Chance The Rapper Working On Film About Coming Of Age In Chicago
Written by Brandee Sanders for News One. Check out the original article here
Chance the Rapper has continually used his artistry and resources to give back to his hometown of Chicago, and now the music artist is showing love to his city in a new way. According to the Chicago Tribune, he’s working on a movie musical that will explore the journeys of teens coming of age in a Chicago neighborhood.
Chance—whose real name is Chancelor Bennett—is teaming up with MGM for the project. The musical—titled Hope—will be about youth turning “art into action” in their Chicago community. The concept of the movie mirrors what the rapper has done with his career thus far—using his lyrics and platform in the industry as an avenue for activism and bringing attention to social and political issues that impact our community.
Chicago producer Nico Segal has been brought on board to oversee the film’s music and Carlito Rodriguez has been tapped to write the screenplay. Scott Bernstein—best known for his production work for the film Straight Outta Compton—will also help with the project. There is no word on when the musical movie will be released.
This isn’t the first time that Bennett has been involved in the film industry. He was featured in a horror comedy movie called Slice and joined the cast of Trolls 2 in May. Most recently, he’s been making headlines for the activism work that he’s doing through his non-profit organization SocialWorks. In October, he announced that he would donate $1 million to better the mental health care resources in Chicago and that SocialWorks will create a mental health program called “My State of Mind.”
The “No Problem” rapper has also donated millions to fund several programs within Chicago Public Schools and has teamed up with companies like Google and Lyft to better education in Chicago as well.