A much-needed rejuvenation

Honestly, I’ve never been a very big Chance the Rapper fan. He definitely has some songs that I like, and I think he seems like a good guy. But for the most part musically, he’s never really interested me. Even the album everybody hates, I never heard because I never cared. With STAR LINE as his attempt to come back, I was interested to see what he was doing, and what everybody would think. So I dove in.

This album is somewhat mixed for me. On one hand, I think there are some good songs here, and as far as Chance trying to re-emerge, I think this is a good output for that opportunity. That said, I also don’t think this is really for me all that much. Songs that feel most like Chance (from the limited Chance I know) don’t hook me or catch my interest at all. Songs that do happen to catch my attention a little more, feel like Chance is reaching and trying to make something that’s not true to himself. Like Drapetomania and to a lesser extent, Gun In Yo Purse & Burn Ya Block. Speaking of Drapetomania, there’s some features here I just can’t get into. BabyChiefDoIt, Vic Mensa & Lil Wayne are all artists I just personally have no interest in hearing from at this point.

Okay, now that I’m done more or less with the negatives that stood out to me, I’ll discuss the good. I like Chance’s general outlook and perspective. He has some good themes and directions for songs and does touch on some topics that aren’t spoken on quite as much by a lot of rappers. He’s mostly stuck to a vibe here that fits him, and gets introspective and real with his life and career. Some songs I thought were noteworthy were No More Old Men & Link Me In The Future.

Like I said, it’s hard for me to judge or compare STAR LINE to old Chance because I was never a fan. I think as a return to music this was a solid project but for me there’s a few too many things holding it back. Specifically, features, song directions, reaches for sounds, and last but certainly not least, the length. A more condensed album would have clicked better for me, assuming the right tracks were selected. Still, this album further cemented my respect for Chance the Rapper and my acknowledgement that he’s not really the artist for me.

Standout Tracks: Letters, No More Old Men & Link Me In The Future

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (7/10)