"Blessed and highly favored — BHF" is how Chance The Rapper described his life on the 59th GRAMMY Awards red carpet this past February, and "BHF" at age 24 nicely sums up his place on Fortune's 40 Under 40 list of young business successes who influence and inspire.
The list covers young "disruptors, innovators, rebels and artists" and as we know — in the music industry and as a philanthropist — Chance is all that, as well as the youngest person on the list.
The young rapper's Coloring Book has made headlines for its success as a streaming-only album, charting on Billboard and leading Chance to his 3 first GRAMMY wins. Apple Music paid half a million dollars for an exclusive, and endorsement deals have followed with brands including Nestle and Nike.
As a prayerful artist who evangelizes through his raps, his estimated $9 million net worth can seem an extension of his uniquely individual path. But besides crediting divine help, Chance has also made sure to put his money to good work and spread the love, especially in his hometown of Chicago.
Chance The Rapper's $1 million donation to arts education in Chicago public schools in March was only the most conspicuous gift from a steady stream of innovation in philanthropy. Time also credits his nonprofit SocialWorks and recent donation of 30,000 backpacks filled with school supplies for Chicago students. While this youngest out of 40 inspiring businesspeople celebrated his 24th birthday in April, he used the occasion to raise an addition $100,000 for SocialWorks. And while this outreach is centered in the city of Chicago, we can feel the spirit of his generosity wherever we are and catch more of Chance's joy from his music.
Fortune described him as a "rule breaker," and Chance The Rapper seems to know which rules to break.
More than 100,000 fans enjoyed Chance's return to Lollapalooza in Chicago earlier this summer