Chance the Rapper tells Ellen DeGeneres that Jesus is the reason he gives back to his community
Grammy Award-winning artist Chance the Rapper, whose real name is Chancelor Jonathan Bennett, was a guest on NBC's "Ellen DeGeneres Show" where he declared that Jesus has inspired him to be a more generous person.
The famous emcee from Chicago has been on the promotional circuit for his new album The Big Day, which is laced with profanity, giving radio and TV interviews and during Wednesday's episode of “Ellen,” DeGeneres asked why it's important for him to give back to the community.
"My understanding of a lot of stuff is based on Jesus,” he said.
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Aside from his music, Chance is known for his philanthropy in the Chicago Public Schools system. In 2015, the rapper and some of his peers helped raise $100,000 for Chicago schools through the Get Schooled Program. Last summer, he wrote a $1 million check to his city’s Public School Foundation to help support the arts in the school system.
“Jesus teaches to care for your neighbor and care for people that aren't necessarily your blood, but still a part of your body because we're all humans,” he said. “That's an impactful thing that I understood more as I got older.”
Chance also said his parents have been instrumental in teaching him to help others.
“My parents, since I was young, definitely instilled into me that when you see people that are in need, you don't just want to pass them by. You want to try and do something beneficial to help them before you leave, because that's your imprint,” he told DeGeneres.
“So I guess it's a mixture of my parents and Jesus,” he concluded in response to her question.
DeGeneres replied, “Those were good inspirations!”
Chance’s awakening came after he completed his Grammy Award-winning album Coloring Book during a time while he and his then girlfriend-now-wife, Kirsten, were separated.
During a recent interview with Queen Radio on Apple Music's Beats 1 hosted by Nicki Minaj, Chance got candid and said his wife "saved" him by abstaining from sex.
“My wife literally saved my life by becoming celibate and going and getting baptized,” he said, admitting that before he witnessed her commitment to faith he never really knew where his strength came from.
"This is all after Coloring Book, after I proclaimed that I love Jesus, and all that stuff," he revealed. “You’re never fully, fully sanctified. So I had to keep figuring it out. I had to do the Grammy's by myself. I had to do a lot by myself. Then when my girl — who is also the mother of his child — was gracious enough to have me back, it changed my whole life.”
