Chance the Rapper has done a lot of things other than successfully rap without a label. He’s appeared in an adorable Kit Kat commercial, as well as a powerful Nike commercial. He’s been an avid philanthropist for Chicago’s homeless. He’s been a full supporter of #BlackLivesMatter, and consistently speaks out against racial oppression in our country. He’s a Clinton supporter, and on the eve of election night he held a free concert called the “Parade of Polls” in Chicago, where he performed and then lead the crowd to an early voting site.
Chance the Rapper has continuously proven to the world he is not just a rapper, but so much more.
A24, an independent entertainment company, will release a film titled Slice, which will feature Chance the Rapper. The company has released several popular films, including Room and, most recently, American Honey. The movie was shot in Chicago over the summer, relatively secretly because people were shocked when the trailer was released on Oct. 31.
Many people on Twitter were quick to react to this surprise with YAS’s, congratulations and AHH’s. @Lifesotrill tweeted him, “I wanted to make a “Chance the Actor” joke but like 5 people beat me to it.” And @jacobazia said, “This is like my hannukah, christmas, birthday, and NYE.”
The film was written and directed by Austin Vesely. A young Chicago resident himself, he is familiar in working with Chance, as he directed various music videos of his including “No Problem,” “Juice” and “Angels.”
“After collaborating as friends for this long, it seemed like a natural fit to put him in Slice. And he did such a great job in it,” Vesely told Complex
Vesely told Complex the film is a horror-comedy he wrote about four or five years ago about a whole town trying to figure out who is responsible for the murders of pizza delivery boys. The director also mentioned there are supernatural elements involved, like ghosts and werewolves. Chance is casted as a werewolf.
In the few-second trailer, he is the sole figure, shown wearing a leather jacket, putting on his helmet and riding away on his motorcycle with a seemingly oversized jaw (perhaps his werewolf teeth?). Maybe not as bearded and muscular as Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine, Vesely said Chance is sure to impress.
“He has this incredibly natural screen presence,” Vesely said. “It’ll be exciting for people to see him not as himself—the guy you know through his music—for the first time, even though to some degree it is still him.”
In March 2015, Chance starred in a VICE Short called Mr. Happy. This film, about mental health and suicide, features Chance’s character as a depressed man who wants to kill himself but cannot physically pull the trigger, so he goes on the Internet to look for alternatives. The film is only about 20 minutes long but is thought-provoking and mysterious.
Slice will be Chance’s first feature film, and Vesely said his performance will lead Chance to future roles in acting. A future Donald Glover? We can only hope.
Featured Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chance the Rapper’s Facebook page.
Allie Melton is a junior journalism major and can be reached at allihiesmelton@yahoo.com.
