When we got our Volume II: Music Issue cover star Chance the Rapper on the phone with Get Out writer-director Jordan Peele, an instant, irrepressible bromance was born. They’re both huge horror movie nerds. They’re both dads (or soon to be). And they’re both using their respective (critically acclaimed!) talents to change the narrative on what it means to be Black and empowered in America today. In their cover conversation, the two talk about their heroes (Kanye, Dave Chappelle, Barack Obama), betting on yourself (in music, in film, in life), and shattering stereotypes through their art. Listen in.

Jordan Peele: I feel like you’ve recently transcended “artist” to become something bigger — a cultural leader. I’m curious: Do you feel like the same guy you were a year ago, or have the last couple of months taken you to a different place?

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Chance the Rapper: I feel like I’m the same guy, but I definitely feel a bigger responsibility.

JP: A word that’s kind of become synonymous with you is “generosity.” From your donations to the school system in Chicago to renting out the theater where Get Out was playing [for the community to see it for free]. I’ve always thought of myself as trying to change the world through my art. But to see you literally putting your money where your mouth is, is very inspiring to me and very cool.

CR: Thank you, that’s dope. When I was working on Coloring Book, I knew that I wanted it to be a beacon for independent artists and music makers with their own agenda. I didn’t know exactly how large the impact would be. But [because of] the light and the purity of the album—what I was trying to show people — I realized there was a lot of work that would go hand in hand with it. That’s what kind of led me to become more involved in the schools and in my church. It’s cool to say things, but if you can do it, [that] makes it real.

JP: How strategic is your creative process and how much of it is just straight from the gut? For me, it’s a certain balance between the head and the heart.

CR: Like you said, it’s half and half. But there’s a lot that feels serendipitous and just kind of comes. One great example is a record I did that is a rework of the song “How Great Is Our God” that we used to sing in church all the time. My cousin Nicole sang the song at three different, very important events at my church: my daughter’s christening, my uncle’s funeral, and my grandmother’s funeral. Every time it came across, I felt some type of calling from it, but I didn’t fully understand what it was meant to be in my life. I had her record it, and eventually I put it on the project. It ended up being the song that I performed at the Grammys. I couldn’t fully say that it was my planning or my intuition, but I knew that it was important. There’s a lot that just comes with betting on yourself.

FINDING YOUR VOICE IN A ROOM WHERE YOU HAVE TO CHALLENGE KANYE IS SCARY — BUT IT’S ALSO LIFE-AFFIRMING.

JP: What is it like to work with Kanye?

CR: Insanity. He’s very big on multitasking. We’ll have a studio rented out, and he’ll bounce between rooms working on different songs, writing for a second or adding or subtracting productions. He’ll also put a bunch of people in a room that he thinks might have good ideas and try to see what they come up with. I remember one night we had a lady who produced the Lego film, a bunch of coding people, and a magician all in a room together trying to figure out how they could make him disappear onstage. I don’t know if he ever figured that sh*t out! [Laughs] Twenty-five percent of it is productive ideas flowing and then 75 percent is lectures from Kanye, where he tells you exactly how he views the world — just very straight Kanye honesty that definitely gets your creativity and strong opinions out on the floor. I think it helped me find myself. I’m a young dude from Chicago who grew up with Kanye as my image of hip-hop. Finding your voice in a room where you have to challenge Kanye is scary — but it’s also life-affirming.