Whle you might wake up in the middle of the night, heart racing and sheets soaked with sweat thinking about Trump’s presidency, Chance the Rapper is not nervous about what’s going to happen after January 20. As he tells GQ, national awareness of social inequality is on the rise and people are inspired to collaborate on a beautiful new world. And if that still doesn’t inspire you, just remember: For a lot of people in America, it’s always been kind of terrible. “I want to be the good guy. And sometimes the good guy sounds like a lame thing. But the good guy, in what I’ve seen happen so far, the good usually wins. That’s why I’m not afraid of a Trump presidency,” the Coloring Book rapper explains to GQ’s Mark Anthony Green. “You gotta just understand, like, shit has been fucked-up, right? Like, Make America Great Again, that’s not a real thing because shit ain’t really switched up for them. It’s not really going that bad for you. If you feel like you’re the underrepresented, underappreciated side of Middle America that is white — quote me — you need to, uh, toughen up, nigga! Somebody gotta punch you in the chest, because shit is sweet for you. You know what I’m saying?”
White Middle America’s intro to the realities of racial politics in America aside, the Acid Rap rapper is generally optimistic about our cultural trajectory. “I would say to everybody, you know, the world is coming together. Like there’s — everyday people are becoming more and more, I’m not using this word in terms of emotion, but sensitive to real issues and … aware. That’s really what I mean. People are raising their kids to be more and more knowledgeable and understanding. I would say the main reason not to be afraid is that I’m making music for your kids now. I’m coming so clean-cut with the message of hope and understanding, and the Word, that it’s like: What could you be fearful of?” Man, it’s going to be heartbreaking for him when Chance runs against Kanye in 2020, but so uplifting for everyone else if he wins.
