Chance the Rapper talks new music, nonprofit work and creating experiences for those in need
As the year winds down, Grammy Award-winning musician Chance the Rapper is gearing up for an array of endeavors, including an annual free event held at a museum in his hometown to empower kids through art and education.
"We like to create experiences for those in need, an opportunity to get out the house, to get some food, to get some entertainment," he said of his nonprofit organization, Social Works, which he founded in 2016. "And obviously we like doing stuff for free for people that don't always get access to stuff."
The fourth annual "Night at the Museum" will be held on Wednesday at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring new or gently used winter clothing and toys which will be distributed to shelters and those experiencing homelessness in February.
After Christmas, Chance the Rapper, born Chancellor Bennett, said Social Works continues to serve the community by providing free haircuts, passing out food, clothing drives, and establishing "warming centers."
"It's good to see all those families smiling and everybody just connecting, you know, [during] what's sometimes the coldest part of the year," he told CBS News.
The entertainer is also looking forward to a new music festival in 2023 to be held in Ghana. He made the announcement with fellow hip hop star Vic Mensa earlier this year after what Bennett said was a life-changing trip to Africa.
"For Black Americans and a lot of diasporas around the world, we don't have that, you know, very easy access to the continent," he said. "We're typically taught our whole lives that it's out of reach and it's obviously extremely expensive to travel but once you finally get out to the continent, especially West Africa, you learn about the connections and the similarities and just the richness of the culture."
He also has an upcoming album being released called "Star Line Gallery" that he says is in honor of Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey.
"All of the new pieces of music that I've been putting out have been in collaboration with Black fine artists," he said. "So not only am I like focused on the music but focused on the visuals, the art that's connected to it."
