Coloring Book Chance the Rapper Review: find this out now

Coloring Book Chance the Rapper Review: Does It Still Hold Up?

Short answer: yes. Coloring Book, released May 13, 2016, is still Chance the Rapper’s best-reviewed project. It’s gospel and hip-hop mixed together in a way almost nobody else was doing at the time, and it made history as the first streaming-only release to chart on the Billboard 200 — then went on to win Best Rap Album at the Grammys, the first streaming-exclusive project to ever do that.

That’s the headline. Now let’s get into what actually makes the tape worth your time, track by track, plus what real listeners on forums and streaming platforms say about it — not just critic talk.

What Coloring Book Actually Is

Coloring Book is Chance’s third mixtape, self-released with no label, produced mostly with his group The Social Experiment along with Kanye West, Kaytranada, and Lido. It runs 57 minutes across 14 tracks and leans hard into gospel rap — choirs, church organ, Kirk Franklin on a hook — while still keeping the loose, joyful energy that made Chance’s earlier tapes like Acid Rap stand out.

It came out exclusively on Apple Music first, then hit other streaming platforms two weeks later. That release strategy alone was a big deal in 2016 — labels were still figuring out streaming, and Chance proved an independent artist could break chart rules without signing anything.

Track-by-Track: The Songs Worth Talking About

Same Drugs Chance the Rapper Review

“Same Drugs” is the quiet emotional center of the tape — no big feature, just Chance and a piano, reflecting on growing apart from someone he used to be close to. It’s one of the most talked-about tracks on the project among longtime fans specifically because of how personal it feels compared to the more celebratory songs around it.

It’s also the song that got covered by the indie-pop band MisterWives, who called it one of their favorite songs and said they were drawn to both the message and the arrangement. Chance later said the cover “made his heart smile.” That’s a rare crossover moment — a gospel-rap ballad resonating enough with a totally different genre’s artists that they recorded their own version.

Best for: listeners who want the emotional, stripped-back side of the tape rather than the horn-heavy party cuts.

Angels Chance the Rapper Review

“Angels,” featuring Chicago rapper Saba, was actually the lead single, released back in October 2015, months before the full tape dropped. It’s got a lighter, more soul-influenced sound than a lot of the mixtape and works as a love letter to Chicago itself.

As the first single, it set the tone for what Coloring Book would sound like overall — hopeful, hometown-proud, and unmistakably built on gospel and neo-soul roots rather than straight trap or boom-bap.

Best for: anyone who wants an entry point into the tape before committing to the full 57 minutes — it’s a good sampler of the sound.

No Problem Chance the Rapper Review

“No Problem,” featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz, is the closest thing Coloring Book has to a straightforward rap anthem, and it’s become Chance’s most-streamed video, passing 150 million YouTube views. It was teased on Snapchat back in January 2016 and premiered on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 show the day before the full mixtape released.

It’s the song most likely to show up on a “best of Chance” playlist for people who aren’t deep into his catalog, and Lil Wayne’s guest verse is regularly cited by fans as one of the standout features on the whole tape.

Best for: listeners who want the highest-energy, most radio-friendly track on the project.

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How to Actually Listen to Coloring Book (Buying/Listening Guide)

You won’t find Coloring Book on physical shelves the way you would a normal album — it started as a streaming-only release, though it’s since gotten official vinyl pressings for its 10th anniversary, including a pink translucent colored vinyl edition. If you want it physically, check current listings on Discogs, where the mixtape holds a strong 4.42 out of 5 average rating across hundreds of user ratings — a solid sign it’s held up with fans over time, not just critics at release.

If you’re new to the tape and don’t know where to start, here’s the honest order I’d suggest:

1. Start with “Angels” to get the tone.
2. Move to “No Problem” for the energy.
3. Sit with “Same Drugs” once you’re a few songs in — it hits harder with context.
4. Save “Blessings” for last. Critics consistently point to it as the emotional and thematic closer of the whole project, where Chance directly addresses his relationship with faith.

Coloring Book Chance the Rapper Review: Final Verdict

Coloring Book earns its reputation. It’s not just a good mixtape — it changed how the industry thought about what counted as a “real” release, and it still sounds fresh a decade later, backed by a 4.42/5 fan rating on Discogs and seven Grammy nominations at the time of release. If you’re deciding whether it’s worth your time: yes, start with “Angels,” “No Problem,” and “Same Drugs,” and go from there.

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