hear on a Travis Scott song. I actually think Chance’s verse on this song is really dope too. It’s admittedly really strange and out of character for him though.

Don't tweak and don't be facetious
Those shells'll shred you to pieces
These niggas faking like demons
But I'ma send 'em to Jesus

I was not expecting to hear these violent, confrontational bars from Chance. The whole song is basically about how he and his brother are really close and will fuck you up together.

I'll line the trunk with the bleach
And I'll leave you inside the freezer and let you chill for the weekend
But forget over the weekend and come back inside a month
And I throw you inside the trunk but it's plastic so it ain't leakin'

I think Taylor Bennett’s verse was really dope too. I assumed this would be one of the worst songs on the project when I saw that he was featured on it because that American Reject EP that he dropped earlier this year was really fucking bad. His verse here ended up being great though. I still think his voice is annoying as fuck, but it was tolerable here. My biggest issue with this song is really just the structure. The song has a really weak ending. They should’ve at least had CocoRosie recite the hook one last time instead of just letting the track fizzle out like that. Speaking of the hook, I unfortunately thought it was very underwhelming. I think the actual singing is solid, but it’s literally just them singing one line. It’s an incredibly tenuous element of the song, almost to a laughable extent. So yeah, that was disappointing. I still think it’s a dope track though. The production and rapping is too good for me to not fuck with this.

9. The Big Day featuring Francis & the Lights produced by Carter Lang, Chance the Rapper, Darius Scott, Justin Vernon, Nico Segal & Peter Cottontale

This is another one of the worst songs on the whole album. The way it’s structured is weird as hell, and not in a good way. Francis’ vocals on the intro sound really bad to me, and I’m not really a fan of this instrumental. There’s only one real verse on this song, and it’s fucking awful. Well… I don’t really know if it’s fair to refer to it as a “verse.”

Fuck money! Shit! Fuck! Shit! Tell 'em burn it!
I don't wanna get it! Fuck it! Fuck it! Fuck it! Fuck it! Fuck it!
Fuck it!

This song actually sounds like a joke. This is the only track that actually sounds like that “I LOVE MY WIFE” meme that went viral shortly after the album dropped in my opinion. It’s the kind of song that is just really fucking terrible, but to an astonishing extent. Like, it’s so bad that I can’t even hate on it. It’s just insane to me that he made this. I was in shock the first time I heard it. Poor Chance.

10. Let’s Go on the Run featuring Knox Fortune produced by Chance the Rapper, Ben Lusher, Carter Lang, Kevin K. Rhomberg, Nate Fox, Nico Segal & Dwayne Verner Jr.

Hot Shower and the title track were obviously both dogshit, but I still kinda had the feeling that I might end up liking this album more than most people do. This is the song that completely destroyed that suspicion. Once I heard this track, I knew there was no hope. This shit is fucking horrible, man. The hook is unbearably corny, and Chance’s singing sounds fucking terrible. Much like the previous track, the first actual verse from Chance had me in utter disbelief in the worst way possible.

Meep-meep, I feel like Roadrunner

I’m still in shock. I am just absolutely bewildered by this song. The thing is, there are certain aspects of the production that I actually like. I think the actual rhythm and bouncy cadence sound good; I just hate how flamboyant the instrumental is. Also, that Knox Fortune feature is terrible. He played a major role in the worst song from Coloring Book, so he’s 0 for 2 now. The second verse seemed like Chance put more effort into the writing, yet it somehow ended up being almost as terrible. He fucking spit a line about gentrifying Atlanta lmao.

I say we move down to Atlanta, get a big ol' house
With a giant pair of Timbs just to kick folks out

This is one of the worst songs I’ve heard all year. It’s absolute fucking dogshit.

11. Handsome featuring Megan thee Stallion produced by Chance the Rapper, Dex Coleman, Peter Cottontale, Smoko Ono & TrapMoneyBenny

This song is nowhere near as bad as the previous two, but it’s still pretty terrible in my opinion. I think the production is pretty dope, but the content just doesn’t interest me at all personally. I also think the sung hook is really boring. I find it funny that Megan thee Stallion has a deeper voice than Chance. As far as her actual performance, it was fine. Again, the content doesn’t appeal to me at all, so I didn’t get much enjoyment out of it. I will say that her flow was dope as hell though, and she definitely murdered Chance on his own track. Overall I think the song is really fucking bad, but, as I said before, it was a step up from the preceding material.

