The first time I heard Chance the Rapper was in the dorm room of a former classmate. My friend and fellow hip-hop head raved on and on about how Chance created the project that we were listening to while he was on a 10-day suspension in high school. I was extremely intrigued and continued to follow his work. When he released AcidRap in 2013, I realized that the young artist had reached a point of darkness in his life.
He talked about depression, substance abuse, and his continuous effort to make his family happy, all topics with which 20-something-year-old black girls are very familiar. It was then that I realized that he was destined to become one of the dopest entertainment professionals of our time, but it wasn't until he released Coloring Book that the world truly saw his full potential.
He was eloquently able to tell a story of addiction, love, and fatherhood on a hip-hop project with Gospel influences, which was something that no artist has effectively done before. My mind was blown by the fact that he had gotten T-Pain and Kirk Franklin on one song dedicated to giving God the glory for allowing him to overcome life's burdens and reach his ultimate pinnacle of success. I realized that something about Chano had changed, and now, we know that the change we saw came from his one-day fiance, Kirsten Corley.
Storytime. A thread on how I met my wife. pic.twitter.com/Qi0DWRZF0r
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) March 6, 2019
Yesterday, news broke that Chance the Rapper proposed to his longtime partner and mother of his 2-year-old daughter at a family cookout and the footage will give you all of the feels. While their baby daughter pranced around the yard living her best life in the cutest little swimsuit, Chance got down on one knee and said this:
"Make me a man and be my wife."
He later confirmed on Twitter that she said "yes," and now we're just waiting on a date and an invitation to the reception, sis. Chance and Kirsten are proof that your wife can determine the trajectory of your life, and Chance made sure to choose wisely and put a ring on it. He even dropped some hints before he popped the big question including this cryptic caption that he wrote in an Instagram post birthday post for Kirsten's birthday in May:
"From the beginning beginning to the end end. You are my oldest and best friend. You are responsible for everyone of the most wonderful things in my life. I'm forever grateful that God made me find you, and even more grateful that you made me find God. Forever and ever babe."
After reading that, it clicked for me. Coloring Book was released in 2016, nearly three years after meeting Kirsten and only months after the birth of his daughter. The dark, solemn place that Chance was in when he recorded Acid Rap was replaced by the faith and triumph that he felt when he found Kirsten and she encouraged him to find God.
By no means am I suggesting that any relationship is perfect, but if it doesn't help you grow, what's the point? Someone told me once that if you don't feel closer to God after being loved, they probably weren't doing it right.
With the help of his future wife, Chance manifested every one of his dreams.
Although I definitely wish I was the one walking down the aisle with the 25-year-old hip-hop star, I'm super happy that Kirsten and Chance found one another. It's not everyday you find a love that is productive and grows your spirit, but when you do, the harvest will be more than you can imagine.
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