Chance The Rapper’s sophomore album Star Line is finally coming on August 15th. The project, purportedly inspired by journeys to Ghana, Jamaica, and other international locales, is available for CD and digital pre-orders at starlinegallery.co. The album cover was again created by Brandon Breaux, Chance’s longtime collaborator who has helped develop the rapper’s signature portrait aesthetic.
Chance’s team relays that the project is a reflection of “Chance’s global journey, artistically, spiritually, and physically, over the past six years,” which was co-created with longtime producer DexLvL and “blends hip-hop, soul, and experimental sounds with lyrical meditations on identity, resilience, and legacy.”
Three weeks ago, Chance announced the upcoming album and dropped “Tree,” the debut single featuring Lil Wayne and Smino. The song boasts a sample of India Arie’s “Video,” where all three men delve into their 4/20 passion. Chance interpolates India’s classic hook, crooning, “though life will have its issues, there would never be a problem with the weed.” The video, directed by Chance The Rapper, shows the men at Atrium, a Black woman-owned dispensary in Woodland Hills, California.
The Star Line merch collection, as well as CDs, will all include NFC chips that unlock “Star Line” content, making it the first NFC CD eligible for Billboard chart tabulation. Star Line was first announced in 2022, three years after his The Big Day debut album (his previous projects were mixtapes). He’s since dropped a slew of singles while promising the album, holding a private listening session for fans in Atlanta last year. In May, he previewed “Space and Time,” a single from the album, on The Voice season finale.
