Chance the Rapper to Perform at Grammys
Chance the Rapper will be blessing the stage at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
The Chicago rapper is set to perform for the first time at the ceremony on Sunday (Feb. 12), where he is nominated for seven awards including Best Rap Album (Coloring Book), Best New Artist, Best Rap/Sung Performance (“Ultralight Beam”), and Best Rap Performance (“No Problem”).
A joyous Chance celebrated the moment with his fans. “Anyone who’s ever supported me… let’s take a moment to… act out…. WE PERFORMING AT THE #GRAMMYs YALL,” he tweeted.
Music's Biggest Night performer lineup just got bigger! Current GRAMMY nominee @chancetherapper will make his #GRAMMYs performance debut 🙌 pic.twitter.com/VI8v0Tu3yK
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 2, 2017
This marks an important moment for Chano, who shared a petition asking the Grammys to recognize free music back in May. With his co-sign, the Change.org petition has earned more than 40,000 supporters to date.
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences : Allow free music to be eligible for Grammy nominati… https://t.co/qgcVIgzFLw via @Change
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) May 8, 2016
In June, the Grammys confirmed that streaming-only albums would be eligible for Grammys, allowing projects like Chance’s Coloring Book to be recognized. Many called this a win for Chano. “The victory this morning isn’t about me,” he tweeted. “It’s about all the Soundcloud album that may now be recognized for excellence.”
The victory this morning isn't about me, it's about all the Soundcloud albums that may now be recognized for excellence.
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) June 16, 2016
Recording Academy Vice President of Awards Bill Freimuth confirmed that the decision was indeed not about Chance. “I’d say [Chance’s petition] had no influence at all,” he told XXL. “Streaming is an issue that we’ve been talking about for a couple years now and seeing how it came on the horizon and got on our radar, we started thinking about what our response or approach to streaming should be. We gave it a lot of diligent work and thought and discussion among music makers and we came up with this rule last year that allowed streaming-only releases to be part of the mix.”
Chance joins newly-announced Grammy performers Gary Clark Jr., William Bell, and Little Big Town. The all-star lineup previously included Bruno Mars, The Weeknd with Daft Punk, Adele, A Tribe Called Quest with Anderson .Paak, Alicia Keys with Maren Morris, John Legend, Metallica, Carrie Underwood, and more.
Hosted by James Corden, the 59th Annual Grammy Awards will air live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.