Less than a year into legal drinking age, Chancelor Bennett (known to most as Chance The Rapper) has made an abrupt, precipitously successful career out of doing whatever he wants. Suspended from high school in 2011 for weed-related activities, he says, he put the finishing touches on_ 10 Day, _a heavily hyped debut mixtape. His subsequent guest appearances—nasally breathless, startlingly precocious—gained the attention of artists like Frank Ocean, J. Cole, and André 3000, all of whom he’s since worked with.* And in a departure from the tired "rapper plus his DJ" aesthetic, Chance sits comfortably at the helm of the Social Experiment, a hip-hop collective dedicated to injecting a bit of theater back into the genre’s live performances. We’re talking stage blocking, choreography, video. Even puppets.

Puppets? Why not? Chance says the Social Experiment’s primary function is a "peaceful and positive extension of a real, grungy aesthetic." Inspiration comes from everywhere: board games, thirteen-hour studio marathons, free-form "idea sessions." Oh, and from The Lion King onstage—a play he’s been attending (and Instagramming) compulsively.

"The musical-theater aspect of the show that we want to do is a lot about exclusivity," he says. "I think creating a space that you can only see in the moment is really important. I like the fact that some of your favorite Broadway musicals are not made into movies."





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Shirt $195 Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers

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Jacket, $200 by Armani Exchange

Belt by United Arrows

Watch by Seiko

Socks by Pantherella

His last mixtape, 2013’s _Acid Rap, _was a masterpiece of precocious verbal splatter paint that overwhelmed several hip-hop download sites, effectively breaking a small but crucial corner of the Internet well before Kim Crisco’d her posterior. This past October, he released the single "No Better Blues," a half-groaned dissection of youthful nihilism. The track is a tightrope strung between "bright-eyed" and "fuck it." I hate the optimistic smirks on the face of children, Chance raps, tongue firmly wedged in cheek. I hate the government and those who deface its buildings.

It’s enough to make you wonder what he actually does hate—what he’s rapping against.

"Sarcasm," he says sarcastically.

Seriously, though.

"Hmmm. Idle conversation. All the deadly sins. I’m really not trying to sound poetic, but I feel like that’s a really poetic question."

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story said that Frank Ocean, J. Cole, and Andre 3000 will be on Chance’s yet to be named LP. Management cannot confirm this is the case.