Chance the Rapper starred in this year’s pizza-themed slasher, Slice. The Grammy-winning MC now has another film project on the horizon and it puts his beloved home city of Chicago in the spotlight.
Chance and MGM have teamed up to develop a new feature musical called Hope. Its story, penned by Empire writer Carlito Rodriguez, will follow a group of Chicago teenagers that band together to turn art into action within their community.
Fellow Chi-town native and longtime Chance collaborator Nico Segal (formerly Donnie Trumpet) has been brought on to provide the film’s music. The two musicians worked together on The Social Experiment’s acclaimed 2015 album, Surf.
Chance’s manager, Pat Corcoran, and his own Haight Films company are also involved in the project, as is Straight Outta Compton producer Scott Bernstein.
Hope’s announcement couldn’t have come at a better time, as Chance is quite literally turning art into action within his own community in Chicago. Recently, the rapper donated $1 million dollars to mental health service providers all across the city. The generous move comes amidst his Lyft fundraiser and $2.2 million pledge to local public schools.
The Coloring Book MC has also been active politically. He recently backed Amara Enyia for mayor of Chicago (Kanye West would later donate more than $70,000 to her campaign).