Last week on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Chicago superstar Chance The Rapper confirmed that his highly anticipated album was finally dropping. He shared the title and artwork for The Big Day without revealing many other details. He also said it was out 7/26, which was called into question when the album did not materialize at midnight last night as is customary. Thirteen hours later, The Big Day really is here and we can finally hear what has been years in the making.
The Big Day is technically Chance’s debut album following a trio of mixtapes — the last of which, 2016’s Coloring Book, lifted him to a Best New Artist win at the 2017 Grammys. If the “debut” designation feels a little off, it’s at least accurate in the sense that Chance has never offered his projects for sale before now. Notably, the album’s second track “Do You Remember” features Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie, one of Chance’s favorite bands, and was cowritten by Chance’s past collaborators Justin Vernon and Francis Starlite. We’ll update with more info on features as they emerge. John Legend sings on opening track “All Day Long.” Other guests: En Vogue on “I Got You (Always And Forever),” Megan Thee Stallion on “Handsome,” Gucci Mane on “Big Fish,” Shawn Mendes on “Ballin Flossin,” and Nicki Minaj on two tracks, “Slide Around” and closer “Zanies And Fools.”
Dig into the 22-track The Big Day below and let us know if it lives up to the hype.