♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!

WELCOME BACK.

TONIGHT, I'M EXCITED TO SIT DOWN WITH A THREE-TIME GRAMMY WINNING

MUSICIAN WHO HAS JUST RELEASED A NEW ALBUM CALLED "MERRY

CHRISTMAS LIL MAMA: THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING."

PLEASE WELCOME CHANCE THE RAPPER!

HELLO, CHANCE!

>> HI, STEPHEN!

>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU.

HOW ARE YOU?

PEACE, PEACE.

HERE'S THE THING -- IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU, BUT I GET SLIGHTLY

WEIRDED OUT WHEN IT'S THE SECOND TIME I'VE SPOKEN TO SOMEONE OVER

ZOOM DURING COVID.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: HOW ARE YOU GUYS HOLDING UP?

>> IT'S -- IT'S STILL GOING, STEPHEN.

IT HAS NOT STOPPED BEING A PANDEMIC, BUT WE'RE BANNING

TOGETHER, ME AND MY WIFE.

WE'RE TAKING TURNS WITH THE KIDS AND --

>> Stephen: LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE YOU SAID YOU AND YOUR WIFE

HOME WITH THE TWO DAUGHTERS, QUITE YOUNG, FIVE AND ONE,

THAT'S CHALLENGING.

YOU SAID THE KIDS ARE DEFEATING US.

HAS THE PLAYING FIELD LEVELED OUT AT ALL?

>> NO, IT'S STILL TWO-ZERO.

THEY'RE VERY ANIMATED KIDS.

MY YOUNGEST ONE, SHE DOESN'T SAY WORDS BUT SHE STILL TALKS AT

LOT.

THEY BOTH HAVE A LOT OF TALKING TO DOW DO THROUGHOUT THE DAY

WHICH CAN BECOME A JOB IN ITSELF JUST RESPONDING TO YOUR KIDS.

BUT IT'S BEEN GOOD OVERALL AND WE'VE GOT HOPE FROM OUR AWESOME

NANNY AND OUR FRIENDS AND PARENTS WHEN THEY'RE WILLING TO

WATCH THEM FOR A SECOND.

BUT WHEN YOU HAVE TWO KIDS, YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE 20 KIDS.

MORE THAN ONE IS -- >> Stephen: I'M HERE TO TELL

YOU BECAUSE I HAVE MORE THAN TWO KIDS AND THAT IS A LIE.

( LAUGHTER ) ONE OF MY OLDEST FRIENDS, GUY

NAMED SCOTT WEARY, WHEN HE HAD THREE KIDS AND I ONLY HAD TWO

KIDS, HE SAID, MAN, YOU'VE GOT TO GO FOR THE THIRD, YOU'RE

ALREADY MAXIMALLY INCONVENIENCED, YOU CAN'T GET

MORE TIRED.

AND THEN WE HAD THE THIRD KID, AND I WENT, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING

ABOUT, THIS IS SO MUCH HARDER!

HE SAID, YEAH, I LIED, WE DIDN'T WANT TO BE THE ONLY COUPLE THAT

HAD THREE KIDS.

SO I'LL LIE TO YOU.

GO FOR THE THIRD ONE.

DOESN'T GET HARDER.

GO TO A ZONE DEFENSE.

YOU WILL BE FINE.

I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS -- I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THIS --

YOU HAVE BEEN AN ONGOING PUBLIC CONVERSATION RECENTLY WITH DION

WARWICK.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: SHE HAS TURNED INTO QUITE A MASTER OF TWITTER.

SHE TWEETED AT YOU, HI, CHANCE THE RAPPER, IF YOU ARE VERY

OBVIOUSLY A RAPPER WHY TID YOU PUT IT IN YOUR STAGE NAME?

I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS.

FIRST OF ALL, DION WARWICK!

"SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR YOU"!

WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU SAY THIS, HAD YOU MET HER BEFORE?

>> NO, I WAS SURPRISED SHE KNEW WHO I WAS.

IT'S STILL GOING.

WE'RE APPARENTLY WORKING ON A SONG.

>> Stephen: YOU AND DION WARWICK ARE DOING A SONG

TOGETHER?

>> YEAH, I KNOW, IT'S A HUGE, IMMENSE HONOR.

SHE SHOUTED ME OUT ON TWITTER AND I FREAKED OUT FOR A WHILE

AND HIT HER BACK, AND SHE STARTED CONTACTING ME IN REAL

LIFE.

IT'S A BLUR.

IT FEELS LIKE MY FIRST TASTE OF REAL THING.

>> Stephen: YOU FINALLY MADE IT.

YOU'RE ON DION WARWICK'S RADAR.

