Last night Chance The Rapper made history. He revolutionised the idea of what it takes for Artists to win a Grammy as he won 3 Grammys (best new artist, best rap album and best rap performance) without selling 1 physical copy of his album and without being signed to a label. His victory was a victory not just for himself, but for other independent Artists also. He proved that you do not have to sign with a label in order to be successful. He showed us that you can create dope music, give it away for free and receive accolades for the music you created. In fact, Chance The Rapper’s achievement paints a narrative that reminds us of what it means to be GREAT.

When you are GREAT, you march to the beat of your own authentic drum; you have full creative control over your art-form and people make concessions for you as opposed to you repeatedly making concessions for others to no avail. If the Grammy’s governing board did not bend the rules for Chance, then the young bright star would have had no way of being eligible to win. Perhaps now, the Grammy’s governing board will consider doing away with some of their archaic requirements that are no longer relevant in the information age where Artists seemingly are accessing more agency and power.

Chance the Rapper is more than a musical Artist; he is a LEADER and VISIONARY. His faith and steadfastness in the vision that he embodies for independent Artists is absolutely unparalleled. It takes much courage and tenacity to forego alluring offerings from labels. Most Artists will sell more than half of their ownership for some money at the drop of a dime. They will break their neck trying to appease various record executives that really have no idea what is going on in the music world today because they lost touch with the evolution of how music is being consumed and how Artists are truly being developed and broken within the marketplace.

If you are an Artist of any kind, this is your season if you have the guts and wherewith all to understand that you are a brand; you are a business and you have to sew and invest into your vision along with a heck of a team of high character individuals who understand that vision. You need investors. You need to move strategically and you most definitely have to work diligently and smart. No one is saying that it is easy, but it sure is worth it in the end as anything worth having, is most definitely worth working for. No one is saying that it will happen over night either as anything that comes quickly, departs even quicker. Yep, all in all, there is no way to circumvent life. You have to work for what you want and build it brick by brick.

So, out of all the wins last night, Chance The Rapper, is the one that meant more than the rest because not only does he have his Grammys now, but even better, this young man has his FREEDOM!

Chance The Rapper, CONGRATULATIONS King! STAY WOKE, STAY EMPOWERED, STAY FREE!

💜Love & Light🌞,
CRISTEN M. MILLS