Chance the Rapper is about to kick off a sweeping North American tour with dozens of stops including Montreal, New York and Los Angeles.

The 22-year-old hip-hop artist is a rising star. Born Chancelor Bennett, he has opened for Eminem, shared stages with Kendrick Lamar, hung out with Taylor Swift and may collaborate with Kanye West. “Acid Rap,” which he released free to fans, is among the most downloaded hip-hop mixtapes ever, according to the mixtape website DatPiff.com. Critics loved it.

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What Chance doesn’t have is a record deal and that’s by choice.

“Label deals suck, that’s just the truth of it,” Chance says. “People believe you have to be discovered by a higher power, who hires you and takes a percentage, but in reality, you have to garner a fan base on your own.”