>> EXACTLY.

I WENT TO STARBUCKS THE OTHER DAY.

THEY'RE, LIKE, ARE YOU THE GUY THAT GOT TWEETED BY DION

WARWICK?

I'M, LIKE, IT'S ME, THE SAME GUY.

>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR EARLY BRUSHES WITH FAME.

2021 IS GOING TO BE THE TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF YOU RECORDING

YOUR DEBUT MIX TAPE "TEN DAY."

DOESN'T THAT SEEM FAST?

DOES IT SEEM LIKE YESTERDAY OR HAS THIS BEEN A LONG TEN YEARS

FOR YOU?

>> I GUESS SO.

MY HIGH SCHOOL REUNION IS NEXT YEAR.

IT WILL BE TEN YEARS SINCE I GOT MY SUSPENDED, SINCE I MADE MY

TEN-DAY SUSPENSION MIXED TAPE.

THAT'S CRAZY TO THINK ABOUT.

I FEEL LIKE, WHEN I FIRST STARTED, I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING

ELSE TO RAP ABOUT OTHER THAN BEING SUSPENDED, SO I'M GLAD I'M

GROWN AND I CAN RAP ABOUT BEING MARRIED AND OTHER COOL THINGS

GOING ON IN MY LIFE.

>> Stephen: WHAT'S YOUR EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORY?

>> MY EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORY?

THE FIRST TIME THAT I PERFORMED, I REMEMBER, IT WAS --

>> Stephen: HOW OLD WERE YOU?

IT WAS FIVE.

IT WAS AT MY KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION AND I ACTUALLY -- I

HAD MY OWN LINE IN THE PROGRAM.

IT WAS SAID CHANCELLOR BENNETT, DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT, MICHAEL

JACKSON DANCE.

I DID A MICHAEL JACKSON IMPERSONATION WITH THE GLASSES

AND ALL.

>> Stephen: WAS IT BILLIE JEAN OR THRILLER OR WHAT WAS THAT?

>> I THINK YOU WERE THERE, IT WAS BILLIE JEAN.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?

( LAUGHTER ) YEAH, I KILLED IT, THOUGH.

I WAS VERY POISED, CUTE KID, VERY INTO SINGING AND DANCING AT

THE TIME.

MIKE, OVERALL, SHAPED MY LOVE FOR MUSIC.

I HAD THE CASETTES AND THE VIDEOS AND WE WERE WATCHING AT

THE HOUSE.

HE VERY MUCH SO SHAPED MY LOVE FOR MUSIC AT A YOUNG AGE.

>> Stephen: YOU USED TO DEAL WITH RAP OPEN MICS WHEN YOU WERE

A KID.

YOU GOT ADVICE FROM A GUY NAMED BROTHER MIKE AFTER, LIKE, SECOND

OR THIRD TIME YOU WENT UP.

>> YEAH.

SO I USED TO DO THIS OPEN MICT AT A LIBRARY, AND MY MENTOR WAS

A GUY NAMED BROTHER MIKE.

HE PASSED AWAY.

HE WAS A GREAT, GREAT MAN, MENTORED A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT OF

CHICAGO, AT LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ARTISTS NOW CAME OUT OF THE

SAME MUSIC PROGRAM.

BUT I WOULD GO UP THERE TO THE OPEN MIC AND I GARNERED MY OWN

FAN BASE AT THE OPEN MIC OF KIDS THAT CAME SPECIFICALLY TO SEE

ME, AND I WOULD DO THE SONG I CALLED BRAIN CELLS ABOUT SMOKING

WEED AND GETTING RID OF BRAIN CELLS, BUT I PERFORMED IT EVERY

WEEK.

THE KIDS LOVED IT.

IT WAS A FAN FAVORITE.

BROTHER MIC PULLED ME TO THE SIDE AND SAID IF YOU PERFORM

THAT AGAIN I WILL NEVER LET YOU PERFORM AGAIN.

IT WASN'T BECAUSE TO HAVE THE CONTENT.

HE WANTED ME TO EXPAND.

I GOT IN A COMFORT ZONE.

THAT WAS A SONG I KNEW THE WORDS THAT PEOPLE RESPONDED POSITIVELY

T.

>> Stephen: THAT'S A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN YOU AS AN ARTIST.

>> YEAH, IT STUCK WITH ME AND MADE ME REALIZE IF I'M AN

ARTIST, I'VE GOT TO KEEP MAKING STUFF, YOU KNOW.

>> Stephen: CHANCE, WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.

WHEN WE COME BACK, WE'LL TALK ABOUT HIS NEW CHRISTMAS ALBUM.

STICK AROUND.

♪ ♪