12. Big Fish featuring Gucci Mane produced by Chance the Rapper, Timbaland, TrapMoneyBenny, Angel Lopez & Federico Vindver

I was in disbelief when I got to this song and realized that I was only halfway through this record. There’s barely any good material on this project, but it certainly could’ve avoided being such an atrocity if Chance cut out 12 of these tracks. Anyway, I actually think the beat on this track is kinda dope. I mean, it’s not really that unique or creative. It’s still solid though. I even think the first verse from Chance had some cool lines.

Ain't no love in hip-hop
There ain't no keepin' up with the Bennetts
Ain't no diamonds in the chain, but it's in the pendant

It’s not like Chance is incapable of rapping well, so I really don’t know why this album is so all over the place when it comes to his writing.

The labels get straight frantic
Their boardrooms look like 8Chan-ing Tatums and a Peyton Manning

Unfortunately the hook on this song is boring as hell. There’s really not a lot going on in this song. Nothing about it stands out that much. The verse from Gucci Mane sounded surprisingly decent. However, just like with a lot of the other features, the way his verse ended was super awkward. I think this is one of the better songs on the album, but it’s mediocre to me overall.

13. Ballin’ Flossin’ featuring Shawn Mendes produced by Chance the Rapper, Darius Scott, EB Butler, Francis Starlite, Greg Landfair, Nate Fox, Nigo Segal & Peter Cottontale

doc rivers

14. 4 Quarters in the Black (Skit) featuring Keith David produced by Dex Coleman & EB Butler

This skit is just as pointless and unnecessary as the first one. This one was harder to sit through though because my patience was really running thin with this album.

15. 5 Year Plan featuring Randy Newman produced by Chance the Rapper, Darius Scott, Francis Starlite, Gabe Jaskowiak, Jordan Ware, Nate Fox & Peter Cottontale

This is obviously another major low point on this album for me. This reminds me a lot of Kenny G’s appearance on Kanye West’s latest album. I was in a similar state of shock when I heard it. The only word that comes to mind whenever this song is brought to my attention is “why.” I’m not a fan of the simplistic production on this track; it just sounds like a Coloring Book leftover. In case it wasn’t obvious enough, Randy Newman is indeed the worst thing about this song. His vocals sound so fucking goofy. While I was putting together my notes for this review on my first listen, all I wrote was “I cannot fucking believe what I am hearing right now.” I still can’t believe it. The rapping from Chance is trash too though. He was literally biting Dr. Seuss’ rhyme schemes on the final verse. The song is fucking horrible. Fuck off, Randy.

16. Get a Bag featuring CalBoy produced by Chance the Rapper, Greg Landfair, Lido, Nate Fox & Peter Cottontale

I don’t know who the fuck CalBoy is, but his name is Cowboy phonetically. I just think it’s important that we don’t ignore that. Anyway, I’m not a fan of the production on this track at all, and I’m very annoyed by the incredibly lazy writing on the hook. This song really reminded me of No Problems, which is a popular single from Coloring Book. Nothing about this track stands out in good way. CalBoy fucking sucks by the way. The song is painfully uninteresting. I think it’s wack. Definitely not the worst song on the album, but, again, that’s obviously not saying much.

17. Slide Around featuring Nicki Minaj & Lil Durk produced by Chance the Rapper, Nate Fox & Pi’erre Bourne

I was really disappointed in Pi’erre Bourne’s production on this track. Maybe I shouldn’t have been though. He’s pretty hit-or-miss with me now that I think about it. When he gets it right his beats are amazing though. Anyway, the hook on this song fucking sucks. I feel like 75% of the hooks on this album sound the same. I think the first verse from Chance sucks ass. It sounds like it was written in 5 minutes. Nicki’s verse was boring as hell to me, but it was definitely better than Chance’s verse. Lil Durk’s verse is fucking horrific. I don’t know how the fuck that dude still has a career because his music is fucking awful. This song is pretty terrible to me.

18. Sun Come Down produced by Chance the Rapper, Charlie Handsome, Darius Scott, EB Butler, Gabe Jaskowiak, Nate Fox, Nico Segal, Peter Cottontale, Smoko Ono & Dwayne Verner Jr.

