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Yes, Chance the Rapper Helped Write Songs for Justin Bieber, Brandy, and Kanye West
From love songs to “odes to success,” The Voice Coach’s co-compositions have covered all sorts of territory.
If you’ve been watching Season 23 of The Voice – and of course you have! – then you are well aware that Coach Chance the Rapper has a way with words.
During his debut stint as a Coach on the NBC reality show, he has doled out advice to members of Team Chance that has been consistently thoughtful, from the heart, and on-point.
It’s safe to say when Chance is in his songwriting mode, he’s just as expressive – and not just when it’s his song.
RELATED: The One Performance From The Voice Chance The Rapper Is Still Thinking About
Listen up for a handful of the songs he’s helped write for other artists – Justin Bieber, Brandy, and Kanye West – over the years.
Chance the Rapper's Songs for Justin Bieber
Under the name of Chancelor Bennett, Chance teamed up with other songwriters to create “Confident,” a song off Bieber’s second compilation Journals. What’s the 2013 tune about? A self-assured woman that the Biebs is keen on. “She’s confident/ You can tell by the way she walks in the room,” the singer croons.
Not just a writer on the tune, Chance is featured on the song, rapping about tattoos and twerking.
In 2014, at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Chance whisked Bieber onto the stage as a surprise guest to perform “Confident” during the first weekend of the festival, Billboard reported.
“Holy” is a 2020 Bieber tune co-authored by Chancelor Bennett, who is again featured on the song. It had the distinction of being the lead single off Bieber’s sixth studio album, Justice. It’s a plainspoken, heart-on-sleeve song expressing mad love for one’s significant other.
“That the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me/ feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy," the Canadian-born artist sings.
Bieber and Chance performed a live version of the song on Saturday Night Live in October 2020, when comedian Issa Rae hosted. “Halfway through the song, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated Oct. 3, collaborator Chance the Rapper took the stage to deliver his part of the song,” Billboard reported.
Chance and Bieber's performance also provided the opportunity for the singers to appear in a sketch, pleasing fans who loved Chance's previous work. From spooky sketches to hockey-themed impersonations, the Colors artist has proven he's more than just a rapper and singer.
Chance the Rapper's Song for Brandy
Chance turned his songwriting talents, along with his featured vocals, to Brandy and her song “Baby Mama” in 2020. The song dropped as the lead single from Brandy’s seventh studio album b7, released eight years after Two Eleven. The lyrics tell a compelling tale of a "Baby Mama," honoring such women for their strength and determination.
"My new single is about embracing the strength and fortitude needed not only in motherhood, but in life,” the singer said in a press release shared by OkayPlayer. “I am thrilled that Chance joined me on this track, and I hope my fans find it as uplifting as I intended it to be!"
Pitchfork praised the song for its vulnerability and venom, noting that Brandy reclaims "the often dismissive term, but still baring her fangs."
The artist sings, “Ain’t depending on you/ I’m a baby mama."
Chance the Rapper's Songs for Kanye West
Chance stepped up as a co-songwriter of the Kanye West 2016 song “Famous,” the lead single from his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo. The release was met with both welcome arms and a cold shoulder due to lyrics related to Taylor Swift.
In “Feedback,” another song co-authored by Chance for the same album, Kanye addresses both his haters and his triumphs. The song was described by Genius as “Kanye’s unapologetic ode to success."
See Chance and his Artists' performances from Season 23 on Peacock.