This is easily my favorite song on the album. I actually really like the mellow production, and I think Chance’s singing sounds pretty good on the hook. The first verse is legitimately great, and I think this song has the most interesting content on the whole project.

Please don't make no movies about my death
Please make my death about my life
If you make a movie 'bout my life, make it right
Please don't make no holograms; don't wanna do it twice
You wanna use my likeness? Please approve it through my wife
And if you get the license then you better use it right

The most frustrating thing about this song is that the album keeps going after this track. I have no fucking idea why. This would’ve been a perfect outro, but he just had to keep this dumpster fire going for no fucking reason. This song is really dope to me though. I fuck with it.

19. Found a Good One (Single No More) featuring SWV & Pretty Vee produced by Chance the Rapper, Darius Scott, EB Butler, Greg Landfair, Murda Beatz, Nate Fox, Peter Cottontale, TrapMoneyBenny & Dwayne Verner Jr.

This is another one of the worst tracks on the album. I think the production is really bad, and I’m not a fan of the hook from Chance & SWV at all. I also think the first verse from Chance is wack, and the second one is even worse. The worst aspect of this song is easily the outro from Pretty Vee though. The song was already really bad, but she pushed it to the next level. It’s fucking unbearable. I was not ready for that. This song is fucking dogshit to me.

20. Town on the Hill produced by Chance the Rapper, Francis Starlite, Peter Cottontale & Justin Vernon

I actually think the production on this track is really nice. The muffled vocals on the intro sound pretty cool to me. Chance actually doesn’t rap on this song at all, which may be a good thing depending on your perspective. I think his singing is fine, but the melody isn’t particularly entertaining to me, and I don’t care for the content. The production is really the only aspect of this song that makes it enjoyable. I don’t think this song is that bad, but I’m not gonna be listening to it again in the future. It’s just okay to me.

21. Our House (Skit) featuring Jackée Harry & Cree Summer produced by Dex Coleman & EB Butler

This nigga got the fucking Rugrats on his album. That should tell you everything you need to know about this record.

22. Zanies & Fools featuring Nicki Minaj & Darius Scott produced by Chance the Rapper, Carter Lang, Greg Landfair, Nate Fox, Nico Segal, Peter Cottontale & Dwayne Verner Jr.

In case you couldn’t tell, I’m exhausted just by writing about this album. I still can’t believe how fucking long this album is. It makes no sense. I was very clearly running out of steam for these past few songs, which is why I haven’t been writing as much for each track. Anyway, this is somehow another one of the worst songs on the album in my opinion. I think the singing on the intro from Darius Scott is fine, and Chance’s flow is at least kind of interesting on the very first verse. However, this beat is fucking terrible, and same goes for the hook. This is the most Disney-sounding shit I’ve heard since Wu-Tang Clan’s Miracle. Also, why the fuck is Nicki Minaj on this album again? Why is her verse the finale to the entire album? And why the fuck is this song so long? This shit is fucking terrible man. Maybe if the song wasn’t over five fucking minutes it would be more tolerable. I think it’s fucking dogshit though.


I honestly feel like this review was pretty unnecessary because you really don’t need me to tell you this album isn’t good. It’s already been torn to shreds on social media and by certain critics. I really don’t know what happened to Chance, man. I don’t wanna believe that he only makes great music when he’s on drugs. It’s not like there aren’t any other artists who’ve been in that predicament though. This is really just an unfortunate situation. I agree with the popular sentiment that this album is really fucking terrible, but it’s not the worst project I’ve heard this year. It’s definitely in the worst 5 though lol. I honestly don’t have a lot of hope for Chance’s future because he’s been on a severe downward decline ever since Acid Rap came out. With that said, I did like a few of the loose singles he dropped last year, and I never checked out that Surf project from his Social Experiment group. Maybe I should. But yeah this shit was obviously a challenging listen, and not in a good way. I was completely drained by the time it was over. I’m glad I gave it a chance because I did get three good songs out of it. But at what cost?

Favorite Song: Sun Come Down
Least Favorite Song: Ballin’ Flossin’

33

Watch the videos below for more thoughts on this album.

F Flat
Grade: F

One comment

Tell me if I'm trippin'